Bright Lights/Dark Shadows

This isn't the first time I have exhibited with my partner Derry, but it is the first time we have done so on this scale and purposefully setting out to contrast our very different styles.   

Derry focuses on the colorful and brighter aspects of Second Life while I have a tendency to eliminate all color from my images (Okay, maybe "tendency" isn't quite the right word.) 

Although our styles differ in the extreme, many of the images in this show were taken at the same time on the same sim as we explored Second Life together. (Though it might be a little hard to tell)

Derry's bright and colourful personality comes through in her images, which show her delight with whimsy and fun and the smallest details, though she also strives to make her images as realistic as possible.

"I love it when someone asks if the picture was taken in real life," she says (leaning over my shoulder to check on what I am writing about her.)

For myself, line and form are what an images is all about - colour is a distraction. My goal is to create an emotional response from the viewer - if one of my images make you cry, laugh or just think, I've done my job.  

Bright Lights/DarkShadows opens at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 22 at Timamoon Arts with the eclectic Pippa Exonar singing jazz, blues, and even a few pop songs. 

By the way, it is also a joint rezday party for us. Derry rezzed in seven years ago on March 21, and I am going to be four years old on March 23.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Timamoon%20Arts/115/218/25

B&W Portrait Challenge

I've not blogged anything in a long, long while, but it wouldn't have been right for me not to get in on +Strawberry Singh's Black and White Portrait Challenge.Here's mine, but you can check out the other responses on her original blog post.

Back InWorldz

Cracker's Run, Naporia

Oct. 28: Spent some time visiting InWorldz again this morning, this time around Crooked Creek in the DanCoDi sim. It's kind of out of sight in my pics of this Mediterranean coastal resort, but there is a nice little mall kicking around behind the ridge in a neighbouring sim.

Crooked Creek, DanCoDi

Quality of these builds is every bit as high as in Second Life, so there is lots to see. And while there are some glitches -- a few problems TPing and got sunk into the floor while editing my appearance -- it's come a long way since 2010 when I first rezzed in. 

Crooked Creek, DanCoDi

Exploring Inworldz

St. George Reef, Inworldz

I rarely visit Inworldz, even though I've had an avatar there nearly as long as in Second Life.

Truth be told, I have a bias against Inworldz, since my first experiences there were so poor. When I first rezzed in, I could walk hardly walk 10 steps without sinking into the ground and getting stuck. And unfortunately, it wasn't only me … later I discovered that some sims would set out dance and other pose balls at intervals to help you get unstuck.

I’ll skip over the problems with finding shops to buy some decent bits and pieces to create an avatar. But the quality of many builds was also less than impressive, so there was little to draw me back. I couldn't understand why anyone went there, other than it seemed most Inworlders and those that talked it up had a huge hate on for SL.

But earlier today, I read +Strawberry Singh's blog about 20 SL designers opening up shop in Inworldz and was intrigued enough to visit and explore for a bit. And I've got to admit, things have changed.  

Builds are better, graphics and textures are better and it no longer feels like walking through mud to get around. As a matter of fact, some of the builds in the sailing area I visited were easily the equal of SL.

But there is still the problem of people. Perhaps this new infusion of stores and creators will draw some in, but frankly, going to a VW where there is only 200 or so people in world time feels a bit desolate.

So, the upshot is I won’t be leaving Second Life for Inworldz, though I may spend a little more time there exploring. Now, if I could only find a nice quality sailboat there….

And a star to steer her by

Click to enlarge

This particular post is in response to one of +Inara Pey's "For the Few," a homage to flight in Second Life. I decided to do the same for my favourite activity; Inara provided the inspiration, I provided the image and John Masefield provided the words: 

"All I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by."

And while not a tall ship, the Patchogue II from Jacquleine Trudeau, is certainly elegant enough to suit Masefield's "Sea Fever."

Challenge: Windlight

Ocho Tango: soft and hazy

So  +Strawberry Singh, the mistress of windlight settings, wants to know how the rest of us use windlight in our images in her latest Monday meme.

Do you use windlight while taking pictures? If not, why not? Sure. I experiment with them a lot as well as having all the bells and whistles turned on: advanced lighting, ambient occlusion and so on. Usually though, I leave local lights turned off – I want to be in complete control of the light.

When taking a closeup snapshot for a profile picture, which windlight preset do you use most often? I don't often do portraits. I think my profile pic is more than two years old (and really kind of sad - it was an experiment) I do shoot a lot of images of singers and performers, but then, I usually follow the same pattern as when I am doing landscapes - it's all about the mood.

Which windlight presets do you use for full body portraits? Pretty much the same answer as the last question.

If you do landscape photography, which windlights do you use for that most often? Ah, here we go! My final images are almost always in black and white, so there are a few things going on in my head when I am working. First is “what is this going to look like without colour? So I tend to favour windlights that don't have strong colours to begin with: It's gonna rain, Amsterdam, Dusty Bright. Mainly for me, controlling the light is all about setting mood, so I am most concerned with contrast, shadows, clouds and intensity of light. For that, there is no substitute for just playing, especially with the haze level.

Ocho Tango again, after the fog lifted

Do you have any tricks or tips that you could share for using Windlight effectively? Not really sure if this is a windlight tip, but one of the biggest pains for me is spending 10 minutes experimenting and getting my camera angle and windlight synced perfectly, only to move or hit escape and bounce back to default. Pick up a copy of HUD CAM or the pushpin hud to lock your view down.

Have you created any windlights that you would be willing to share with us? Unfortunately no. I experiment a lot and rarely use the same settings twice. I can share a bit of advice I learned through RL photography, though; try to previsualise how you want the final image to look. Not so much in detail, but in terms of how the light will convey the mood of the scene. Then work towards that image. Easy, right?

What do you do with a flat Rodvik? 

My take on +Strawberry Singh 's latest Monday meme: Flat Rodvik. Seriously, this guy needs better clothes.

Even if it is Rodvik, I am not going to be seen in public with him until he gets a decent outfit, so I took him to Deco to see if he could find something he liked. It's taking a while, though.

Check out http://strawberrysingh.com/2013/07/29/flat-rodvik-linden-meme/ for more or Deco at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Friday/49/70/35.