Photospot: Ethereal Caverns

   

Photospot on SL Unearthed is a semi-regular feature that highlights a Second Life spot that is a cool place at which to take portrait photos inworld. Not an entire sim, not even a complete parcel, but just a single specific location - a spot - with portrait opportunity.

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Sometimes you need an area where you can feature your not-so-human avatars. Today's Photospot is such a place, deep in the Ethereal Slate caverns. This area is built by the TeaLink group and welcomes visitors. Perhaps you've been here before; it's been in place since 2008 and much (possibly all) of the work is by Jopsy Pendragon. (Yes, he of Particle Laboratory fame.) Although it will also do fine for human avatars, this is a particularly excellent place for your wild animals or or perhaps even aliens. Merfolk might find it pleasing as well. I chose to don a faerie dragon (a nearly-freebie made by Grendel's Children).

The SLurl sets you gently down on an elevated rail track which you can follow further into the cavern. When you reach its end, step out on a ledge and you might discover the spiral ramp that will lead you down to the waters. Deep in the center, you'll behold the magic tree and be beguiled by the colorful lights of the Dark Crystal. If you have the ability to fly like my dragon, it's even more fun, I must say.

The cavern also holds curious buildings of the ancients and a mysterious dark orb which really comes to life under certain Windlight settings. Speaking of which, Windlight loves this place, and you can seriously get some fun going with a bit of color and glowing fog. As an added bonus for me, my dragon has black stripes over white, and the white picked up and flaunted every color Windlight offered. So sometimes my dragon was blue or yellow or even purple. It only added to the fun.

If you wander too far, you'll end up in the Teal sim, but the caverns continue there, too, so go ahead and enjoy the wander. For an extra treat, indulge in the magic by using the crystal platform transport to visit the Crystal Palace and maybe take a hot air balloon ride. Really, Jopsy's work here could keep you occupied for days, and you're sure to find a lot more photo opportunities. Make time for it!

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Flickr members: you're invited to join the SL Unearthed Photospot group and add your pictures taken at Photospot locations to the group pool.

   

Take note that very little in SL stays the same for very long. After even a short while, Photospot locations may be gone or changed in a significant way that renders their SLurls ineffective as originally intended, so be sure to grab these opportunities as they come!

Photospot: Soho Studio Cafe

   

Photospot on SL Unearthed is a semi-regular feature that highlights a Second Life spot that is a cool place at which to take portrait photos inworld. Not an entire sim, not even a complete parcel, but just a single specific location - a spot - with portrait opportunity.

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Did you know there are entire sections of New York City faithfully (in spirit at least) reproduced in several areas of Second life - including mainland? True, true. My avatar got to feeling a bit like a starving artist, putting all his monies into his wardrobe and art supplies; not a lot left for living quarters. I imagined him in some spartan Soho loft, with a bed in one corner, a small refrigerator nearby, a table surrounded by canvasses, an old cassette tape player for some ambiance while working. And of course, a gated freight elevator for access.

Alas, I didn't find the loft apartment of my vision. However, I did find today's Photospot: a Soho studio cafe of sorts, where down-and-out artists of the neighborhood can meet up to talk shop over a cup of the strange brew that the Tooter Claxon coffee machine on the premises offers. And I found it at the edge of New York City -- which is on the Heterocera Atoll, right where one would expect it, naturally. *grin*

"Spartan" accurately describes this space, but there are some hidden features. The straight-back chairs come equipped with several poses for both males and females. Also, Build is enabled (with a generous 10 minute autoreturn), so you can rez out your own poseballs here or even add your own furniture and other props for the time of your shoot.

Windlight works beautifully here, helping you change the time of day or to accentuate the New York weather. Fun with shadows can also be had; the flooring looks especially nice with a stream of sunlight dancing across its surface.

On the street side of this space, a couple busses and taxis can be seen. To the opposite, a railroad track passes close to the building. During the time I was there, two city transit trains and a locomotive passed by. If you hope to catch one in your shot, watch your mini-map for green dots moving along the tracks (or engage a friend to become an engineer for the time you're there). I had good luck shooting outward from within the studio cafe, although not very good results trying to shoot into it from outside. The windows are dirty in both directions, but on the exterior, they're nearly opaque.

I didn't rez any painting supplies, but I did take advantage of the enabled Build to rez a "keep your eyes on this" prim, shrunk it down to about 0.05, and made the texture transparent. I also turned off particles (under Advanced > Rendering Types). I thought maybe 10 minutes wouldn't be long enough for me, so I was keeping the prim selected and I didn't want my selection effects to show up in the shots. Why do I call it a "keep your eyes on this" prim? Because as long as I have it selected (or unselected, if it's Alt + Clicked), the avatar's eyes will look at it. When the focus prim is moved, the eyes move to follow it. Keeping a prim selected (or Alt + Clicked) while still lining up your shots can involve some tricky camera maneuvering, but if you've got the patience, it's worth it to avoid those times when the eyes insist on aiming toward the forehead or ears.

Gotta love a virtual world.

Style notes: Tweed suit by Gabriel, skin by Faces Studio, hair by A&A, eyes by Sterling Artistry.

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Flickr members: you're invited to join the SL Unearthed Photospot group and add your pictures taken at Photospot locations to the group pool.

   

Take note that very little in SL stays the same for very long. After even a short while, Photospot locations may be gone or changed in a significant way that renders their SLurls ineffective as originally intended, so be sure to grab these opportunities as they come!

Holy Lace

Things have been insane hectic around here, but I was so excited to see that ::Hot Stuff:: put out some new releases! They have some of my favorite outfits. I want to go and buy the whole store! Their stuff is cute, fun, flirty and a lot of things can be worn with or without my Lolas Tangos. My outfit today is no different - its a lacy fun top that is both sexy yet covers all. It comes in three colors - white, pink and grey.

.b also put out some new hair recently. When I went to have a peek at the new releases, I was struck by this hairstyle - I thought perhaps it would look silly on, but instead I feel like a movie star! 

Bouncing around the grid today I stumbled upon the Notre Dame Cathedral - there is so much detail to this place it is incredibly amazing. If you've never been, you need to stop through and take some pictures, relax and calm yourself, or of course, the obvious church-like things that one could do. 

Get out there and explore!

The Look:

Outfit: :.::Hot Stuff::.:Beautiful imperfection-Grey (New Release)
Hair: .b - thyme - heat  (Newish Release)
Skin: :[ Al Vulo! ] - [ Aisha ] - [ Candy Porcelain - old item @ TDR ]
Ring: JCNY - LOTUS Mood Ring, with Hyper-Gems (SPECIAL) - 10L on Marketplace

Pose: //elephante poses// Glosoli #5
Location: Notre Dame Cathedral 

Photospot: Columns and Filigree

   

Photospot on SL Unearthed is a semi-regular feature that highlights a Second Life spot that is a cool place at which to take portrait photos inworld. Not an entire sim, not even a complete parcel, but just a single specific location - a spot - with portrait opportunity.

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With its black and white marble-tiled flooring, red columns with gold trim, the delicate curlicued wall panels and hanging ivy, today's Photospot could be a good location for flaunting anything from elegant tuxedos and ballgowns to posing deranged dollies.

Shadows are especially interesting here. The tiled flooring receives shadows poorly or not at all (perhaps it just didn't like the Windlight settings I tried), but on other things - including your star model - the shadows are a delight. Help the sun shine through those filigree panels, and you'll see instantly what I mean.

Beyond being a "figurehead" for Domus Land Rentals, the pavilion appears to serve no other purpose except to excite the imagination. What better reason does something need in Second Life? Mix in a little Windlight, and it's a winning combination.

Style notes: The lovely gown is by F.I.S.L, skin is Ramya (Yasum) with layered lipsticks from Amacci and Mock. Hair is LeLutka, jewelry and gloves (tinted) are from Curious Kitties.

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Flickr members: you're invited to join the SL Unearthed Photospot group and add your pictures taken at Photospot locations to the group pool.

   

Take note that very little in SL stays the same for very long. After even a short while, Photospot locations may be gone or changed in a significant way that renders their SLurls ineffective as originally intended, so be sure to grab these opportunities as they come!

Photospot: Inner City Sidewalk

   

Photospot on SL Unearthed is a semi-regular feature that highlights a Second Life spot that is a cool place at which to take portrait photos inworld. Not an entire sim, not even a complete parcel, but just a single specific location - a spot - with portrait opportunity.

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Today's Photospot is bringing us to a neglected and decaying section of a large metropolis. The sim of Sinners Heaven (home to BC322, Black Maria and other punk/grunge shops), is a highly detailed build with gritty textures and heaps of realism. This is where we'll find our inner city sidewalk.

Our spot is marked by a couple of discarded banana peels. Unlike most objects around here, these peels are fairly fresh. Be careful you don't slip on them - unless you want a different kind of picture! You can catch some intriguing views in nearly every direction from here. You could even try shooting down from overhead and include the cool streetlamp/telephone pole. I was partial to the long view up the street northward.

There are active crows flying in this area which might work with your shots. Also, there are myriad framing devices, including building and car windows, fencing, barbed wire, a gnarled tree and steel grating. The scale of ruin and disrepair that surrounds you could be cause for depression except for the copious amount of love and attention behind each and every carefully placed prim. It may not stand out at first glance, but the longer you hang around, the more plainly obvious it becomes.

The more you look, the more you can appreciate the effort that's been put into this sim. Just this one spot for today. You could return here again and again and never see it all. But what you do get to see is worth it, each and every time, and your camera will come away filled with souvenirs.

Style notes: Clothing is Delirium Style, and the hair is Black Maria.

  

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Flickr members: you're invited to join the SL Unearthed Photospot group and add your pictures taken at Photospot locations to the group pool.

   

Take note that very little in SL stays the same for very long. After even a short while, Photospot locations may be gone or changed in a significant way that renders their SLurls ineffective as originally intended, so be sure to grab these opportunities as they come!