SL Unearthed: Halloween

Showing posts with label Halloween. Show all posts

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Do you know Jack?

The Halloween seasons is upon us, and that of course means great outfits, costumes and designer gifts! As well as things for your avi, there are lots of interesting places to explore with a creepy theme! London has taken their dungeon and transformed it into a walk through the grim past of London - including a room about the Jack the Ripper!

~Shadow Moon~ has some great hunt gifts out right now, including the Halloween Stripes outfit above! There's also a companion male version! It includes the boots, mesh corset, socks, armbands, bat necklace and skirt!. The skin is a group gift from ::Modish:: and the hair was part of the secret sale last month at ChiChickie! The style is still available though! The pumpkin is a great item (with lots of different options) available at Fauxy Walks in their London location!

So head out and get yourself all halloween'd up and then search out what freaks and beasts you can find, just be-careful they don't find you first! *Runs away from Jack!*

The Look:

Outfit: ~Shadow Moon~ Halloween Stripes - Female (Boo! Bunny Hunt - Oct 15-31)
Pose: R.icielli - CUTE Poses (From Pose Superpack)
Eyes: IKON Kaleido Eyes - Day (XL) (Sept Group Gift)
Hair: ChiChickie! Tiffani - Mixed Darks (from Secret Sale)
Skin: ::Modish:: Bonnie PumpkinBlush- sunkiss [Gr.Gift]
Pumpkin Bucket - Fauxy Walks in London - Stitch S Pumpkin Trick or Treat Bucket of Candy (L$99)
Location: London City 3 Dungeon

Monday, October 31, 2011

Photospot: Witches Camp

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.

Happy Hallowe'en! I have consulted the ancient grimoire and for this final day of October, it suggests that it's time to bring out your witches and wizards for one last dance around the cauldron before the fantastic outfits/avatars of October get buried in inventory under mounds of coming snow. So that is our photographic mission today.

Aero Pines Park and Recreation Area is an estate comprised of 12 connected sims, primarily serving as training simulation grounds for first responders and other hazardous occupations (such as firefighters and rescue teams). The sims are also a public hot spot with trails and events such as concerts, exhibitions, expos, rallies, races, rodeos. For October (and only until November 6, so don't delay), they're featuring the Halloween Trail which includes the spot we're visiting for Halloween today - Witches Camp.

This is an area designated by a curve in the road, partially surrounded by spooky, not-quite-dead trees. There is much activity in this area including particles, lights, animated textures and moving objects. Give it all time to rez, then start looking for camera angles. There are a few black cats, witchy familiars. There is a table with lots of witchy goodness (including what appears to be eyeball & brain cupcakes!), a few spiders and a couple cauldrons. One cauldron has poseballs so that you and a friend can stir the pot (which could contain someone else)! There are a variety of witches here already, of many types in various forms, and you might want them joining you in your shots. Then you can play "which witch is which?"

For lighting, anything suitably dark and spooky will do the trick here. At minimum, set Sun to Midnight, but you'll probably want to go beyond that. Aero Pines recommends using the "Ghost" Windlight setting.

My witch gravitated to the cauldron which was bubbling and glowing green, so I switched to "Gelatto" and pretty much kept it there for the rest of the shoot, modifying the setting slightly with different camera changes. (I believe "Ghost" and "Gelatto" are settings that come with each viewer, so they should both be in your list. "Ghost" is similar to "Foggy" but darker-toned, while "Gelatto" is darkly clear with chartreuse and green tones.)

Start with Midnight or a setting like Ghost, but do experiment from there. The concept of Halloween witches can be expressed in a number of different hues. Of course orange, green, purple, but you might also find something exciting with reds, teals or deep blues. Maybe even pink?

And don't neglect to play with the mysterious ground fog (which offered extra fun later when adding color gradient overlays)! Last call for 2011: Halloween will soon be over. Be sure to visit Witches Camp before it closes Sunday.

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!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Photospot: Tormented gravedigging

Let it rez. Yes, I know you hear that all the time, but when you land at today's Photospot, really, let it rez. There is a lot going on around the landing point, including particles and sculpts and stuff you don't want to miss, so be patient. There's no rush here. After all, the denizens of these graves, tombs and catacombs aren't going anywhere...! (Some graveyard humor. ;)

(Note: When I visited again just prior to posting, the landing point was disabled. I don't know if that was temporary or not, so it's possible you'll land right at the gravesite. If so, there'll be no beacon to follow and some of the navigational references might not make sense unless you walk over to the base of the stairs first.) When all is in focus, you'll see a teleport system in the stone idol nearby which might come in handy later, but we prefer to walk where we're going anyway. Straight ahead up the stairs is a graveyard with a lot of photo opportunities that include freshly dug graves and even the chance to entomb yourself, if you're into doing that sort of thing.

If you continue forward through the graveyard and follow the paths (both left and right), you'll discover the stores of our hosts. The shops are cleverly intertwined with the area's appearance and situated amidst the Tormented Woods, "a dark land overrun by the BloodWorx hordes: Metal Gear, PrimEvil, Dead Center, Hells Forge, and UberDark. Enter at [your] own risk." You might enjoy doing some shopping here, particularly as Halloween approaches. There's a little something for everyone on the dark end of things.

If you continue to follow the pathways back here, you'll find an arena and what looks to be a giant statue of Cthulhu. As a consideration, maybe you shouldn't walk these pathways alone. There are ruins and graves. There are skeletons, crows and bats. Our BloodWorx hosts clearly had an enjoyable and very creative time putting this area together. Yet still amazing is that the area occupies less than half a sim, and most incredibly, it's *mainland*. You would not have guessed that if I hadn't mentioned it. I find it quite an impressive achievement. As I poked around, I noticed JubJub Forder's name frequently. It's a familiar name if you've seen items from Relics or Aja or Sculpts Only Mall. Well, guess who's behind BloodWorx, too? For more of the history, I found a little info about this area at his website.

You will be tempted to take photos all around these Tormented Woods, and I sure won't stop you. But now that we've had a good look around and I've done my (rather poor) imitation of Cicadetta, let's home in on today's particular spot and get down to business. Follow the beacon (if it didn't land you directly here) to this freshly dug grave not far from the original landing point. There must be something in your inventory suitable for wearing in this environment, especially so recently after the Supernatural, Twisted and Macabre hunts, right? Like with this very cool unseelie avatar from Malfean Visions, I get to wear a lantern on my tail. That's sure a treat that doesn't happen every day. So have a poke around and dig something up - yeah, that's a little gravedigger joke there.

Set up your lighting and work with the variety of fore- and backgrounds that can be viewed from here. Be alert when aiming toward the SW where the trees are a bit more open, but the other directions are all quite workable. There are masoleums, crypt ruins, a couple types of fences, trees and general vegetation - all of which can produce viable ambient backgrounds to your portraits.

The crows are not very good conversationalists, but they will keep a close eye on you. Perhaps too close. You better keep an eye on them, too. Watch their movements carefully, and with a little patience, you'll be able to catch them looking in the right direction for what you need. In this manner, although it took a little extra time, I love how the crows became legitimate characters in my unseelie's pictorial story.

I really took a liking to the looks of the path next to the grave, and after reading about the construction of these Tormented Woods, I understand now that we're seeing a sculpt which JubJub shaped to fit the terrain. That means no transparent collision prims are needed (because we're walking on the ground just beneath the phantom sculpt), and it also explains how the texture work was done. It's definitely a great effect.

And then, as I stood on the path, extoling its virtues in draft, none other than the artist himself popped into the area briefly. I couldn't resist grabbing a stealth snap before he quickly vanished. Perhaps you'll run into him too, here at the gravesite in his Tormented Woods.

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

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Photospot: Charnel yard

If you're looking for a spooky sim to creep around in during October, Cute Poison should be on your list. Home of the Cute Poison mainstore and mall, the sim is fully fleshed (and rottenly decayed) in sinister glory. Lucky you gets to visit there for today's Photospot, which is a charnel yard situated up a hill and some distance from the landing point. Let the beacon be your guide.

Come prepared for an appropriate level of spookiness. The sim is holding a Scream Hunt for the final days of October; find a few sneaky ghosts, gain the prizes. You might want to allot extra time for that. But for now, head up the hill, past the sign reading "Pet Cemetery" and follow the path to beyond the iron gates where the beacon awaits you. You have arrived.

Every which way you turn, there are intriguing backgrounds to line up with. Many of the items, such as tree limbs and fence rails, could also be used as visual framing devices. Think of the fencing (and related items) as a kind of "window" to shoot through. Line up your camera and see what there is to see.

The ground area, like so much of this macabre setting, is made of sculpts. When you want your feet clearly visible, the stairway (with its invisible collision prim) is probably the safest place to stand. To help the appearance of fog/haze extending further into the distance, I removed the Linden water from my view by unchecking Advanced > Rendering > Types > Water (or use Ctrl+Alt+Shift+7). Toggle it back on when done shooting, or let it return automatically upon relog.

The sim is cast in a state of neverending night, but you can still use Windlight here. The light can be modified to accentuate the darkness or to dispell it entirely. I enjoy boosting the highlights and modifying the colors. The charnel yard itself is mostly shades of gray and subdued tones which accept colored light quite amiably. If you (or your model) also dress in neutral tones, you'll be able to work with the full spectrum of color. Otherwise, like I did, work with colors that play well with what you brought. (The outrageously wonderful outfit worn here is an October gift from hoWear.)

And further, if you do as I do, you'll find ways in your graphic program to discover new colors and lighting. But however you work it, it all begins with the charnel yard. Be sure to check it out.

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

Sunday, October 16, 2011

A TINY bit of Halloween Fun

Tinies, ever wish for a hunt that was just for you? "Biggies" ever think about going tiny? Well y'all are in luck! From October 15th - October 31st you can do the Tinies Halloween Hunt. You'll be looking for itty bitty little pumpkin at are 28 stops, two of which have two hunt gifts (one for the girls and one for the guys), each stop's gift costs 1L ... so for under 30L you can get some pretty awesome little gifts ... Take a look:

Complete tiny avatar from stop #23

Another complete tiny avatar from stop #6

Costumes from stop #16 (I've edited and uploaded this picture 3 times, I don't know why the blur is there)

Clothing from stops #1, 8, 12, 26, 27 and 28 ... As you can see from the pictures, two of the stops offer an outfit that is suitable for both male and female, and stops #26 and 27 offer a male outfit and a female outfit in seperate pumpkins.

The hats shown in two of the pictures do not come with the outfits, here's a view of those hats, plus a third that comes as just the hat.

Stop #4 - touch the hat when worn and the stacks emit steam/smoke

Stop # 10

Stop #17

In addition to the avatars, costumes, clothing and hats, several of the stops have adorable furnishings and toys:

Drive-able tinies coffin car from stop #7

Ride-able Pentagram Merry-go-round from stop #11. Each spiderweb is a spot for a tiny to sit.

Fly-able bat from stop #24. It works like any plane in SL, and comes with directions. I couldn't get a picture with me sitting on it because it was moving while I was trying to frame the shot.

Gnome Home from stop #21. It's rather large, could work for a 'normal' sized avatar as a small cottage, you can see my tiny little speck of a self in the doorway of the house.

Misc Decor:

Many of the decor items are big enough that they could easily be used as decor for a "normal" sized avatar's home/garden. There are a few stops with gifts like gestures which obviously cannot be photographed and so aren't included here.

Start the hunt here ... The hunt has a blog located here with hints for most stops.

Photospot: Carnival Macabre

Gosh, I do love October! Today's Photospot is a small area within a much larger area known as The Castle Macabre. Deep within the depths of a castle is probably one of the last places you'd expect to find a carnival, and yet, here one is. It will be very easy to get lost around here. (Remember, there's no place like Ctrl+Shift+H if need be!) You can try to reach the Carnival Macabre by chasing the SLurl beacon (difficult!), falling into a graveyard tomb (adventurous!), or just select "Carnival" from the handy teleport menu (too easy!).

While you're down here in these seemingly endless labyrinthine halls, you can also treat yourself to Sweeney Todd's Barber Shop and Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pies. Beware of the witch with the apples, and if you don't like spiders, stay out of the parlor. Wizards and sorcerers will appreciate the potion room. Mad doctors will want to do some experiments in the laboratory.

There is a sanctuary for pagan rituals and psychic exploration. Students will enjoy the library/music room. And if you slip through a couple secret passageways, you'll eventually find your way to the grand ballroom where a skeletal band plays on and on and on. But be careful which way you turn or you might end up in the torture chamber where there is a lot more to worry about than spiders.

But let's assume you found your way to the carnival, one way or another, and by this time you know this Photospot isn't exactly going to foster pleasant dreams. Once you've become acclimated to the area, having admired the two-headed animal collection, tested the, um... carousel, and grabbed some cotton candy or popcorn, it's time to get down to photo business. Before the calliope music drives you mad or a sudden-appearing ghost scares you witless, have a look at the rings hanging from the ceiling. Go ahead and sit on them. You know you want to. Especially considering that the rats will stay on the floor.

Here's a quick picture tip that might come in handy here. When you're in a static pose and you want your avatar eyes to look in a different direction while in a no-rez area like this one, Alt + Click something in that general direction. Sometimes you can get good results by Alt + Clicking on a wall or floor behind the avatar, to make the eyes move far left or right. Click higher objects to get the eyes looking upward; lower objects for downcast eyes. Just don't click too near to your avatar or you'll have mixed results. The eyes will be drawn to the center of the clicked object, which isn't always where one thinks the center should be, so you might need to try two or three objects to find a good one. After placing your Alt + Click, you'll have to rely solely on camera controls (either onscreen or via the keyboard) to point your camera back toward your avatar's face. This may be awkward since the camera wants to aim toward the Alt + Clicked spot, but as with most techniques, it becomes easier with practice. And then, to get your avatar looking forward again, Alt + Click on yourself.

There is so much going on around you, it will be easy to be distracted. Keep in mind that the carnival is the stage, but your avatar (or your model) is the star. The setting is just an excuse. On the other side of the coin, the Castle Macabre is an intriguing place to follow up on distractions. And if you do, well, I won't tell.

I hope you enjoy the carnival room (and maybe leave a tip for our hosts for providing such a fun place)! I also hope you have time to return again because you'll find plenty of other photogenic areas here at the Castle Macabre, all quite in keeping with a Halloween flavor. From the landing point, there's the long walk to the graveyard and the graveyard itself. There are gravestones, mangled trees, a cornfield, pumpkins and stray bones of every type, femurs, skulls, etc. There's the castle itself, with many rooms of interesting architecture and furnishings. This place has it all: spiders, crows, owls, ghosts, plenty of blood...!

Come for the carnival, stay for the full environment. And may all your October pictures be ... a little macabre.

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