SL Unearthed: avatar

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Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Photospot: Alenquer Gateway

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.

Sometimes, you just need a castle! Bring out your knights and ladys-in-waiting, or don your tinkers, tailors or thieves. Today's Photospot is taking you to Alenquer Manor, a land with its own castle, its own market, its own chapel, its own tranquility, its own time.

While there is much to see in this mainland kingdom, our Spot is right here, on a curve of the cobblestone gatehouse pathway. Whether you face yourself as entering the courtyard or exiting, or even just tarrying, there are plentiful nearby props and relevant backgrounds to provide excellent portrait support. (But you'll have to bring your own unicorn.) ;)

Shadows, yes. Windlight, yes. Depth, yes. You can use all your visual tools here. The stonework is highly accommodating. The sharp edges and the large chains make interesting shadowing.

If you are lucky enough, you might encounter King Tristan, the ruler of Alenquer. His Majesty welcomed me to the kingdom and encouraged me to visit often, explore the castle and grounds, emphasizing that it is open to one and all, inviting many visitors. With such an excellent royal welcome, let's not disappoint him. *smile*

Style card: dragonslayer outfit by Mystic Hope, unicorn by Dragonsfyre

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!

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Photospot: Whimsical Embryo

Seems like just about everyone these days is coming out with fully-mesh avatars that are smaller than typical and lean to the cute and whimsical end of the spectrum. An avatar like that calls for a special place to photograph it. So, bring out your Petites, Dolls, Littles and everything darling. Today's Photospot is a lovely little parcel packed with plenty of flowers, colorful sprites and gentle rain to support and handle all the cute and whimsical you can give it.

You might recall the (now-defunct) Embryo sim. Today's spot is also made by Siestabril Nitely, one of the Embryo creators. This mini-Embryo, labeled as home to the Un Jour shop, somehow manages to contain much of the charm and whimsy of the full sim original. Toss a little Windlight around to alter the sun's direction or color, and there's plenty to keep you busy for a time as you photograph your own little fairy tale.

The SLurl will give you a beacon toward one end of the building, but this is a small parcel with something like fifteen hundred million great photo angles, so definitely wander around and keep your camera on the move. Also, note that this area is solidly stuffed with prims, most of which are alpha and packing glow, so it might be a kindness to your computer to reduce your Draw distance for the duration you are here. You can always turn it up again when you leave...if you ever want to leave.

Style notes: mesh avatar "Dorothy" by Doll Coco.

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

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Photospot: Darkly Luminous

Today's Photospot takes you inside one of those great Grey Kurka builds you see here and there around the grid, and it's just as visually delicious indoors as out. The "Cleopatra Brimstone" welcomes visitors by describing herself as "a darkly luminous Gothic build for your inner vampire, goblin and ghoul. No blood splatters here, Just elegance, beauty and mystery." The description also adds, "And do speak to the resident...Santiago."

Taking the stair/rampway to your left, follow the beacon to the second story of this palace and get yourself comfortable in the open air parlor. You don't need to bring any poses with you. There are pillows, blankets, chairs, divans and more, all equipped with pose settings. But if you do need that special poseball, you'll be happy to note that Build is enabled, with a 1 minute autoreturn; time enough to rez a poseball and jump onto it.

You also won't need to turn on shadows (unless you want to). The palace is brimming with its own shadows and special shadings. (I had shadows turned on for only one of the images I'm showing here.) Treasures abound everywhere you look. The textures are deep and rich. You're forgiven if you reach your hand against the screen while trying to touch things. Too, everything seems to have a tale to tell; extra points for you if you're able to capture the tales with your camera.

I know, I know, it's just too tempting to restrict your view to this one parlor area. So go ahead, explore the rest of Cleopatra Brimstone. You might want to play the harpsichord in the main living room, or admire the Ariel Brearly art on display on the lower level. And, oh yes...don't forget to say hello to Santiago - when you find him...her...it...!

Style notes: suit by Avatar Bizarre, hair by EMO-tions, skin by Egoisme.

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

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Photospot: Ethereal Caverns

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!

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, August 12, 2012

Here for the party!

Well.. my RL daughter's birthday is later this month, and all I've been hearing is questions about her party, presents and "Is it today?" All of these things being on the brain inspired today's post!

I'm showing another BG Feline avatar mod, because honestly they're so well done that I can't get enough of them! This one is Krystal Fox made by Puppy. She does amazing work and is a super nice person to boot! If you have a Blue Galaxy Feline avi (or any other adorable moddable avatar) you should check out her mods - you'll be blown away!

The adorable balloon props and pose is from Frozen Panty Poses and its a FREEBIE on the marketplace! How cute is that?! They also have some awesome poses and fantastically made clothing too! Peruse through their store for a look-see!

After I got my BG Feline, I spent some time with my head in my inventory looking for some things that might fit the glorious little furry being. I completely lucked out when I found out that my Blueberry Mesh Jenna Skirt in Vintage Black totally fits! It was a group gift from a while ago, but you may be able to get it now, or even purchase it in store - pop by and see! Blueberry generally gives out fabulous group gifts and I wear their designs a lot - its worth the group spot for sure!

Now.. to go party plan!

The lowdown:
Pose: Frozen Panty "Balloon2" pose with Solo Balloon and Balloon Towerset props (Free on marketplace)
Skirt: Blueberry *Mesh* Jenna Skirt -Vintage- Black *GROUP GIFT*
Top: Arbitrary BG Feline Mesh Tank Mod - L$10
Avatar: Blue Galaxian Feline base avatar (L$1,000) with Krystal Fox Mod made by Puppy (L$350).
Hair: Magika Nayla Red pack
Location: BabyMalibu House by inVerse - L249 (fits a 512 parcel perfectly!)

Friday, August 10, 2012

Look of the Day: Blue Galaxian Feline

I am so excited to show you the sexy adorableness that is today's "Look of the day". I splurged the other day and got myself a Blue Galaxian Feline avatar and have never been more pleased with a purchase! I mean, just look how adorable this thing is!

Its such an easy avatar to use, you unpack it, put it on and you're ready to go - it even comes with a tank and undies for the ladies so you're not immediately in the buff when starting out. On top of that, once you have the avatar, you can completely customize it. Its completely copy and modifiable!

There are lots of things available on the marketplace and in world for you to play around with this avatar and I'm having lots of fun discovering what can be done with it. Also, the default facial expressions are just too adorable and I find myself staring at it waiting to see how it will look next! Expect more posts about this avi along with my other posts.

This particular look took a bit of modification - the tube top comes in a texture that you must apply to a copy of your original tank top, but once you have the avatar, the top itself is free! The pants are available straight from the Blue Galaxy mainstore (right outside when you land) and are fully modify just like the shirts. Buying the pants open up a new array of available mods.

Also, the regular Magika mesh and prim hair does not fit properly - to use this feature, I added the Mod Kit for Magika Hair from the Krystal Fox - Natural BG Feline Mod, which is a package that allows you to mod your regular BG Feline avatar to look like the fox in the picture. Its a gorgeous avatar, but will take some time and editing to set up on the first go. Because I'm a bit lazy and I like my cinnamon feline, I just opted to use the hair mod in the pack (which is a script you drop in a copy of your original head) and eyes. I fully plan on using the fox at a later date though and the L$350 for this pack is totally worth it. Then its just a matter of getting the Magika hair that the box says to buy, or to go to the store itself and try some of the demos to see which you like. Some still don't fit properly (or to my general liking) but a lot are wearable and look fabulous.

Looking for a fun futuristing photo location? All these photos were taken right inside the Blue Galaxy store and its just a fun place to walk around.

So, if you have some extra lindens, the starter avi can take you far, so try it out and see how flexible and fun this avatar can be!

In this pic:
Poses: Just a Hunch TFUH Hunt prize pose pack
Feline Avatar - [Blue Galaxian] Female Feline - Cinnamon (with the Mod Kit for Magika Hair from the Krystal Fox - Natural BG Feline Mod pack this allows you to wear some styles of Magika mesh and nonmesh hair and includes the gorgeous set of eyes, but any moddable eyes will fit.)
Pants: [BG] Cargo Pants Female - Black
Top: ::Static:: TubeTop Minecraft Redstone (Free texture pack add on!)
Hair: Magika // Brown Pack // Andarial

Monday, August 6, 2012

Photobomb? Photo explosion!

I was exploring the grid as I tend to do last night, and I stumbled across a fun location on Cyril Plage. Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE to take pictures and sometimes if a particular location strikes me, I'm pretty snap happy.

Last night, I was snap euphoric. This photo skybox is open to the public and has 3 floors filled with photo balls, prop locations and backgrounds for men, women, couples and groups!

There are loads of cute, silly, fantasy and professional photo spots here so be sure to take a peek - if it looks like a box or something insignificant - sit on it - its very likely a prop filled with awesome poses.

There are lots more photos in my Flickr Photostream and lots of poses I didn't get to snap (I didn't even get up on the third floor, so be sure to take a peek at everything!). Happy Snapping!

Please note: Most photos were minimally edited in "Photoscape" editing program, but some were not touched at all aside from environment settings in SL - play around with them and see what looks cool for you!

In other news - what I'm wearing:
Skin: [ Al Vulo! ] - [ Baba2 ] - [ - natural reddish ] (Old Group Gift)
Shoes: AKEYO_AKIDAZ_III - L$600
Eyes: IKON VIP Group Gift 2 - August 2012
Outfit: :.Envious.: Heat Wave -L$189
Hair: Magika [01] Draw - L$250

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Photospot: Penthouse patio

If you go looking too hard for the "penthouse" in today's Photospot, you'll end up disappointed. This wonderfully wide ledge on a building in the Korea1 cityscape could be a real penthouse patio if there were a penthouse nearby, so we're just going to pretend there is one. The SLurl (follow the beacon if the region's landing point grabs you) will bring you to one particular corner, but the ledge goes all the way around the building; be sure to explore the visual possibilities from all directions.

The windows of the (#cough#) penthouse can be shot through, either from the exterior or the interior. In certain lighting, buildings seen through the glass can even appear as if they were being reflected. Play around with Windlight and experiment.

This patio might be a bit austere, but there are so many stories it could tell. The time I spent here was quite enjoyable; just me, my camera and this lovely avatar smiling back at me. Gotta love SL.

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

Monday, October 31, 2011

Photospot: Witches Camp

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.

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.