Where am I
I don't get much of a chance to update this blog anymore, but I do post pictures from Second Life on Flickr from time to time.
Check it out at:
Dawn's Flickr Page
Check it out at:
Dawn's Flickr Page
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Winter at Break of Dawn
YAY!
The cabin is in, most of the decorations are up, the snow is falling, and the lake is frozen solid.
Winter has come to Break of Dawn.
Time for some ice skating, chatting with friends by the fire, and cuddling late into the night.
The cabin is in, most of the decorations are up, the snow is falling, and the lake is frozen solid.
Winter has come to Break of Dawn.
Time for some ice skating, chatting with friends by the fire, and cuddling late into the night.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
My New Home
Well, I finally put up a home on my island. It's called the Villa de Piazza and is made by Style Jackson. It is modeled after an Italian villa - and you can almost see the hills rolling in Tuscany from the house.
What can I say about this home. It is beautiful. It is huge. It is gorgeously textured. It has lots of rooms, several expansive patios, and a great courtyard in the middle with a big fountain.
And importantly for someone like myself who likes messing with things but always seems to get in trouble with mistakenly taking or deleting - it is both modifiable and copyable. After all the changes I've already made - I'd hate to need to rezz another copy - but it is comforting to know I have one in inventory should something bad happen.
Now all I have to do is find the time to decorate and landscape. I think this will be a multi-month project - so I'll post updates and more pictures later.
What can I say about this home. It is beautiful. It is huge. It is gorgeously textured. It has lots of rooms, several expansive patios, and a great courtyard in the middle with a big fountain.
And importantly for someone like myself who likes messing with things but always seems to get in trouble with mistakenly taking or deleting - it is both modifiable and copyable. After all the changes I've already made - I'd hate to need to rezz another copy - but it is comforting to know I have one in inventory should something bad happen.
Now all I have to do is find the time to decorate and landscape. I think this will be a multi-month project - so I'll post updates and more pictures later.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Friday City Chic
I was really making the effort this morning to clean up my inventory, but kept finding all kinds of great stuff that I couldn't recall purchasing. I quickly got so distracted rezzing boxes and trying on outfits that I gave up with the inventory clean-up efforts. Oh well, there's always tommorrow!
Anyway, here's one of the outfits that I found lost in my inventory. It's called the Heiress Suit and is from Last Call. It's got a great city chic feel to it - with just the right mix of sexiness and attitude.
The pants come down to just below the knee without the boots. The top is on a jacket layer - which I love as it allows all kinds of mix and match possibilities for layering. My personal favorite thus far wearing a corset under the jacket. That really makes for a head turning fashion statement. This outfit also includes two pairs of sunglasses for even more attitude.
The boots are from another Last Call outfit called Milena. They are made with a great sculpted platform heel and have a faint fabric texture to the boot - though it is hard to see with all the rest of the black in this outfit.
The skin is part of the new Vogue Deviant Nation collection. Here I'm wearing the cashmere skin tone with the Vamp / Enchantment makeup. Like all Vogue skins, the make up and face are flawless. I really like the simpleness of this makeup. It has a very light and tintable lipstick combined with a great dark lined eye.
Rounding out the outfit is Morgan hair from GuRl 6, Lunaria necklace and earnings from Earthtones (color changing jewels), and silver nails from Second Skins Labs.
Outfit: Heiress Suit - Last Call
Boots: Part of Milena Outfit - Last Call
Jewelry: Lunaria - Earthtones
Hair: Morgan - GuRl 6
Skin and Lashes: Vouge - Deviant Nation (Cashmere - Vamp / Enchantment)
Nails: Second Skin Labs
Anyway, here's one of the outfits that I found lost in my inventory. It's called the Heiress Suit and is from Last Call. It's got a great city chic feel to it - with just the right mix of sexiness and attitude.
The pants come down to just below the knee without the boots. The top is on a jacket layer - which I love as it allows all kinds of mix and match possibilities for layering. My personal favorite thus far wearing a corset under the jacket. That really makes for a head turning fashion statement. This outfit also includes two pairs of sunglasses for even more attitude.
The boots are from another Last Call outfit called Milena. They are made with a great sculpted platform heel and have a faint fabric texture to the boot - though it is hard to see with all the rest of the black in this outfit.
The skin is part of the new Vogue Deviant Nation collection. Here I'm wearing the cashmere skin tone with the Vamp / Enchantment makeup. Like all Vogue skins, the make up and face are flawless. I really like the simpleness of this makeup. It has a very light and tintable lipstick combined with a great dark lined eye.
Rounding out the outfit is Morgan hair from GuRl 6, Lunaria necklace and earnings from Earthtones (color changing jewels), and silver nails from Second Skins Labs.
Outfit: Heiress Suit - Last Call
Boots: Part of Milena Outfit - Last Call
Jewelry: Lunaria - Earthtones
Hair: Morgan - GuRl 6
Skin and Lashes: Vouge - Deviant Nation (Cashmere - Vamp / Enchantment)
Nails: Second Skin Labs
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Dark Angel
I modeled several interesting outfits and avatars from Isis Desmoulins of Pleiades Design the other day.
The outfit here is called Dark Angel and consists of two prim attachments that wrap the body and flex and flow with the slightest movement or breeze. The material is very sheer - and while providing just the right amount of coverage, it has a great mix of innocence and mystery. The whole outfit has a very etheral feel that I fell in love with - if only I had more places to wear something so 'light' yet so beautiful and dark.
Isis makes many other creative outfits, including complete avatars and a gorgeous line of mermaids. The outfit I'm wearing comes in several other colors as well - so if your inner 'angel' isn't as dark as mine - you can find one to fit your style.
Outfit: Dark Angel - Pleiades Designs
Hair: Morgan - Gurl 6
Skin: PJ-1 - Second Skin Labs
The outfit here is called Dark Angel and consists of two prim attachments that wrap the body and flex and flow with the slightest movement or breeze. The material is very sheer - and while providing just the right amount of coverage, it has a great mix of innocence and mystery. The whole outfit has a very etheral feel that I fell in love with - if only I had more places to wear something so 'light' yet so beautiful and dark.
Isis makes many other creative outfits, including complete avatars and a gorgeous line of mermaids. The outfit I'm wearing comes in several other colors as well - so if your inner 'angel' isn't as dark as mine - you can find one to fit your style.
Outfit: Dark Angel - Pleiades Designs
Hair: Morgan - Gurl 6
Skin: PJ-1 - Second Skin Labs
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
SL4B and Arteer's Red Curtain
Ok. Go ahead. Call me lazy. I'm very behind in keeping my blog up to date.
It's been a crazy week. I just finished my second runway show, with something like 15-20 outfits to model - so it's been madness the past week preparing and practicing. I'll try to get some posts in on the outfits - there were some amazing designs. Anyway - enough of my excuses - on to today's post.
If you've not been hiding under a rock, you should know that this past weekend was the fourth anniversary of Second Life. There are a number of sims set up with displays, artwork, demonstration, and 'best of' stuff as part of the celebration (search SL4B - sorry, too lazy to grab an SLURL).
Several of the sims have areas set aside for resident artwork. A number of my Flickr friends have set up displays of their works at SL4B.
One of the artist - Arteer - has set up a big red curtain in her gallery. The past several days I have seen quite a number of pictures come through Flickr with pictures of mostly cheeky shots in front of this curtain. It's almost become a rite of passage - go to SL4B - find Arteer's red curtain - take pictures.
SLURL Arteer's Red Curtain
So of course I went - found the curtain - and took cheeky pictures.
Of course there is a lot more to see and do at SL4B. Not to mention a lot of great artwork from a lot of great artists. So go check out SL4B - find the curtain - and take your own picture. If you feel like sharing - post them to the Arteer's Red Curtain group on Flickr.
Here's the link to a group on Flickr: Flickr Group Arteer's Red Curtain
Have fun.
It's been a crazy week. I just finished my second runway show, with something like 15-20 outfits to model - so it's been madness the past week preparing and practicing. I'll try to get some posts in on the outfits - there were some amazing designs. Anyway - enough of my excuses - on to today's post.
If you've not been hiding under a rock, you should know that this past weekend was the fourth anniversary of Second Life. There are a number of sims set up with displays, artwork, demonstration, and 'best of' stuff as part of the celebration (search SL4B - sorry, too lazy to grab an SLURL).
Several of the sims have areas set aside for resident artwork. A number of my Flickr friends have set up displays of their works at SL4B.
One of the artist - Arteer - has set up a big red curtain in her gallery. The past several days I have seen quite a number of pictures come through Flickr with pictures of mostly cheeky shots in front of this curtain. It's almost become a rite of passage - go to SL4B - find Arteer's red curtain - take pictures.
SLURL Arteer's Red Curtain
So of course I went - found the curtain - and took cheeky pictures.
Of course there is a lot more to see and do at SL4B. Not to mention a lot of great artwork from a lot of great artists. So go check out SL4B - find the curtain - and take your own picture. If you feel like sharing - post them to the Arteer's Red Curtain group on Flickr.
Here's the link to a group on Flickr: Flickr Group Arteer's Red Curtain
Have fun.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Little Red Dress - x2
After spending the past weekend wearing very tomboyish jeans and cowboy hats, I decided to be a little more girly this week. And what better way than to pull out a couple of very cute little red summer dresses.
My first outfit starts with Cameron, a great little dress by Ginny Talamasca of Last Call. The top of this dress is a gorgeous satin and lace material, with the bottom a nice short flexi prim skirt. The lace detail is great - it almost feels like I'm wearing a lace teddy with a skirt. Very girly.
The rest of the outfit includes a pair of satin bow tied shoes by Fallingwater Cellador of Shinny Things. I just cannot get enough of her shoes. I think I have most styles in multiple colors. The necklace is also from Shinny Things and is called Zeyla.
Completing the outfit is Daisy hair from Calla and Vintage Alina skin by Lost Thereian of Naughty.
My second outfit begins with Slither, a very short and sexy dress from Stellar Designs. This is such a playful dress, and is great for the warm months of summer. The top also goes very well as a mix and match piece - paired with everything from jeans to leather pants.
I've paired it here with some of my favorite hair from Gurl 6 called babe 3. I think I have ever color of this style. I love the little wisps of flexi hair that hang from the sides and back. Too cute.
Another pair of shoes from Shinny Things, Hayley skin by Ambyance2 Anubis, and a bracelet, anklet, chocker and pendant from Tomboy round out the outfit. The bracelet, anklet and chocker allow you to set the lettering on the beads, creating custom messages.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Who the Hell Do I Think I Am
I ran across a new Second Life group on Flickr with the title "Who the hell do you think you are?"
Sue Stonebender, the creator of the group, explains the challenge as an invitation "to dig into your own scarred psyche and hermetically sealed beautiful soul and come up with some creative answers through photo stories."
Provocative question.
So I've decided to take up the challenge and attempt to answer that question over the next several weeks (or months, or whatever).
Stay tuned.
Sue Stonebender, the creator of the group, explains the challenge as an invitation "to dig into your own scarred psyche and hermetically sealed beautiful soul and come up with some creative answers through photo stories."
Provocative question.
So I've decided to take up the challenge and attempt to answer that question over the next several weeks (or months, or whatever).
Stay tuned.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Mix and Match - Friday Bonus Post
As I had a few more moments to grab in world this afternoon, I thought I'd put together a quick outfit with a few of my favorite things collected over the past several weeks.
To start, the corset top and boots are all part of an outfit called "Milena" from Last Call. This is one of the first outfits with sculpties from Last Call. The boots have a sculptie sole, and the full outfit includes a sculptie bustle skirt, gloves, and a full length prim skirt. It's a very sexy outfit with lots of options for mix and match.
The jeans are also from Last Call, with just the right mix of wear and tear added for that great street look. While basic, I'm sure these jeans will match up well with many tops in your inventory - from t-shirts to dress tops.
The hair is from Celestial Studios, and includes this great sculptie hat. Another staple for casual mix and match wardrobes.
The skin (and lashes) are Vouge for Deviant Nation. It's a very light skin tone with beautiful make-up details. Unfortunately, if you don't already have it - you never will. It was part of the clearance sale at Last Call several weeks ago and is no longer available. It was a great find for $L500.
Lastly, the cuffs are a freebie gift from Last Call (join the update group to get all kinds of great stuff along with announcements on new releases and sales). The neckband is self made from a one prim twisted tube.
To start, the corset top and boots are all part of an outfit called "Milena" from Last Call. This is one of the first outfits with sculpties from Last Call. The boots have a sculptie sole, and the full outfit includes a sculptie bustle skirt, gloves, and a full length prim skirt. It's a very sexy outfit with lots of options for mix and match.
The jeans are also from Last Call, with just the right mix of wear and tear added for that great street look. While basic, I'm sure these jeans will match up well with many tops in your inventory - from t-shirts to dress tops.
The hair is from Celestial Studios, and includes this great sculptie hat. Another staple for casual mix and match wardrobes.
The skin (and lashes) are Vouge for Deviant Nation. It's a very light skin tone with beautiful make-up details. Unfortunately, if you don't already have it - you never will. It was part of the clearance sale at Last Call several weeks ago and is no longer available. It was a great find for $L500.
Lastly, the cuffs are a freebie gift from Last Call (join the update group to get all kinds of great stuff along with announcements on new releases and sales). The neckband is self made from a one prim twisted tube.
Formal Friday
It's been a crazy couple of weeks in RL and SL, and I've gotten way behind in updating the blog. While I've had a few minutes to get out and go shopping, I've had very little time to actually wear any of my purchases, and what little time I've had has been killed by SL issues.
So with SL's cooperation and a few spare moment's in-world this morning - here's the first of hopefully a few posts on my finds.
The dress is called "Empire Falls" and is part of x3d's Marie Antoinette Collection. It has one of the most stunning prim skirts of anything I've seen or worn. The textures are amazing and highly detailed while the movement is natural and flowing.
My jewelry is from a set called Ice Queen by Random Calliope. I lost count of how many prims it contains, but let's just say it is a lot. The detail is unbelievable.
Random is a true artist with his jewelry - as well as a great guy. While I was at his shop, he stopped by and chatted about his work. He even dropped me a few extra pieces of jewelry. This man surely knows how to win a lady's heart.
Random even has a couple of gorgeous freebie jewel sets available at his shop as a gift to the residents of SL, along with some sort of puzzle called the Mata Hari Challenge, which leads to more free jewelry. I haven't tried it, but it sure sounds like fun.
My hair is Janae by ETD, a great updoo style that pairs well with formal outfits. I've also gone with a black hairstyle given my usual blond a rest.
My skin and nails are from Second Skins labs. Eyes from X2 Exotica. Lashes from Celestial Studios.
So with SL's cooperation and a few spare moment's in-world this morning - here's the first of hopefully a few posts on my finds.
The dress is called "Empire Falls" and is part of x3d's Marie Antoinette Collection. It has one of the most stunning prim skirts of anything I've seen or worn. The textures are amazing and highly detailed while the movement is natural and flowing.
My jewelry is from a set called Ice Queen by Random Calliope. I lost count of how many prims it contains, but let's just say it is a lot. The detail is unbelievable.
Random is a true artist with his jewelry - as well as a great guy. While I was at his shop, he stopped by and chatted about his work. He even dropped me a few extra pieces of jewelry. This man surely knows how to win a lady's heart.
Random even has a couple of gorgeous freebie jewel sets available at his shop as a gift to the residents of SL, along with some sort of puzzle called the Mata Hari Challenge, which leads to more free jewelry. I haven't tried it, but it sure sounds like fun.
My hair is Janae by ETD, a great updoo style that pairs well with formal outfits. I've also gone with a black hairstyle given my usual blond a rest.
My skin and nails are from Second Skins labs. Eyes from X2 Exotica. Lashes from Celestial Studios.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Close Up
As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, SL appearance is very much set by the skin you wear. In order to further illustrate my point, I'm posting a couple of picture collages here that show a close-up of my face with a number of different skins.
This first set shows clockwise from left to right:
1-4: Second Skin Lab PJ-1 / custom makeup
5-7: Paris by Naughty / athletic light tone
8: Haley by Naughty Designs
(For larger views - click the pictures and view the full size versions at Flickr)
1-4: Second Skin Lab PJ-1 / custom makeup
5-7: Paris by Naughty / athletic light tone
8: Haley by Naughty Designs
(For larger views - click the pictures and view the full size versions at Flickr)
With only three different skins and a number of makeup options I can go from playful to glamorous, young to mature (though not old), and casual to professional.
Not wanting to limit myself, I've since bought a couple of additional skins and updated the close ups.
Again, left to right clockwise:
1: Gala Skins - Medium
2: Hayley - Naughty Designs
3: Paris - Light Athletic - Naughty Designs
4: Hyperfusion - Bare Rose - X2
5: PJ1 - Second Skin Labs
6: Alina - Vintage Alina - Naughty
7: Vouge - Pure / Ether - Deviant Nation
8: Pearl - Plain - Nylon Outfitters
As you can see, with the expanded selection I can extend the range of looks that I can put together. And all before I even think about hair, outfits, shoes, and accessories.
Am I addicted to skins - you could say that.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
My World, My Imagination
Imagine my surprise this week at hearing about an upcoming election for SL Governor, and more importantly, that I could cast my hat in the race.
So without further ado, I, RedDawn Bade, do hereby ask for your vote as the next SL Governor.
If elected, I promise to continue the great work of our current Governor.
It will be my pleasure to keep rolling out new features at all costs, especially any features wanted by our corporate benefactors. I know some people are worried that this may increase the instability of the grid, but I say those folks are just afraid of change. Given the chance, they'd probably go back to ASCII art for stabilities sake.
I'll also continue working to make SL safe. I plan to roll out a new LSL function "llThoughtPolice". Just add this function to any scripted item, and once activated, it will automatically terminate the account of any avatar found to have non-conforming thoughts within a 96 sqm area.
As for resident concerns about lag, inventory loss, IM issues and such, I really don't see the problem.
Lag allows us to to slow down and enjoy our SL experience. Think how much would be missed if everything rezzed up instantaneously and we were able to move in real time.
Inventory issues can be turned into a great game of hide and seek. It also puts us all on equal terms as even those who can spell can't find anything without a little extra time and effort.
And IM issues provide us coverage to ignore friends when they send IMs asking for help, as well as allow us to get to know some of the more interesting residents who enjoy great group chat - even if completely off topic.
I also promise to continue the great dialog that exists between our community and the current Governor. I'll make it a point to increase the number of posting to the blog, be they incomprehensible, contradictory, or completely irrelevant. I'll implement a new toll-free support option for all residents, wherever they may be (800-NO-SUPPORT).
And last, I'll be working with our corporate partners to ensure we have a steady source of revenue without having to raise taxes on residents. I'll do this by auctioning off the naming rights to mainland sims. Should that not generate enough revenue, we'll look at naming rights to islands as well.
I foresee great days ahead for SL, and can't wait to move into the new Kraft Foods SL Governors Mansion on lovely Halliburton sim.
For more on my opponents, check out Vint Falken's coverage at:
Hello people, this is satire. Like SL, it’s not real. No avatars of any size or age were harmed in the making of this post. Linden Labs® and Second Life® officially do not recognize this election. Unfortunately.
So without further ado, I, RedDawn Bade, do hereby ask for your vote as the next SL Governor.
If elected, I promise to continue the great work of our current Governor.
It will be my pleasure to keep rolling out new features at all costs, especially any features wanted by our corporate benefactors. I know some people are worried that this may increase the instability of the grid, but I say those folks are just afraid of change. Given the chance, they'd probably go back to ASCII art for stabilities sake.
I'll also continue working to make SL safe. I plan to roll out a new LSL function "llThoughtPolice". Just add this function to any scripted item, and once activated, it will automatically terminate the account of any avatar found to have non-conforming thoughts within a 96 sqm area.
As for resident concerns about lag, inventory loss, IM issues and such, I really don't see the problem.
Lag allows us to to slow down and enjoy our SL experience. Think how much would be missed if everything rezzed up instantaneously and we were able to move in real time.
Inventory issues can be turned into a great game of hide and seek. It also puts us all on equal terms as even those who can spell can't find anything without a little extra time and effort.
And IM issues provide us coverage to ignore friends when they send IMs asking for help, as well as allow us to get to know some of the more interesting residents who enjoy great group chat - even if completely off topic.
I also promise to continue the great dialog that exists between our community and the current Governor. I'll make it a point to increase the number of posting to the blog, be they incomprehensible, contradictory, or completely irrelevant. I'll implement a new toll-free support option for all residents, wherever they may be (800-NO-SUPPORT).
And last, I'll be working with our corporate partners to ensure we have a steady source of revenue without having to raise taxes on residents. I'll do this by auctioning off the naming rights to mainland sims. Should that not generate enough revenue, we'll look at naming rights to islands as well.
I foresee great days ahead for SL, and can't wait to move into the new Kraft Foods SL Governors Mansion on lovely Halliburton sim.
For more on my opponents, check out Vint Falken's coverage at:
Vint's SL Election Coverage
Hello people, this is satire. Like SL, it’s not real. No avatars of any size or age were harmed in the making of this post. Linden Labs® and Second Life® officially do not recognize this election. Unfortunately.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Windows on your avatars soul
As a follow-up to the advice on skins, this weeks suggestion is to focus on your eyes. You know, those things in your head that bring life to your avatar.
I must confess that I didn't spend a lot of time thinking about eyes myself. I had a couple of pairs of whatever came in the freebie boxes I picked up the first week.
But after seeing some of the photos of other avatars and their wonderful expressions, I quickly spotted the eyes as an easy area for improvement. If you look carefully at a great portrait, many times it is the look captured in the eye that makes the shot.
The photo here shows me with 8 different eyes. The eyes across the top and down the left side are all Hyperfusion from X2. They are sold in a package with quite a few different colors and shades. The last three in the bottom right corner are all Paris eyes from Naughty. Besides the different colors, note that the Naughty eyes have a smaller pupil.
I know there are many other great places to go to find eyes besides X2 and Naughty, so consider these good starting places for your shopping. Same as with the skin advice, if you see some eyes you like, just ask the person where they got them. Oh, and be sure to let me know too. I'm always looking for something to improve my appearance.
I must confess that I didn't spend a lot of time thinking about eyes myself. I had a couple of pairs of whatever came in the freebie boxes I picked up the first week.
But after seeing some of the photos of other avatars and their wonderful expressions, I quickly spotted the eyes as an easy area for improvement. If you look carefully at a great portrait, many times it is the look captured in the eye that makes the shot.
The photo here shows me with 8 different eyes. The eyes across the top and down the left side are all Hyperfusion from X2. They are sold in a package with quite a few different colors and shades. The last three in the bottom right corner are all Paris eyes from Naughty. Besides the different colors, note that the Naughty eyes have a smaller pupil.
I know there are many other great places to go to find eyes besides X2 and Naughty, so consider these good starting places for your shopping. Same as with the skin advice, if you see some eyes you like, just ask the person where they got them. Oh, and be sure to let me know too. I'm always looking for something to improve my appearance.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Modeling Portfolio Photography Tips
So you've decided to try your hand at modeling. You know you need to put together a portfolio, but don't want to spend a fortune paying somebody else - not to mention you just aren't sure if you'll be happy with the results.
Well fret no more. You can put together your own portfolio photographs with tools available to all.
I'm going to start with the basic assumption that you have your outfits and poses already set (if not - topic for another day).
First - shoot with a white background. If you have access to something like a Photosphere or set - just set it to a white background. Of course you can always create your own set by rezzing a few prims, setting texture to blank, color white, full bright.
Second - make sure you have maximized your camera settings. Under the Client menu (Mac: Cmd-Alt-Shift-D), make sure to check the option for High-res Snapshot (only helps if you're downloading to disk first). Also, check the option under Client > Rendering > Features > Foot Shadows (Mac: Cmd-Opt-5). This will get rid of those annoying foot shadows that stand out against the white background.
I'd also recommend checking your graphics setting under Edit > Preferences (Mac: Cmd-P). As you will be shooting close up against a white background, you can turn down your draw distance (Graphics Tab) and turn up your avatar mesh detail (Graphics Detail Tab).
Third - set up some lights. If you're using a pre-built stage, you may already have lights built in - just set the to white. Once again, you can always make your own.
I like to rezz a couple of phantom spheres, use a full transparency texture (totally clear - all alpha), color white, then use the Light options under the Features tab of the prim edit menu. Move them around until you get full coverage with no shadows. Do note that you'll need to have Highlight Transparent turned on to see them (Mac: Cmd-Opt-T)
You can also use these as body lights. Link a pair of spheres together, take them into your inventory, and then attach them to your mouth (or other free spot). Once they rezz, you can move them around to get them in the best position. This is also a great way to use lights on location even if the land does not allow building.
Lastly, strike a pose and snap away. Personally, I send all my photos to my computer's hard drive. I don't really do a lot of post processing as I don't have any Photoshop skills to speak of - but I do like to review my shots, pick the best ones, crop, and maybe add a little text. Select your best and upload.
Now go show your friends, pass out your portfolio, rezz a prim and decorate your place with your own artwork using you as the subject (vanity at it's best).
Well fret no more. You can put together your own portfolio photographs with tools available to all.
I'm going to start with the basic assumption that you have your outfits and poses already set (if not - topic for another day).
First - shoot with a white background. If you have access to something like a Photosphere or set - just set it to a white background. Of course you can always create your own set by rezzing a few prims, setting texture to blank, color white, full bright.
Second - make sure you have maximized your camera settings. Under the Client menu (Mac: Cmd-Alt-Shift-D), make sure to check the option for High-res Snapshot (only helps if you're downloading to disk first). Also, check the option under Client > Rendering > Features > Foot Shadows (Mac: Cmd-Opt-5). This will get rid of those annoying foot shadows that stand out against the white background.
I'd also recommend checking your graphics setting under Edit > Preferences (Mac: Cmd-P). As you will be shooting close up against a white background, you can turn down your draw distance (Graphics Tab) and turn up your avatar mesh detail (Graphics Detail Tab).
Third - set up some lights. If you're using a pre-built stage, you may already have lights built in - just set the to white. Once again, you can always make your own.
I like to rezz a couple of phantom spheres, use a full transparency texture (totally clear - all alpha), color white, then use the Light options under the Features tab of the prim edit menu. Move them around until you get full coverage with no shadows. Do note that you'll need to have Highlight Transparent turned on to see them (Mac: Cmd-Opt-T)
As a side note: for interesting lighting effects, try changing the texture color.
You can also use these as body lights. Link a pair of spheres together, take them into your inventory, and then attach them to your mouth (or other free spot). Once they rezz, you can move them around to get them in the best position. This is also a great way to use lights on location even if the land does not allow building.
Lastly, strike a pose and snap away. Personally, I send all my photos to my computer's hard drive. I don't really do a lot of post processing as I don't have any Photoshop skills to speak of - but I do like to review my shots, pick the best ones, crop, and maybe add a little text. Select your best and upload.
Now go show your friends, pass out your portfolio, rezz a prim and decorate your place with your own artwork using you as the subject (vanity at it's best).
If you need a quite place to shoot your portfolio, feel free to stop by my studio and use my Photosphere.
RedDawn's Studio
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Off the Deep End
During a momentary lapse of sanity last week, I went to the Linden land store and bought an island.
It's not like my current land wasn't big enough. It's just that I was getting no response from my estate owners on a simple terraforming request. My crazy solution to that problem was to set up my own island to do with as I please.
Well, after waiting a week my island showed up yesterday. I've been working like mad to get it ready and start setting up home.
So what's a girl going to do with an island.
Good question - I'll let you know when I figure it out.
At some point I'd like to find a way working with my friends to have a place for modeling and photography (I've already set up a basic studio - location is in my profile). I may also sell or lease off some portion to reduce my tier payments (I'm so not looking forward to my first one next month).
I'm sure I'll have much more to share in the coming days.
WindLight First Look Viewer
Just wanted to share that there is a new First Look viewer for Second Life that now has the WindLight feature enabled.
All I can say is wow. This feature is going to allow for some absolutely stunning photography. With just a little tweaking of the settings I got this sunset shot with fantastic colors (no post processing).
Note, this is an early look at a future feature, and as such, does have issues. Most of the default settings suck (no other way to say it) and there is no option to use the SL "classic" look. There are also other issues with everything from client stability to views at altitude.
I'd recommend downloading the First Look viewer today, and check it out for yourself. Be sure to provide feedback to Linden Labs - they need our help to make the final product the best it can be.
First Look Download
All I can say is wow. This feature is going to allow for some absolutely stunning photography. With just a little tweaking of the settings I got this sunset shot with fantastic colors (no post processing).
Note, this is an early look at a future feature, and as such, does have issues. Most of the default settings suck (no other way to say it) and there is no option to use the SL "classic" look. There are also other issues with everything from client stability to views at altitude.
I'd recommend downloading the First Look viewer today, and check it out for yourself. Be sure to provide feedback to Linden Labs - they need our help to make the final product the best it can be.
WindLight JIRA Issues
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Toy Tuesday
Here in the States Monday was a holiday. That meant I got the pleasure of having my Tuesday become my Monday - and therefore impact my SL quality time.
Given my limited quantity of time, I decided to maximize my fun by declaring Tuesday "Toy Tuesday". So what better way to get started than finding an absolutely stunning Katana blade (every girl needs one - just check out Uma in Kill Bill).
This great blade is called the Black Rose and comes from Mushashi (you can find in-world through search, or on slexchange). It is Samurai Island ready, loaded with a bunch of moves - not to mention 65 color choices (what girl doesn't want to make her Katana her own?).
Mushashi Black Rose Katana
I must confess that I have not had a chance to test it in actual combat. Though I must also confess that I was so excited when I opened the box, I did "accidentally" slash and kick my friend clear across my land with the "special" move. Thank goodness our land is safe, I might have lost a friend for good.
Oops.
So sorry.
Hehe!
Given my limited quantity of time, I decided to maximize my fun by declaring Tuesday "Toy Tuesday". So what better way to get started than finding an absolutely stunning Katana blade (every girl needs one - just check out Uma in Kill Bill).
This great blade is called the Black Rose and comes from Mushashi (you can find in-world through search, or on slexchange). It is Samurai Island ready, loaded with a bunch of moves - not to mention 65 color choices (what girl doesn't want to make her Katana her own?).
Mushashi Black Rose Katana
I must confess that I have not had a chance to test it in actual combat. Though I must also confess that I was so excited when I opened the box, I did "accidentally" slash and kick my friend clear across my land with the "special" move. Thank goodness our land is safe, I might have lost a friend for good.
Oops.
So sorry.
Hehe!
Sunday, May 27, 2007
WTF?
I'm standing in Girlywood trying on hair and minding my own business when some guy chats out "Can we f*uck?"
I look around to see who's talking, and it's some guy standing by himself. He's close to me, but not right next to me. Looks very new. I ignore him figuring he just typed his question in the wrong window.
Next thing I know he walks over a little closer and asks the same question. This time I reply back with a quick "WTF?".
He scrambles over in front of me about as close as you can get without pushing and asks "What is WTF and can we f*ck".
I step back and reply "Get away from me, you perv... and go f*ck yourself!" - to which, no kidding, he says "ok" and walks away.
It took me a moment to recover. I wasn't sure if I should still be mad or laughing my ass off.
I did find it all a bit disconcerting - even for Second Life. I kind of expect to get hit with IMs and the very original "Hey Sexy" followed by requests for cyber when I'm out at a club - but public chat in the middle of Girlywood?
I look around to see who's talking, and it's some guy standing by himself. He's close to me, but not right next to me. Looks very new. I ignore him figuring he just typed his question in the wrong window.
Next thing I know he walks over a little closer and asks the same question. This time I reply back with a quick "WTF?".
He scrambles over in front of me about as close as you can get without pushing and asks "What is WTF and can we f*ck".
I step back and reply "Get away from me, you perv... and go f*ck yourself!" - to which, no kidding, he says "ok" and walks away.
It took me a moment to recover. I wasn't sure if I should still be mad or laughing my ass off.
I did find it all a bit disconcerting - even for Second Life. I kind of expect to get hit with IMs and the very original "Hey Sexy" followed by requests for cyber when I'm out at a club - but public chat in the middle of Girlywood?
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Enjoying Acropolis
I decided to relax today and just go enjoy a quiet spot in Second Life. After seeing quite a few photos of a place called Acropolis come through Flickr, I knew that would be the perfect spot for a stroll.
Wow, I'm so glad I came. This is a very beautiful place that sits across a number of sims. There is so much to see here, streams, waterfalls, volcanoes, even gardens in the sky. There are several tours you can take, from balloons to sailing. Or you can just walk around, and find the giant green cave behind a waterfall.
If you haven't been here before, take a trip with some special. It's a very romantic place with many areas tucked away to stop and enjoy each others company.
Wow, I'm so glad I came. This is a very beautiful place that sits across a number of sims. There is so much to see here, streams, waterfalls, volcanoes, even gardens in the sky. There are several tours you can take, from balloons to sailing. Or you can just walk around, and find the giant green cave behind a waterfall.
If you haven't been here before, take a trip with some special. It's a very romantic place with many areas tucked away to stop and enjoy each others company.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Skin Advice
What follows is my personal advice on how to find the right skin for you, based on my experience, lots of mistakes, and advice from friends. I'll also show some of my skins and give you my quick impressions. My hope is that this will help you avoid some of the mistakes I made, and save you some Linden as well!
Before I go any further, I want to say that how you choose to look is your business. There are a lot of strong opinions out there as to what makes a good skin. What looks good to someone else may not look good to you. Put some thought into the look you're trying to achieve as well as how you plan to spend your time in Second Life. If you're heavy into Gothic and role play, you may have very different skin needs than someone looking to be a dancer or escort.
Now that we've determined how we want to look, let's get started.
My first suggestion is to do a little research (not much - just enough to get you pointed in the right direction). Start by asking your friends about their skins (assuming you like their looks). Have them show you their older skins, including skins they don't like. See if they will model their skins using your shape.
Other good resources to check include many of the Second Life fashion sites and blogs (I'll try to add links later). You can also ask people you meet in Second Life about their skin (be polite and most will give you an answer). The point here is to try and identify a number of possible skins while hopefully eliminating a few as well.
Armed with your list of possibilities in-hand, go hit the stores for demos. Don't buy anything yet, don't even try the skin on in the store. Just find the demos you want and take them with you. Make sure to get a couple of different skin tones and makeups if possible.
This will be very time consuming and you may just want to just get it over and buy something, but trust me on this one, spending the time now will save you Lindens in the long run.
Go find somewhere nice and quiet. Try on each skin and look closely at the details. See if there are any strange colorings, shading issues, or seams showing. Change the lighting and check again. Try on different outfits and hair. If the skin is modifiable, try adjusting the color and tone. Look and see if the skin and shape work well together. If not, don't give up yet. Try making adjustments to your shape. The lips usually need adjustments to match up well with new skins.
Now comes the hard part, making a final decision. This one is your call. Just remember it is your Second Life, pick something that makes you happy.
What are you waiting for, go get that skin and have fun!
To view my skins, follow the link to Flickr.
Flickr Skin Photo Set
About my personal skins:
I currently wear skins from Second Skin Labs for most occasions. I also wear Gala and X2, along with a very cute skin from Nylon Outfitters when I'm in a playful mood.
Second Skin Labs
I haven't worn any of the skins from some of the more well know skin makers such as Celestial, Naughty, Tete a Pied or Adam 'N Eve. One day I'll get around to at least trying demos of them to compare.
I have had a friend model her Celestial Vouge and Naughty Haley skins on my shape. I couldn't stand the Celestial (the lips looked so wrong on me), though the Naughty wasn't bad.
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