Pics by Peep

In The Sea I See Myself

Image January 26, 2013February 1, 2013PeepSideshow DarkwardLeave a comment

I have seen the sea when it is stormy and wild; when it is quiet and serene; when it is dark and moody. And in all its moods, I see myself.
~ Martin Buxbaum

Creating a profile picture, for me, is about creating a mood. Even though people are more disposed to being happy or sad, we all go through different moods. None of us is one-dimensional; we have many facets, although we often don’t show them to those around us. I change my profile picture often – it reflects who I am at that moment in time.

A lot of my profile pictures may seem to be sadder than I really am. That is largely because, in my opinion, the smile animations in Second Life look…well, a little goofy 😀 This photograph, for instance, elicited a comment from a friend of, “Aw, Peep, tell me your troubles.”

In fact, when I took the photo, I was trying to portray deep thought. I wasn’t sad, but I was immersed in my own world at the time. I guess I fell a little short with that one.

Another picture I took was to show the carefree, playful side of me. This one, I believe, hit the mark.

This one hasn’t made my profile (yet) but it’s a photo I took for my Second Life boyfriend. I think it shows more than one mood – longing, lightness, joy. All things I feel for him.

The sea is not just stormy, quiet or dark. It is also the playground of dolphins and whales, the waves dancing beneath the breeze.

I am all of these…and more.

Just A Couple

January 25, 2013February 11, 2013PeepSideshow DarkwardLeave a comment

…of friends, lovers, hearts.

Second Life is sometimes called a game and sometimes called a social networking platform. Whatever you decide to call it, there will always be people who meet and becomes friends or lovers. It’s the nature of people to seek others out for a connection of the heart, whether platonic or romantic.

I love taking photographs of couples. To be able to capture the bond between two people and express the emotions of the moment is one of the most rewarding parts of photography for me. Knowing that whenever they look at that image it will stir a memory of that place and time is what makes it worthwhile for me.

Formal shoots give me the opportunity to select a pose and have more control over the setting. And I’ve loved some of the photos I’ve done of both lovers and friends.

But some of my favourite photos are those that have been taken “in the moment”…those pictures that are a snapshot of who those people are together, reflecting why they chose to be lovers or friends. Sometimes romantic, sometimes whimsical, sometimes silly. They’re all a part of why people choose to spend their time together and I love photographing those moments.

I’m discovering this blog is about much more to me than photography. It’s about my adventures in Second Life and the amazing people who have touched my life there. The stories that have been told, the friendships forged, the affairs of the heart. Thank you for sharing this journey with me.

“If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart. I’ll stay there forever.”
― A.A. Milne

Goin’ To The Chapel…

Image January 24, 2013February 11, 2013PeepSideshow DarkwardLeave a comment

Weddings. They happen in Second Life, just as in real life. And trust me, a virtual wedding can be just as much work to plan as a real life wedding!

My best friend and one of my Second Life sisters, Abbie, got married in December. As her maid of honour, I was involved from the beginning in helping to pick out dresses, flowers, the cake, tuxes, final decision on the venue and generally keeping the bride from totally freaking out and setting fire to the dresses, flowers, cake, tuxes and venue! (Yes, there’s a story there, perhaps to be told another day 😉 ) The wedding took place on December 22, 2012, but that was actually the third date, due to real life issues. Yes, those play a major part in any virtual wedding, from time zones to health or personal issues to internet and hardware failure (and I don’t mean the wedding night!)

Abbie asked me to be her photographer for the wedding, but I declined as the “official” photographer. Mainly because I was part of the wedding party and would be busy doing what a maid of honour does, but also because I was afraid that I might miss some magic moments. If there are technical issues with a standard photo shoot, it can be rebooked. But a wedding…well, you’ve got one shot at getting it right and god help the photographer who screws up a bride’s wedding day!

As it turned out, I took over 270 photos, anyway, from us getting ready to the ceremony to the reception and after party. I put together an album for Abbie that consisted of about 40 photos that I deemed acceptable. Part of the reason for the lower strike rate was that it’s tough taking photos on the fly. But the main reason was because while I wanted to create a theme for the photos, after a while they just seemed repetitive. I see no point in padding a portfolio just for the sake of numbers. Besides, wedding pictures can be like Aunt Georgia’s vacation pictures; after you’ve seen 15 or 20 shots of her and Uncle Ralph drunk at the luau, you’ve seen them all 😉

Because this was a Christmas themed wedding, I wanted to give the photos a wintery feel without being cold. I could have used cool processing, but instead I used a frosted halo to give the photos a consistent feel. I also softened the images frequently to give them a more romantic impression.

The Ceremony

The Wedding Party

The Reception

And of course, no wedding would be complete without its share of boo-boos, glitches and a random penguin!

I admit to trepidation over doing wedding photos, but when it was over, although I wasn’t completely happy with the photos I took, the important thing was that the bride and groom were. Their special day has been captured for eternity, allowing them to happily walk into the future together, hand in hand ♥