Photography

To Di For

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1 Di's Opera

This post is a little about a lot of things. I’ll try to be brief, even though I rarely manage that. Feel free to slap my virtual hands if I waffle on too long!

Yesterday I did two photo shoots. When I finished and was looking at my raw shots, I decided it was time I broke out my Wacom Bamboo, which I have had for a while but which has terrified me. I have been through tutorials and played with it a bit, but it’s been a trial for me. But I finally realised if I want to elevate my Photoshop skills I need to move on from my mouse and begin using a graphics tablet. But before I start using it on client photos, I thought it prudent to use myself as a guinea pig.

Naturally, I didn’t want to use a photo I had already taken 😉 And since I needed this outfit from E-Clipse (available at Limited Bazaar), I felt it was the perfect opportunity to shoot a few photos for my Wacom trial. Which led to needing new poses, of course! I have hundreds of poses already, but I tend to favour more natural poses. This outfit just cried out for drama.

I checked out some of my favourite pose stores, but I wasn’t getting that fashion-flair feel I was looking for. It just so happened I had picked up a pose set from Di’s Opera at Limited Bazaar, and while I love them, they still didn’t have the dramatic feel I was craving. So off to the mainstore I went.

I tried literally every pose in the store – many more than once. I have a sneaking suspicion that my lil Cao is a frequent shopper here; I think I recognised some of the poses she uses and I was having visions of a Milan catwalk as I worked my way from pose stand to pose stand. I could practically feel the heat of the lights and see the cameras flashing as I worked my way from room to room, up stairs and back down on my quest for the perfect high-fashion pose.

I think I found it. And about twenty others. Honestly, I could have bought more, but time and Lindens were my enemies. So off to my studio to try to capture what I consider my first true fashion photograph.

This is it – and my first photo completed using my Wacom Bamboo. I have a long way to go to feel comfortable both using a graphics tablet and shooting high-fashion photos. But I believe I’ll get better at both, with practice. And these poses? Yes, they are to Di for!

Pretty stuff I’m wearing:

Top: E-Clipse FiluffSweater S Brown/Vermillon by Thetra Blackheart (available at Limited Bazaar)
Skirt: E-Clipse HighWaistLeatherSkirt S Brown by Thetra Blackheart (available at Limited Bazaar)
Shoes: [Gos] Boutique – Lauren d’Orsay – Truffle Collection by Gospel Voom
Jewelry: EarthStones Maxine Necklace & Earrings – Larimar by Abraxxa Anatine
Hair: *ARGRACE* Mia – Red by rika Oyen
Skin: [PXL] Creations – [PXL] JADE SK Peach Lips MEB C2 by Hart Larsson
Hands: Slink Mesh Hands (av) Casual by Siddean Munro
Hand appliers:[PXL] Creations – [ PXL ] Slink Hand Appliers SK by Hart Larsson
Eyes: Amacci Gaze Eyes – Ocean Blue by Carina Larsen
Lashes: Mon Cheri *MC* “Falsies” Eyelash by Freya Oliveri

Pose: Di’s Opera – Glam Series 4 – 2 by Di Hoorenbeek

Making Myself At Home

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1 Small Town Green

This year I have promised myself (no, it’s not a New Year’s Resolution) to visit more locations in Second Life. I see lots of beautiful places on Flickr and blog posts and I have a list of spots I want to visit – which seems to grow faster than I can tick them off my list! I’ve even been known to add a place just so I can mark it off 😉

One of those places I hadn’t yet visited is Small Town Green. After a horrendous experience shopping at The Season’s Story (that’s a whole ‘nother blog post right there!) I decided I needed a quieter location to shoot photographs. I wanted a cozy nook to curl up in while wearing this oh-so-soft-and-snuggly sweater and leggings and the thought of building my own set was too much for me to bear (where were you when I needed you, Rwah????). So I took a quick peek at my list and Small Town Green seemed to fit the bill.

It really is a pretty sim. And when I stepped inside this house, I simply made myself at home. Curled up in this comfy chair, I had a lovely time discussing everything from the weather to the pros and cons of trying to shop at a busy sales event on the first day with Mr. Bambi. We watched the horses and the moon playing across the water. We even went so far as to play Rock-Paper-Scissors to see who would clean up the mess on the floor.

By the way, Bambi thinks I need to practice patience a bit more in regard to shopping at time-limited events. And even though my Rock won over his Scissors, I ended up tidying up before I left. As he reminded me, I am the one with opposable thumbs 😉

(I’m still trying to figure out how he managed to make scissors!)

Pretty stuff I’m showing off:

My stuff:
Sweater: tulip. Color Block Sweater S Clay by Minami Susanowa (available at The Seasons Story)
Tights: Maitreya Tights (Pinched) * Coal by Onyx LeShelle
Scarf: MIEL INFINITY SCARF PLAIN SKINNY by Miel Nirvana (Fifty Linden Friday find)
Boots: *ionic* My winter boots (camouflage) by lakua Arriaga (available at The Chapter Four)
Necklace: Schadenfreude Smoky Lumi Necklace by Allegory Malaprop (available at Collabor88)
Earrings: Schadenfreude Smoky Dangle Lumi Earrings by Allegory Malaprop (available at Collabor88)
Hair: “”D!va”” Hair “Averil” (MVW USA 2014)(Garnet) by Marisa Kira (available at Collabor88)
Skin: [PXL] Creations – [PXL] JADE SK Peach Lips MEB C2 by Hart Larsson
Hands: Slink Mesh Hands (av) Casual by Siddean Munro
Hand appliers:[PXL] Creations – [ PXL ] Slink Hand Appliers SK by Hart Larsson
Eyes: Amacci Gaze Eyes – Ocean Blue by Carina Larsen
Lashes: Mon Cheri *MC* “Falsies” Eyelash by Freya Oliveri

Stuff at Small Town Green:
Chairs: Zigana . winter chair. by Nalena Fairey
Rug: .lame – Theo’s Rug by Divine Falodir
Floor decorations: Zigana . With love mix by Nalena Fairey
Bambi: AMU – The Bambi! by Jesse Nacht
Window sill decoration : Vespertine Mesh.oo2 by Amelie Knelstrom
Potted tree: (iTuTu) tree pot 1 by Kao Sands
House: L2 STUDIO Tarrytown House by Lindini2 Lane

Pose by the chair

Peep Goes Live With PicMonkey!

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1 Peep's 2014 CalendarWM

As you are probably aware, I am a big fan of PicMonkey.com for photo editing. I have done three previous tutorials on PicMonkey, but this time I’m actually doing a video tutorial. Please forgive my clumsiness using the video capture software; I am a complete novice and it shows! I used CamStudio.org to record my video. This is a free application and it’s relatively simple to use, if you watch the set up video. If you choose to install it, please pay close attention during the installation – they have several add ons included so make sure you opt in or out of each one.

The reason I am doing another tutorial now is two-fold. First, PicMonkey.com is offering a one-week free trial of their Royale effects. This is a limited-time offer and I have no idea how long it will be available, so if you’re interested in checking out the additional features you can usually only access by paying for the service, act quickly! You can always opt out if you decide it’s not for you. But hey…who can turn down free?

The photo above is the completed photo from my tutorial. This tutorial focuses on a new feature, Design – the second reason I chose to do this now. It allows you to create your own graphics, which I have used to make a simple calendar. I also show you how to create and apply your own watermark.

I have had such marvelous response to my previous tutorials (Teach Me Something Meme, More (Pic)Monkeying Around – Part 1 and Part 2) that I hope this one is as helpful. Feel free to leave a comment on whether you like it or not and what I can do to improve…other than changing my voice and learning how to use the software better. I know those two already 😉

I used a calendar image downloaded from PublicDomainPictures.net. This photo has a Public Domain license, so the only stipulation on use is to link back to the image in any publication. You can click on the previous link to access that picture.

I am embedding the video here, but you can also view it on youtube.

I had a lot of fun putting this tutorial together. Once I get used to using the video capture software AND I have something worth showing you again, I’ll be sure to do another one. It really is a lot easier than taking screen shots and typing everything out 😉