More Torture

Original
Original

This is going to be a very quick post today. I just thought I would share a bit of the torture I have been subjecting myself to.

Yep, I’ve been doing tutorials in Photoshop. Again.

I did the above photo and liked it ok, but I thought it would be fun to try out the tutorials I have been messing around with on selection techniques. I did the original capture, planted it on a background and the shadow which I had preserved from my original shot just didn’t work. So I fooled around with the image and came up with this:

Post torture
Post torture

I may actually like the original better. I’m still deciding. But I wanted to have you share my pain.

I’m just nice like that 😉

Pretty stuff I’m wearing:

Jacket: GizzA – Cotton Jacket [Pastel Peach] by Giz Seorn
Top: GizzA – Cotton Tank [White] by Giz Seorn (included with jackets)
Shorts: GizzA – Cotton Shorts [Pastel Ocean] by Giz Seorn
Boots: ::HH:: Hucci Akita Suede Boots – Collection by Eboni Khan
Phone:
Le Primitif – :::LP::: Gametoy_LPhone – Yellow by Chiharu Mercado Dubrovna (Gatcha prize at The 24)
Necklace: Maxi Gossamer – MG – Necklace – 9mm Joli Petite Fatal – GOLD by Maxi Gossamer
Ring: Maxi Gossamer – MG – Rings – 9mm Joli Petite Fatal – 1 finger – GOLD by Maxi Gossamer
Earrings: [MANDALA]Otsumami earrings/GOLD by Kikunosuke Eel
Hair: Analog Dog – .b – cosine sangria by Queue Marlowe
Skin: [PXL] Creations [PXL] JADE SK WineLight Lips MEB C2 by Hart
Larsson
Hands: Slink Mesh Hands (av) Casual by Siddean Munro
Feet: Slink Mesh Feet (Av Enhance) Medium by Siddean Munro
Hand & Feet Appliers: [ PXL ] Creations [ PXL ] Slink Hand & Feet Appliers SK
Eyes: Mayfly – Liquid Light Mesh Eyes (Glacial River, w3) by Arkesh Baral
Lip Gloss: ::Modish:: Yndra lips 2(glossy) by Ele Brandi (Gatcha prize at The 24)

Pose: flowey. ‘razzle’ -HAPPY BIRTHDAYC88! Series by Flutter Memel (available at Collabor88 September 2013)

Wanderstill, Ode & Thanking A Persistent Visitor

Wanderstill, Ode
Wanderstill, Ode

I threw on this outfit the other day and I loved the cheery pastels so much I decided I wanted to take photos wearing it. But I didn’t want to shoot against a plain background and it didn’t seem to suit our beach home location. Luckily, I now have loads of destinations to visit, thanks to Berry’s Exploring Second Life Meme. I recalled one of the bloggers, Lolita Oleander, mentioning another very old favourite of mine, Wanderstill, Ode and I knew this lovely spring sim was the perfect location.

When I arrived, there was only one other person on the sim, so I knew I would be able to find a quiet place for my photo shoot. It didn’t take me long to discover this lovely glade, and attaching my LumiPro lights and HUD, I struck a pose. Just as I was about to take the first shot, the other visitor popped into my view. He said hello and asked if I owned the sim. “No,” I replied, “I’m just here trying to take some pictures,” hoping he would take the hint and move on. But he didn’t. He struck up a conversation with me and since he was polite and friendly, I answered his questions and replied to his comments while trying to find an angle to shoot from that didn’t include him in the frame. My replies were sparse since I had to wait for my screen to unlock after each time I refreshed my shot, and I told him that was what I was doing (again, hoping he would get the hint and go on his merry way).

And then, I hit upon this angle, with the daisies in the foreground, and I knew I had a winner. I began adjusting my lighting and was fully intending to continue chatting with him as I shot (hey, I’m a nice person and I won’t derender or mute someone who has spoken to me when I’m taking photographs unless they are being a jerk). Of course, that was exactly the moment he told me he would explore the sim a bit more and thanked me for my time. I felt a little guilty when I told him to enjoy his wanderings, but I didn’t continue the conversation.

I hope he found the area as enchanting as I always have. I hope he goes back frequently. And if he ever remembers the woman standing in the meadow taking photographs, I hope he thinks she was only preoccupied and not rude.

It is too beautiful a place for ugliness.

Pretty stuff I’m wearing:
Dress: Emery – Dress Gatsby Rose by sunami Beck (Available at Collabor88)
Boots: ::HH:: Hucci Akita Suede Boots – Collection by Eboni Khan
Ring: Maxi Gossamer – MG – Rings – 9mm Joli Petite Fatal – 1 finger – GOLD by Maxi Gossamer
Necklace: MG – Necklace – Florentine Lover’s – Short by Maxi Gossamer (Available at Collabor88)
Bracelet & Earrings: MG – Florentine Lover’s by Maxi Gossamer (Available at Collabor88)
Hair: Analog Dog – .b – wound up – COLOR CHANGE – sangria by Queue Marlowe
Skin: [PXL] Creations [PXL] JADE SK WineLight Lips MEB C2 by Hart
Larsson
Hands: Slink Mesh Hands (av) Casual by Siddean Munro
Feet: Slink Mesh Feet (Av Enhance) Medium by Siddean Munro
Hand & Feet Appliers: [ PXL ] Creations [ PXL ] Slink Hand & Feet Appliers SK
Eyes: Mayfly – Liquid Light Mesh Eyes (Glacial River, w3) by Arkesh Baral
Lip Gloss: ::Modish:: Yndra lips 2(glossy) by Ele Brandi (Gatcha prize at The 24)

Poses by aDORKABLE Poses – Stroll Dork Pack by Adorkable Peapod (available on Marketplace only)

Exploring Second Life Meme: Wondering As I Wander

Empyreal Dreams - Ctrl Shift H
Empyreal Dreams – Ctrl Shift H

I really love this week’s meme topic! I’m always looking for new places to explore and take photos, so I will definitely be stealing some from the other bloggers!

Berry is a fantastic photographer and the raw shots she used in her blog put mine to shame. I have long said I am not a landscape photographer, and these pictures just go to prove my point 😦 But I still had a lovely day, revisiting some of the locations I have used in my posts in the past. I did, however, shoot in different spots on the sims so you can have an added flavour of each location.

Meme Instructions: Share 1 to 5 of your favorite places on the grid. I feel like exploring and discovering new places. Share places you think everyone should visit and also tell us why they are your favorites. Don’t forget to leave a link to your post in the comments (of this post)!

Click to read and see more of my favourite places