Not Quite Monday

I love Strawberry Singh's Monday meme challenges and have previously participated in a few.  This week's challenge of blogging about your favorite poses and pose makers isn't really that challenging to me since I have had a bit of an obsession with poses since I first discovered them in my early days of Second Life.

I've always felt that poses are one of the most important parts to any picture; they convey so much emotion and contribute such depth to the overall impression and perception of the photographer.  Without good pose makers, Second Life photography most certainly would not be what it is today.

The pose featured in the above photo (click to enlarge) is from a new to me designer, Axix, recently discovered at Pose Fare 2014.  The crow prop is what initially caught my attention; if you ever browsed my shop before I closed, it should be no surprise that I would be drawn to a pose with props.  They are extremely fun to use and make for very interesting photos.  The pack, which was only 100L, included eight static poses and pre-positioned crow props for each pose.  They only thing that I did not like about this pose pack was that the poses do not have smooth transitions; however, that is a very minor detail.

Unfortunately, my two favorite pose makers no longer make poses.  I have hundreds of poses from aDORKable Poses and Glitterati; I probably could never purchase another pose in Second Life and still be set for the duration of my blog just by using what is already in my inventory from these two designers.  We all know that will never happen though!  Both Adokable Peapod and Katey Coppola created graceful, elegant poses that can work in almost any photo.  Thankfully, you can still purchase poses from both designers on the Second Life Marketplace (linked above).


Credits
Clothing: Bohemian Maxi in Aqua by Croquet at FaMESHed
Feet: Mesh Female Feet Flat by Slink
Hands: Mesh Hands Elegant1 and Bag by Slink
Nail Applier: Peary Nails by Izzie's at The Dressing Room Fusion
Hair: April by TRUTH at Collabor88
Skin: Mokatana The Diva by Glam Affair
Skin Applier: Slink Hands and Feet Skin Applier America by Glam Affair
Eyes: Summer Storm by Poetic Colors
Pose: LadyCrow 7 by Axix at Pose Fair 2014
Location: Templemore Hesperia

Helpless

I seem to never be able to stay away.  I can go for months without thinking about Second Life, and then somewhere out of the blue I'm wondering about what kind of new shoes may be available.  I'm helpless.

My latest absence had to do more with feeling overwhelmed than anything else.  Second Life has always been a hobby for me, but trying to keep up with my blog, Seraphim and my pose shop felt more like a job than something I did for leisure.  I had to leave... I needed to breath.  I definitely have a new found respect for creators who are able to hold down a real life job and still design in Second Life.


Credits
Clothing: Blooming Moment Dress by ::{u.f.o}:: at Collabor88
Jewelry: Butterfly Neckalce by Izzie's VIP Group Gift
Shoes: Lily Flats in Prussian by Ingenue at Collabor88
Feet: Mesh Female Feet Flat by Slink
Hands: Mesh Hands Elegant1 and Bag by Slink
Nail Applier: Pearl Nails by Izzie's at The Dressing Room Fusion
Hair: Fleur by TRUTH at The Seasons Story
Skin: Mokatana The Diva by Glam Affair
Skin Applier: Slink Hands Skin Applier America by Glam Affair
Eyes: Summer Storm by Poetic Colors
Pose: Model 272 by Glitterati No Longer Available
Location: Frisland

A Lesson in Patience

Today has definitely been a lesson in patience.  I typically take my pictures in Second Life on my desktop and edit them on my laptop; I do it this way since my desktop, which is a gaming computer, is a lot faster and can take better pictures while my laptop is the only computer I have that has PhotoShop.  I have known that my laptop was having issues for a while, but today it finally just gave out.  Well, not completely out, but I tried to turn it on for three hours very unsuccessfully.  After a bit of research, I think the CMOS battery has went out on my laptop; it is a pretty common problem with the version I have and is a really cheap fix.  The problem... you basically have to dismantle the entire computer just to replace the battery.  I cannot see myself doing that.

I was left trying to figure out how to use GIMP to edit my photos.  There are some aspects of it that I do like better than PhotoShop; for example, I think the healing tool has clearer results and is easier to use in GIMP.  The IWarp tool is not quite as smooth at the liquify feature in PhotoShop, however.  I'm sure that with practice I will be able to use this program as well as I am able to use PhotoShop (which isn't really saying much).  The extra time to look up tutorials really pushed my nerves.  You would have to have the patience of Job to not be irritated by having to take it all in at once.

Now... on to what I'm wearing!  The top I have on is a new item from Auxiliary available at The Dressing Room Fusion.  The design is extremely adorable, and the three colors it comes is are very pretty.  A free demo is available for you to try; it really annoys me when designers don't have demos out for mesh items.  Each piece fits differently... some not well at all depending on your shape; I really hate wasting money and really appreciate the designers who offer free demos (1L demos are a whole different rant lol).  The straps don't really fit my avatar well (they stand up a bit higher than my shoulders), but I knew that I wanted to wear a long hairstyle; so, that really wasn't much of an issue.  Overall, it's a very fabulous piece for only 70L!

The leggings I "matched" up with the top are actually a modifiable pair of textured white leggings a designer friend of mine passed me long ago.  They are a staple of my inventory when I cannot find pants that match well enough with a top.  Perhaps Auxiliary will release some colored pants in the future to match for the people who don't like tinting!

The newest release from LaRoo Shoes are absolutely amazing!  The Sparta Pumps are the first release by the design team to include a foot base.  I know that some people are a little intimidated when it comes to tinting.  I typically don't aim for a "perfect" match because if I did I would be here for days. Close is normally good enough for me since colors can change with windlights and shadows; I think I did pretty well with my first try.  Tinting the skin with the included HUD is a little different than with others; you first choose the skin closest to your skin color and then adjust the RGB values instead of simply inputting the value of your skin.  I really love the window that pops up for you to enter the codes instead of having thirty seconds to type them into local chat.  LaRoo does offer detailed information on how to operate the color change HUD and the RGB values of well know skin designers on their website.  The values for the skin I'm wearing were not listed, but I'm sure the list will grow with time!  The shoes are available in twelve colors, and a free demo is available for your convenience.

Speaking of skins, I'm sporting the newest skin release from Izzie's titled Ginerva.  The skin is available in eight tones and includes a modifiable shape, freckles option, moles option, four brow colors (with the exception of the mocha tone which only contains one), cleavage options, a nail base, twelve lipsticks, eleven eyeshadows, eyeliner, blush and a brow shape.  As with all Izzie's skins, a free demo is available.


Credits
Clothing: [Top] Mullet Top in Cocoa and Turquoise by Auxiliary at The Dressing Room Fusion and [Leggings] White Cotton Leggings by Siss Boom (Not available)
Shoes: Sparta Pumps in Tan by LaRoo Shoes
Jewelry: Uva Necklace by miel Group Gift
Hair: Rebel in Mocha w/Roots by TRUTH
Skin: Ginvera Skin Pale DB by Izzie's
Makeup: Black Eyeliner in Gentle Fume by Acid & Mala
Eyes: Eternal Eyes in Glass by IKON
Lashes: 2011 Lashes Curl by LeLutka
Hands: Mesh Hands Elegant 1 by Slink
Poses: [1] Elegant 3 and [2] Elegant 1 by aDORKable Poses
Location: Innsmouth