I discovered Verdigris due to a post on the entire sim, lock stock and barrel, being stolen, replicated on a nearby sim, and it being in the process of being deleted by the apparent copybotters. Every dark cloud has a silver lining, though; I'm not sure I would have ever found my way to this absolutely breathtaking sim without that post - so I'll admit to some gratitude. One of my struggles in Second Life is that even with the effort I put into finding sims these days, particularly attractive ones for photoshoots, it always feels like I'm missing some marvel, passing some wonder by, and sometimes I only discover some glory of creation in retrospect as there's an announcement that it's gone. I'm glad to say I caught Verdigris and took a few pictures, though I feel like I need to return soon to take some more - I focused mainly on the buildings for this shoot, but there are wonderful bits of wilderness, curves of land in the water, and places to explore across the entire sim. The combination of building, plant, and terrain is harmonious from the widest vista to the smallest detail, and this is a place sure to not disappoint. I think next time I might go for a less misty windlight and give you a real taste of the layers you can achieve there.
A friend on my flickr commented on a recent shift in my picture taking toward a somehow richer style - and I wanted to put in a quick word that I'm in no way truly responsible for the shift; instead I started running on Firestorm's 3.x beta version, which is proving to not only be significantly steadier and less liable to crash that my 2.x prior installation, but also is allowing me to run with my graphics set to high instead of medium - and I think you can tell the difference in the quality of the pictures. The mesh of my avatar is noticeably smoother, fabrics have added quality, and I really like the soft quality when I take simply ginormous pictures. I haven't yet tried shadows again (I've never been able to get the damn things to work!) but I think that's in my future, on a day when I'm feeling calm and enthusiastic. If I can use depth of field I think I will truly be in bliss; I love the effects you can get with that, and playing with foreground and background is a passion of mine, even though it's hard in a Second Life where often things are twice as big as I am.
A couple quick notes on my outfit - the dress and jewelry were styled on each other - a cooperation between Kouse's Sanctum and Evie's Closet which made coordinating a cinch. All I ask for next time is to link up with a shoe store - maybe G Field? You guys can style things to go together, and I can put them on and look awesome with half the effort put it. That should be win/win all around, right? In any case, the theme was dragonflies (we need dragonfly shoes!) and I love how the wings are echoed in the jewelry, and the subdued gleam of the colors together. Kouse's Sanctum, in a flash of genius, made the jewelry not only modify-ok (THANK YOU!) but also color changing with the gems, so if you end up splurging on Evie's fantastic dress in multiple colors your jewelry can be shared between them. I, obviously, chose gold - for the royal touch. I'm a queen... dragonfly (somehow that doesn't have the same ring as Queen Bee).
The dress comes with a plethora of sculpted and prim extras, including some lovely shoulders and a chest piece that is as subdued as it is elegant. I've got to say, if I want to show off my cleavage Evie's Closet is the way to go; not only are the necklines low and interesting without flashing nipple, but she often adds extras to the neck and shoulders which serves to frame one of my better aspects. The jewelry from Kouse's Sanctum is a gorgeous addition, and includes an anklet in addition to the bracelet, necklace, and earrings. I have taken to fitting my earrings to hang as if from an extra hole from my Illusions faerie ears, and I have to admit it's led to me wearing a lot more earrings! Go-Go Multi-attachments! I couldn't have done that a few years ago, and it's definitely added to my styling possibilities (not to mention my arc).
The ability to run Second Life with higher resolution really makes a huge difference in what everything looks like. I'm blown away by being able to move around with things looking this detailed and clear. I'm already starting to play more with reflections, and shadows are in my future - though I'll probably start out small with props somewhere. I'm also starting to have fun with mesh clothing, which was what actually propelled me to install what Firestorm themselves said was a very beta release - I'm very used to beta meaning temporarily worse, but in this case it definitely means a big step forward for the graphics I can see! Expect some mesh posts in the future, though I'm planning on including images of what it looks like without invisilayers and also on non-mesh browsers, so you can get the complete picture! I had considered putting out a modified version of my shape, so people could compare with theirs (not being able to edit mesh is a huge con for me, being a plump faerie) but I'm not sure if anyone would care, much less show up to pick it up. Comment here if you think it's a good idea.
( More pictures here. )
Credits:
Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, Roomee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyeliner: Aesteli Makeup - Curly Liner and Lip Pinkener Medium
Eyelashes: Flugeln Brise, Eyelash 05
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear
Hair: Truth, Orchid - driftwood
Wings: Evie's Closet, Damselfly Wings - Amethyst
Dress: Evie's Closet, Damselfly - Amethyst
Jewelry: Kouse's Sanctuary, Demoiselle - Gold/Lavender
Ring 1: Alchemy Immortalis, Nestling Finger
Ring 2: Earthstones, Eternal Blossom Ring - Bouquet
Shoes: G Field, Flower Pumps "Eve" - purple
Poses: Glitterati
Location: Verdigris
Light Settings: Places Terre Des Morte
Water: Atomist 2
Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only
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