Big Sun

Ages ago, Torley Linden made a ton of Windlights and released the to the wild, and Firestorm picked them up and made them part of their browser, a real gift to the grid. One set of those windlights are called BIG SUN, and they are exactly what they say - Windlights with enormous, bright, overpowering suns. They are particularly difficult windlights to photograph, though if one can manage it the effect is stunning, because of how extreme the light is, and how enormous the sun is. When I realized I had another empty sim to play with, this one with a stone texture on the ground which looked fantastic through the water, I simply couldn't resist another round of playing with a BIG SUN windlight - this one a favorite of mine due to the stunning shades of purple and blue visible outside of the blindingly white sun. I also pulled out my mirror water setting, though I ended up tinting it a greyish color to heighten the effect of the gray stone as much as I could while enjoying flawless reflections. This was a very difficult set to pick and choose through; I loved so many of these images and felt like each of them highlighted different aspects of the lighting, shadows, sky, and cloud textures.

Because the main focus was on the lighting and reflections, all of the images I took were distance shots rather than fashion shots. Usually, I try to do a variety of shots that mostly focus on my looks where the setting is important, but not central. This is partly an artifact of the face that I started out focused on my sartorial choices, and partly a response to the increasing number of blogpost I do where I'm reviewing clothes. It was odd to take a major step back from my usual Head Shot, Portrait, Full Look, Shoe Shot, Long Distance cycle because the focus had shifted so much toward the setting itself, in all of it's bareness. I had fun figuring out ways to combine light, shadow, and reflection all into a single image - my full presence hinted at but not fully realized. Once I got started it was meditative; turn, pose, find the light I want, adjust the angle, shoot. There is a total focus which sometimes kicks in when one is fully engaged in what one is doing, and I found that focus during these shots. They are the very definition of a derivative work, everything created by others with myself as the mere photographer, but I am very glad I had Torley's BIG SUN Windlights to inspire me.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Cherry
Bow: katat0nik, Dolly Vines
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe Wings
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Jewelry: EarthStones, Butterfly
Nails: A:S:S, Precious 2
Dress: Schadenfreude, Into the Woods
Shoes: G Field, Lace Up Boots "Gina"

Pose: Olive Juice

Location: LEA11
Light Settings: TOR, BIG SUN Awwwwwwyeah
Water Settings: Mirror Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only