Questions for Photographers

You're very welcome. IM me anytime, and I can hook you up with some free green screen situations I've set up. I mean, they're easy to make, but if you haven't picked one up yet, or made one, I don't mind hooking you up.

So, are you planning on designing a little studio, or are you more just into getting into photography in general? Will be you offering photography as a service? Or just as a hobby?

Regardless, I'd love to help set you up. And don't worry, I'm not in this for the money, so there are no serious motives other than spreading a good word for my company and name. Wait, does that sound selfish? How 'bout this...spreading good 'energy.'



Plus, I just love collaborating with other fellow artists.

I am planning on designing a studio - most likely a small skybox above my home since I have enough prims right now to do so (surprisingly!).

At the moment, it is just a hobby although, I'd love to make this a part-time career in SL eventually if I can devote enough time to learning enough for that to happen. Time is the issue, not the desire to learn/practice. I work part-time in RL and obviously, have other things to do besides just sitting at the computer all day when I am home. Plus my husband isn't exactly thrilled with me being inworld when he is home in the evenings/weekends. He travels on business and I take those opportunies to catch up on things I want to accomplish inworld.

However, if I could develop this skill and show him I can make money from it, I believe that could change his view somewhat. He acknowledges I have talent with RL photos, so it wouldn't be out of the blue for me to be able to transfer that skill to SL. But for now - still just a guilty pleasure, sort of narcissistic for the most part

If you are new to photoediting, check out these "You Suck at Photoshop" tutorials

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=U_X5uR7VC4M

And sometimes you don't need a studio or backdrops at all. The right pose, a good angle, nice lighting and a little luck does the trick.

Check out this amazing close-up Max took the other day, Elora.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24213150@N04/2416911805/

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Show-off

Only teasing, which you know since I've already told you both how much I like your work.

That's gorgeous.

Hi Elora, thank you for starting this thread!

I can start one of my own, but I risk to post a question here. Maybe others wonder about it, not just me.

It's easy to take picks of myself. I have all the clothers and poses I need in my inventory. And different facelights. How do you manage to fix up others when you will take a pic of them?

I was out shopping for "warrior poses" because I've just started taking pictures for others who need it in picks etc. I couldn't find anything that was transfer. That really sucks. I can't prepare first, I have to bring the avatar to the shop and let him buy it first. Maybe SL is laggy as usual or we crash. If the setup for the pic was ready, we could be done and the photos safe on my harddisk.

Then it's poseballs or to buy a posestand and drop different poses in. Now time for my question: BUT then, if you are out in a breathtaking SL sim and you aren't allowed to drop a poseball on the ground? What then? You have to be in a photostudio with green walls and edit the picture after? With all those lovely windlight scenarios, that's just waisted time.

The only way to get a good pic on such land that don't allow build, is that the avatar you photograph already has a pose in his inventory that he/she can play? Am I right?

Locating the High-res Snapshot option improved my pics 1000%. Taking pics larger than your screen resolution seems not to be working in 1.20 though.

I love my Photosphere for non-location type shots...it includes some lighting, although I generally use a face lamp as well.

I'm particularly fond of LAP (Long Awkward Pose) poses right now, but LostDog, Reel Expression, and Tuli also have some good ones. This is a great pose stand:

http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=559943

Generally speaking, don't center the object of interest in your shots. It's more visually pleasing if you imagine a 3x3 grid on the image and align your subject on one of the dividing lines. You can do this in post too if you leave enough surrounding space.

I don't do much in post-production - crop, resize, tidy up weird prims (especially hair), and blur some of the sharper angles - so I can't really help with the fancy stuff.

Search for Haifeng using the SLBrowser in SL. It costs nothing and has everything you need, including a posing stand that is loaded with free poses. You can also modify it and add your own.

You can also get a free "workspace buster" that you sit on. This takes you to a platform in the sky where you have privacy. Then, you set up your backdrop from the studio, your posing stand, and you are in business.

You also should get a facelight.

There is an SLBrowser headquarters in SL where you can pick up your own copy. This is the starting point for finding many good freebies in SL.