photography

The Return of Marie Antoinette

September 21, 2012

…and the return of India Nadeau. It has been months since I have last blogged anything here. There are various reasons for this, the main issue being that SL had become way too laggy for me (and those pesky lines in pictures) and as much as I tried to fix the lag, nothing worked! I deduced it was my machine, and not SL itself. The metaverse might lag like a donkey stuck in quicksand, but this was getting ridiculous!

In the end, my computer decided to give up on me a few weeks ago and I was given the verdict it wasn’t worth fixing. It was a sad day in the neighborhood when I received the bad news, but now I have a really amped up, pretty, lightning fast machine to replace the old.

So, my time in SL over the past six months hasn’t been what it once was. During this time I was working on “trying” to make a couple items for our SL brand N2 Pixel Studio when my patience allowed, and reading alot among other RL things. It feels good to be back experimenting with SL photography again without any major restriction. I bow down to the 675m Nvidia GPU and my i7 processor for saving my patience and allowing me to turn my inspiration into a visual form more easily.

Now, on to the inspiration!

I love historical fiction and movies. I had seen this amazing dress by Boudoir on the Marketplace and on Flickr recently, and I instantly knew I HAD to do a historical style ensemble and blog it. It came together really well, and I am really happy with the resulting images.

Niran’s Viewer is now the best viewer for me in terms of making those annoying lines less visible. They usually don’t completely disappear, but they are hardly noticeable and easier to fix.

This is my favorite image of those I made. It reminds me of a painting. I really enjoyed using the Faith skin from [PXL]. I made my own fatpack using the vendor system there. The dark lipstick and eye makeup matched perfectly with the dark look I was going for.

The hair and earrings really completed the feel of the outfit. Tukinowaguma did a perfect job on this style. It doesn’t come with a hairbase, so I used a random black base I had in my inventory just to make the hairline a bit more soft, though it barely shows. The earrings by Indyra Originals add a little dangly sparkle!

STYLE CREDITS:

SKIN: Faith in Sunkissed by [PXL]
HAIR: Suvi in Ebony by Tukinowaguma
MAKEUP: Faith Boudoir Eyes and Dark Lips by [PXL]
NECKLACE: Ibiza Chains by Indyra Originals
EARRINGS: Briolette Earrings in Noir by Indyra Originals (Partial Mesh)
DRESS: Domino Drama Baroque Gown by Boudoir

LOCATION: Chateau de Versailles

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March Mesh Madness is on its way!

February 20, 2012

I am bursting at the seams to share with you what I have been wanting to write in this post! First of all, this isn’t going to be just about March Mesh Madness, but it is what I am highlighting here right off the bat.

Beginning March 1st, 2012 one of the most anticipated events for mesh lovers will kick off at FATEisland. Mesh creators will be coming together in one place to showcase their designs in a grand event. This will be a hot sim to be at opening day!

Creators featured here will be coldLogic, Aura, Jane, FATEcreate, Decoy, Wasabi Pills, Magika, and many more! So, be sure you mark your calendars and remember this SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/FATEisland/128/128/22

March Mesh Madness

The more I wear mesh, the more I like it. I am definitely saving my lindens for MMM 2012!

Now, to showcase another design from the mesh brand coldLogic (yea, yea, my third coldLogic post in a row…but when you are inspired by something you just need to run with it)! When I saw this dress initially, I knew I wanted to do a sort of a retro or vintage look. When I was browsing the fashion feeds recently, I caught the new fringed oxfords by Annex which had a color that matched the buttery yellow dress to perfection!

I also wanted to feature this pose I am using by Essential Soul that can be found at the Proposers Expo. An amount of the proceeds from the expo will be given to ASA also known as the Autism Society of America. The event ends February 25th, so check it out if you have not yet been there!

Zaap just so happened to sneak up behind me while I was experimenting for the first time with the Exodus Viewer on some country back road. He coincidentally was wearing a yellow shirt. I’m not sure he knows I am posting this picture…but oh well. I liked it!

I really think the image quality of Exodus is exceptional. The clarity and crispness is amazing. I still get some lines on my images, however, at least I now know an effective way to deal with them.

After messing around posing myself with him in the background, I then had him try this adorable pose with me by Nspiration that can be found at the expo as well…

STYLE CREDITS:

SKIN: Aiko Deep tan 11 HB cleavage and Lip Layer 3 by Belleza
HAIR: Mourray in AlmostGoth by Lelutka
MAKEUP: Love my eyes Liner and Mascara -thick by *BOOM*
JEWELRY: Gloria Watch and Nana Earrings by Donna Flora
DRESS: Reed in Butter by coldLogic (MESH) ***
SHOES: Fringed Oxfords in Beige by Annex

SINGLE POSE: Above The Fold by *ES* ***
COUPLES POSE: One Heart by Nspiration ***

LOCATION: The Mother Road

Items in italics and *** note promo copies.

Are you on Flickr, Twitter, Plurk, or Facebook? Add me! I love seeing the blogs and pics of other SL residents!

Bollywood Times

October 19, 2011

I have had this bridal ensemble from Arya Boutique in my inventory for a little while, and I was looking for the perfect backdrop to shoot it against. I finally found it! When I began the post processing work, I sort of got lost in tinkering with different effects and it turned into more of an art photo than a blog photo. I decided to fix up a couple of different photos to showcase the look for my blog entry…

I’m not going to write much in this post because I am currently listening to some Bollywood music and my concentration is pretty much nil at the moment. Haha.

STYLE CREDITS:

SKIN: Aiko Deep tan 3 HB and cleavage by Belleza
HAIR: ME Dark Chestnut by [69]
MAKEUP: Eyeshadow, Doe Shimmer in Gold by PixelDolls, Love my eyes Liner and Mascara -thick by *BOOM*
JEWELRY: Suvarna Bangles, Suvarna Kundan Earrings, Head Jewel, and Nose Ring by Zaara
OUTFIT: Fusion Red Bridal Saree by Arya’s Boutique ***
TATTOO: Henna Tattoo Hands by Secret Luminos (Can’t find this inworld or on Marketplace.)

Items in italics and *** note promo copies.

Are you on Flickr, Twitter, Plurk, or Facebook? Add me! I love seeing the blogs and pics of other SL residents!

Sunday Was Lazy, And So Was I

September 4, 2011

Sorry, this is not a mesh post! Haha! I have only tried a couple of mesh pieces, and I think it is a great addition to SL. But…my mesh posts will have to wait for now!

I took some photos today with the intention of getting them up in a blog quickly, but I began editing (playing) in photoshop and got lost in trying different effects. I also wasn’t really in a writing mood. The funny thing is, when the photos are complete I then want to post them as soon as they are done–but I don’t like posting them anywhere without the blog entry ready. Thus, I usually get myself to then write the blog.

I will keep this short and get to the fashion goodies!

I was in a purple mood again and bought the Careah dress from Lelutka. I really love it! The sculpted parts are fantastically made and textured, and the skirt is just the perfect length to have an elegant flow when moving.

STYLE CREDITS:

SKIN: Aiko Deep tan 9 cleavage with Lipstick 7 by Belleza
LASHES: 2011 lashes, Long by LeLutka
HAIR: Shiva in Soil with Soil Hairbase by Plume
MAKEUP: Love My Eyes Liner and Mascara – thick by *BOOM* @ Kozmetika
DRESS: Careah in Blossom by Lelutka
JEWELRY: Une Princesse Earrings by Je Suis
SHOES: Caresse in Platine by N-Core

Are you on Flickr, Twitter, Plurk, or Facebook? Add me! I love seeing the blogs and pics of other SL residents!

Lady In The Dark

August 6, 2011

I often get creative late at night or the wee morning hours. Most think my daily schedule is really weird, but for me it works. For some reason, my energy just flows better at night. I never was a morning person; I actually envy those who can pull themselves out of bed at dawn rearing to go be productive. Sometimes, I am just going to bed at sunrise. Growing up, I think I put my mom through hell with my crabby, anti-morning, adolescent attitude. Haha.

Anyway, most of the dabbling I do in photoshop or with SL photography is done after ten p.m. or later. Last night I also went through some notecards of new releases and such since I haven’t logged in much lately. One store I decided to go to was Exile. There were a number of new demos I had not tried and they were awesome as usual. The style I purchased was called “Valerie”–a sleek and low side ponytail with a little bit of bouffant action going on. My final photo is a bit dark to see the full effect of the style, but you get the idea. Admittedly, I don’t have a lot of hair from Exile. I am not sure why I didn’t frequent this store more in the past, but I am keeping my eyes on the brand now!

Another new release to take note of is the recent line of fingernails by Mandala. This set is a must for dressing up your digits with a fresh manicure! There are a few sets to choose from of varying lengths, as well as a unisex set. Each fingernail can be changed individually, or you can change all of the fingernails at once. You can also choose one of five different nail shapes with the HUD. Plus, there is a huge selection of colors to pick from. See the HUD below.

STYLE CREDITS:

SKIN: Aiko Deep tan 10 cleavage and HB by Belleza
LASHES: 2011 lashes, Long by LeLutka
HAIR: Valerie in Sable by Exile
MAKEUP: Love My Eyes Liner and Mascara – thick by *BOOM* @ Kozmetika
JEWELRY: Kabuki Necklace 2 in Gotama Gold & Kabuki Earrings Small in Gotama Gold by Mandala
FINGERNAILS: Female Mandala Palette 1 Medium by Mandala