Latest trends in photography in SL

[Eve1209 Quintessa]

So, I'm back in SL after being gone for quite awhile. I was sick for about a year, came back for about a month, then needed emergency surgery. After a long recuperation, infections, etc., I'm back again. I have another surgery in my future but at least I know what this one will entail and hopefully that will be it!  Anyway, before I left, I had a photography studio and loved taking pics. An ex had purchased the PhotoLife system for me years ao, but most recently, I found myself only using a black or white background and doing all the work in Photoshop, unless I was shooting something on site. I found myself using the lighting controls sometimes and those two backgrounds, which I would then cut out in SL and edit in whatever background I wanted. Don't get me wrong, PL was great, but its quite primmy for someone who just uses it for a screen and some lighting.

I was just curious what people were doing these days with their photos. Are there any new "hot" or interesting photo systems out there in SL? I always aimed for the most realistic looking photos I could get, but I was never able to get my photos as crisp and clear as some I've seen. Just wondering if there are new viewers, techniques or tutorials that anyone might be able to point me toward, or maybe even some photography groups in world.  It's really crazy after being gone for a year but most of my friends have moved on from SL and my friend/contact list is so empty now. I'm feelling so alone!  Thanks in advance for any information and I'll be happy to help out whoever helps me in any way I can as well. Have a great day everyone!

[Tamara Artis]

Like you, I take my snapshots in front of a white or grey screen and try to capture the avatar so it looks best. No special systems or studios, just tons of poses to choose from. After that it all depends of what the person wants to get, I rarely make photos with my own avatar, mostly because I usually have at least few people to take their shots but also because I find others more interesting.

After that its all just playing around, people love to see that I did stuff with their avatars, not just paste them on a background and changed some tones. So I repaint some parts like skins and clothing, draw, reshape their bodies, add little details and basically just make the photo how I like it and in the way that I would want someone else to do mine. 

I have a studio in-world (just check signature) and feel free to visit us anytime, if I happen to be online I would be happy to chat and answer any questions you might have. Welcome back to SL:)

[Eve1209 Quintessa]

Thanks so much for your reply! Your forum badge pic is one that jumped out at me as I read through the threads. You are very talented! I'll look you up in world and maybe we can chat sometime. Thanks again!

[Jackson Redstar]

I rarely use a studio, unless it is a product shot. There so much awesomess in SL i just find a nice place,build a sky the way i want, maybe add some fill light as needed (I use the fotoscope modeler studio can run anywhere scripts are allowed), then onto post which is mostly cleaning up and overall enhancement of what i took in world

BTW, i use Niran's viewer for all my photography, setting everything on ultra. I have been using DOF alot more on  Niran's b/c for some reason it just 'works' unlike FS where i could just never seem to get it dialed in right

 

[Tamara Artis]

Thank you, that photo is from when I was learning to do morph pics:p 

And yeah there is a trend of taking all photos in-world, personally I think avatars belong to SL and in-world backgrounds make them look more natural but concerning the types of pics I do, its alot easier to do it all in the studio and just cut out the avi later. If I would take each client to some sim, set up a scene and lights, rezz my own poses, fit the avatar to look best, derender everything whats in the way of the camera, thats just too long. Its great for blogs when you are working with your own avi. 

For anyone best is to just start and create anything you personally like, sooner or later you will find people who lke same! 

 

[Nikolai Warden]

From what I have seen recently, there are two major trends, the first being toward elaborate post processing and the second being raw images that are left but for some cropping and perhaps framing. This is particularly difficult and can take a long time to pose a model and set up the shot ... lighting, pose, and angle are  important to avoid the jagged edges that pop up depending on how one twists and turns an avatar.  I use a Lumipro HUD that has poses, lights, a projector to cast shadows, and allows me to animate a model's eyes. I can pose up to four models at a time. There are other similar HUDs available, I happen to like Lumipro the best. With the lights and poses, I rarely use my studio any more. I suggest going to flickr and searching for SL groups so you may see what people are doing nowadays. Few clients I have had of late request studio shots, they want photos of them at home or in their gardens or a favorite scenic location. 

[Jackson Redstar]

i think that is the key.. we all are imperfect. Poses will introduce joint flaws, what should be rounded is angular etc.. clothing can do all sorts of weird things, hair buries in body part...  so even without doing elaborate post post process work there are certain flaws that just need to be fixed

[Nikolai Warden]

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Jackson Redstar wrote:

i think that is the key.. we all are imperfect. Poses will introduce joint flaws, what should be rounded is angular etc.. clothing can do all sorts of weird things, hair buries in body part...  

so even without doing elaborate post post process work there are certain flaws that just need to be fixed

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I have done portraits that have required editing, whether minimal or extensive. My preference for portraits is to do a painted appearance with strong outlining here and there for emphasis. I also do not like the DOF in the graphics setting so I generally will do that the old fashioned way, and create the effect myself. However, I have also done portraits with no post processing at all. If one advises a client on attire (or the client is nude), takes time to find the right pose and angle for a shot and uses a good windlight, those certain flaws are not present in the finished work and no post processing is required. It takes quite a bit more time to take the initial photograph in SL, sometimes an hour or more, whereas a similar shot, with the above mentioned flaws to be edited out later can take a third of the time. The total amount of time either way, for me, tends to be the same. For the client posing for me, it tends to be a lengthier process. I find it takes a good deal of practice to do professional looking unedited photos.