Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting
Don’t you just love it when someone looks at an ordinary scene, then shifts their focus and the angle of vision and everything is suddenly completely different? That happens a lot with Alisaundra Andel. Look at the photo above, “Run Away With Me Now.” Most people would click on the couple, bring them into focus and let the vases and lights fade, but she reverses the focus, creating an intimate photo of a couple engrossed in each other.
Andel’s photostream is widely varied. There are fashion photos, landscapes, tableaus that tell a story, and everything in between:
How would you describe your style for your photos?
My style varies really, I jump from fashion to landscape to candid to portrait to stock. I don't like just slapping them on a background and click click click click done. It has to speak to me... as long as they all tell some sort of story, then I am happy.
Who are your inspirations?
That's a tough question for me really. Most people would say things like "I look toward XYZ and when I grow up I want to be like them" ....I don't do that. If you look at my flickr favorites section, its rather small for the norm. The people that are in that section are the people that inspired me. And when I say inspire, I mean they had me pause what I was doing to look at their work. But if I must choose someone.. Syn Beresford. That woman is an artist through and through. After that, because I said that I feel things, credit for my inspiration goes to people like Kadaj Yoshikawa, Kilik Lekvoda, Sharni Azalee, Alia Baroque. The creators of SL.
What is your favorite of your photos? How did you come to create it? Is there a story behind it?
Also tough to explain. I'll pick three of photos and try to explain.
“Children of Lir:” This one is probably an all time favorite for me. The way that it came about was, I was asked to be a replacement photographer in an exhibition some time back. A photographer there fell through and the owner of the gallery knew me and asked if I could produce something for the theme of Mythology. I live in Ireland, so mythology is EVERYWHERE here. I took on the story of The Children of Lir, the story of the children that were turned into swans. ANC had just come out with some new mesh swans and I am a huge fan of ANC's work. So I threw a few things out, posed myself and it went up on the wall a day later. Turned out to be one of my most successful photos in SL.
“Relay for Life 2017 - Hope” - featuring Chad Dereham: This photo is probably the most heartfelt touching candid photo I ever had the pleasure of creating. I seized the moment. That is purely it. One of the things I do for SL is take pictures as an official photographer for the Fantasy Faire. Now this was Relay for Life, but Fantasy Faire had a plot on the course and asked me to come out and take pictures. After I had, I went around the rest of the course. And I stumbled upon Chad, standing with his missus, holding balloons and as he walked, he drifted with the balloons. Well I just couldn't help myself I had to grab that moment. It was because of this picture that I started The Hope Series. Which just began this year, but at every Relay for Life I attend now. I will capture moments like this. It's basically the sister series to The Emblem project, which is another series of photos that I also do and brings me to my third photo.
“Fantasy Faire 2016 Emblem Project Series” featuring Elayne Diavolo and Vasa Vella: Fantasy Faire is extremely dear to me. As long as they keep asking me to be part of it. I will never let them down. For the last six years, I've been invited to document what it is the fantasy faire do. Raise funds in the fight against cancer. It's extremely personal to me so my heart will forever be with it. Every year I find myself coming up with ways to play with everyone. I am, self-proclaimed of course, but it is catching on, The Paparazzi of the faire. People sometimes fear me coming through in case I snap them while they are putting out secret items or things like that. That is actually a lot of fun. I get to go through all the sims before the sims open to vendors or the public, which always makes folks jealous, fun fun.
About three years ago I started The Emblem Project. I use the Faire's emblem from their Hunt Box, pose people in different ways in different parts of the sims as a representation of their contribution to the Faire. Elayne and Vasa are encouraging voices in the Faire and are always the first to motivate people to keep donating, keep shopping, keep giving, come party, come play! That is who they are. 100% asset to the faire. So I felt with this photo it was them getting fired up to motivate the world and usher them over to the faire.
How has SL affected your life?
SL has opened my eyes to many things I didn't know where out there in the world. How people think, how they react to things. Folks that just been someone to listen to them. We all come here for a reason. We all have someone within ourselves that need mending. For me its confidence issues. SL makes me feel like I can live on top of the world without being scared all the time. I love that it helps me that way. It's brought to me important people, the people I speak to every single day. People that are supportive and encouraging. That take the time to remind me that I have meaning and purpose. I wouldn't have found them without SL and for that I am exceedingly grateful.
Do you have tips for aspiring photographers?
Take time to know the subject, line things up. Study the scene. Talk, if the subject is an avi. I can't tell you how much its helped me determine a spot to use for photos simply by talking to the one that wanted me to take a picture for them. Oh and most importantly, BE OPEN to suggestions. And curb your territorial streaks, artists are meant to support each other. We are all unique, don't get upset about someone you think does a better job than you. We are all amazing. We all have our own eyes and our own tastes, doesn't make anyone better than you, doesn't make anyone less than you either. Love each other.
What do you want people to know about you?
Two things really. Firstly, I want to say thank you for asking me to take part in this, this is a new medium for me and it really pushed me to think about myself for a moment, I hope I didn't waffle on too much, but really everything up there is heartfelt and genuine. SO thank you for letting me be me.
Secondly. I want to thank Kerotan Asadar as well as Jayso Resident for helping me in times of posing. I am just awful at doing that stuff and those guys are my saviors when it comes to posing. They also make GREAT models when I ask them to be part of a photo with me. Everyone that I have mentions up above has played a very intricate role in my photography and I do mean that, like the favorites in my flickr, if they are there , they are there for a reason. Those mentioned are mentioned for a reason. I couldn't have done any of what I do ...without them.
Cajsa Lilliehook joined Second Life in 2007 and has been enjoying the art of SL ever since. Disliking the common practice of critiquing poor photos, she decided to highlight good ones and explain why they work in hopes of inspiring with praise instead of criticism. Follow Cajsa on Flickr, on Twitter or on her blog.
This is really beautiful.
Posted by: steven | Sunday, January 28, 2018 at 08:18 AM