Cajsa's Flickr Pick: Ellapinellapin Gloriously Photographs Second Life Through the Black Dragon Viewer

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

This photo is not edited or processed outside of Second Life. This is essentially a WYSIWYG photo taken by ellapinellapin with the Black Dragon viewer, the one many SL photographers swear by (though since I have a Mac, I have never used it). But forget the viewer, it’s the photographer’s eye that matters and Ellapinellapin has a great eye. This beautiful photo focuses our attention on the beautiful geometry of the Ferris wheel. 

She does not have a bad picture in her stream, but I found myself drawn to the ones that evoked personal memories. “Countryside” makes me think of going to school. It was a 3.5-mile walk by road to catch the school bus, so I would follow deer trails through the woods cutting about a mile off the route. I had to start early so that early morning fog was often in the air, not yet burned off by the sun. There was a big meadow by the tamarack swamp and without fail, there would be deer and moose. Their silhouettes in the early morning fog were so majestic, though they never let me get this close. It was a nice way to start the day. 

“Not all who wander are lost” is like her others, not edited. She was able to achieve this in her viewer. I love the way the slightly tilted angle gives it a more dynamic feeling and how depth of field gives it a dreaminess. It also evoked memories of childhood play, putting pennies on the track to be flattened by the train and walking across the big railroad trestle over Ruffy Brook. That had the added thrill of danger, though the Burlington Northern only came through twice a day. It’s been shut down, reminding me of that old Jean Richie song about the end of coal mining in Hazard County, “The L & N Don’t Stop Here Anymore." I prefer the Johnny Cash cover, though.

I was born and raised at the mouth of the Hazard Holler

Where the coal cars rolled and rumbled past my door

But now they stand in a rusty road of all empties

Because the L & N don’t stop here anymore

Ellapinella’s photostream is extraordinary. Every photo is beautifully conceived and executed in Second Life. She knows how to frame a photo to create a mood and suggest a history. Her pictures carry context, or perhaps it is more accurate to say they inspire us to bring our own context. Please do spend some time with her stream. It wi reward you. 

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Comments

[Mahala Roviana]

I haven't tried the Black Dragon viewer, but I am tempted.