New World Notes

Cajsa's SL Flickr Pick: Amazing Images from Wonderland 2.0, Incredible New Sim Experience

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

Cat Afarensis posted this glorious picture to the Flickr group Wonderland 2.0, which is named after the sim Wonderland 2.0, Realm of Wonder. [To teleport, click here] 

I love her choice to do the picture in sepia, without all the bright colors that would distract from the picture and confuse the emotional context. She is framed by the moon. If you want, you could imagine her hair is a black full moon, perhaps in eclipse. 

For more Wonderland 2.0, click here:

Cajsa's Second Life Flickr Choices: Beautifully Framed Photos by Boots

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

Boots ™ posted this marvelous “Be the Lighthouse” is a great example of clever framing, using the life preserver as a “viewing window” to see the lighthouse. Ships and lighthouses go together like bacon and eggs. I love that she found a new way to see the lighthouse. This is such a great picture. 

For more of Boots’ lovely pics, click here:

Cajsa's Choices: Final Favorite Photos From This Year's Pride Month in Second Life -- And Thoughts on Pride for Every day

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

Juliana Rhys posted “Gayer Together” which is an important truth about the LGBTIQA+ movement, that there is strength in numbers. That’s why homophobes try to ban IRL Pride parades and Pride events. That’s why the homophobes try to erase gay and trans history and their contributions to science, arts, technology, and history.. 

But even when they are banned from marching, gay people are showing up in numbers greater than ever - including, as it turns out, in virtual worlds like Second Life. In fact, it’s platforms like these where they often turn, when they don't feel safe expressing their full identity in their real lives.

Since Pride month just ended, I decided to take a look back at the pictures from the month. Flickr Search was a bit wonky, and there were over 1700 of pictures from just in June. But I still found a lot to like

For more Pride pictures, click here:

Cajsa's Second Life Flickr Choices: Perfect Posed Portraits by Olorenn

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

Olorenn is new to me, someone faved this picture and I loved it and had to check out her stream. It’s great. It’s so great you should say that with Tony the Tiger’s voice.

Take this picture. She’s doing something interesting, not just standing. Her avatar has a hobby or, possibly, a profession, at least for the duration of this photoshoot. Even the title is a clever play on words. Does she mean the outfit she is wearing or does she mean that she is part of a musical ensemble? 

For more of her Gr-r-reat! stream, click here:

Cajsa's Choices: Stunning Second Life Photos of Somber Men by Spek

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

Spek posted this picture “Runner” today. He’s alone on a beach that seems set up for massive crowds with cabins for vacationers. This pictures feels very lonely. I think he may have deliberately created that loneliness by dressing his avatar in dress pants with a belt and a white oxford shirt. He is apart from the scene, not dressed for it and all alone. On one level, it’s capturing alienation. It reminds me of a Robert Frost poem about snow, of all things.

They cannot scare me with their empty spaces

Between stars - on stars where no human race is.

I have it in me so much nearer home

To scare myself with my own desert places. 

For more from Spek, click here:

 

Cajsa's Choices: Completely Charming Second Life Photos by Azaria

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

Azaria posted this adorable picture of a cat cleaning its paws right next to a burger that ready to serve while other burgers continue cooking on the grill. It’s called “Chef’s Kiss” which may imply the cat cooked the burger or the burgers are just that good. It’s a cute picture, one that makes a person say “awww” unless they’re from Minnesota where they say “Ohfercu-ute.” The fun thing about Azaria is that she is a photographer in her first and second lives and, sure enough, she has a cat picture from real life, too. Awww. 

For more of Azaria’s gorgeous pics, click here:

Cajsa's Choices: Pensively Posed Avatar Photos by Mollie

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

Mollie posted “I Never Learned to Read Your Mind,” a fitting title for a picture of a woman sitting on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean while she thinks. The way she holds her head in her hands doesn’t seem sorrowful so much as puzzled, even a bit irked. There’s a bit of “What were they thinking?” about her pose that is so much more interesting than simply looking sad. As to reading minds, let’s all be glad we can’t. Seriously, do you want your every stray thought to be known by someone else? 

For more from Mollie, click here:

Amazing Aperture Photos: Look at These Raw Screenshots Taken in Second Life's Hot New Third Party Viewer

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

Silivren Atheria shot this amazing picture using the new Aperture viewer recently added to the approved third-party viewers for Second Life. (Read Hamlet’s write-up and interview with lead developer William Weaver here.) It is a viewer created for photography and folks are having great fun with it. Sillivren wrote “I actually love the post processing / photoshop when doing any pics, RL or SL. But having a viewer that can start that process when actually taking the pic? My inspiration may have found it's way back again.”

I did a scan for some of the best Aperture pics on Flickr, check them out here:

Cajsa's Choices: Lovely SL Travel & Romance Photos by Alorra Bloodrose

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

Alorra Bloodrose’s “Sundog” is a beautiful shot of brilliant sundog. It’s gorgeous, though it seems unseasonal. Sundogs, or parhelia, happen when sunlight refracts off ice crystals in the air so it’s rare they are seen in Summer, but it’s not impossible. However, the thing about Second Life is you can have sundogs in any kind of weather, even without clouds to hold ice crystals in the air. I like that in addition to providing a link to visit the site in her description, she also tells us what sky setting she used. 

For more from Alorra, click here:

Cajsa Choices: Stunning Photos from Aquilonia, a Second Life Roleplay Community Set in Ancient Rome During the Rule of Marcus Aurelius

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

Uri Jefferson is “Pondering on Fate” in this well-named picture. I love how beautifully he captures the light sources and the naturalistic way light works in this picture. I guess we all should be getting used to beautiful lighting in Second Life, but sometimes when there are multiple sources like this I am still amazed. 

Uri cosplays Ancient Rome in SL and I first discovered him when I was looking for Easter pictures and featured his singular picture that captured the story of Easter without a bunny in sight. Since January this year, all his pics have taken place in Ancient Rome and they are wonderful.

For more Ancient Rome cosplay, click here: