New World Notes

Cajsa SL Flickr Pick: Boo Boo Beautifully Chronicles a Second Life Romance

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

Boo Boo’s photostream is a delightful chronicle an adventurous Second Life romance. I love this picture of them saying goodbye to Chouchou. It typifies their stream which they describe as “The things we do, the places we explore, the moments we share..” It also reflects the joyful optimism they share. Be sure to look at the other pic from the same day. A lot of the photos are blown out by light giving them a feeling of softness and joy.

Cajsa's SL Flickr Pick: Evie Heights, Master of Angles & Intense Colors

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

I love “Big Picture” by Evie Heights. It is very representative of her entire photostream which is full of pictures that appear casually captured in the moment. There is an artful unstudied effect. The thing is, we know what it’s like taking a picture in Second Life. It takes a lot of work to make a picture look so spontaneous. But look how her body angle mirrors the angle of the flowers. I also love her use of color, of using the purple/yellow complementary colors. There are so many thoughtful choices made that mentioning she also centers the subject using the Rule of Thirds feels redundant.  

Cajsa's Choices: Flick's SL Community Creates "Bloom of Spring" Photo Series

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

Lawrence D. Pryce is back with another community project. This time it is called the “Bloom of Spring” campaign and is open to all who want to celebrate femininity and the blossoming of spring. He explains the inspiration for the photos here. There are two galleries of photos, The Cigar Room: Bloom of Spring Campaign and The Cigar Room: Bloom of Spring Campaign Vol. 2.  Among the many entries, a few really grabbed my attention like this one called “Cherry Blossom” from Rose Hanry. I love how bold it is and the repetition of arcs in the arrangement of the flowers.

Caja's SL Flickr Pick: Titus Palmira, Stylish Storyteller & Avatar Portrait Taker

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

Titus Palmira’s photostream is one giant “Wow!” from beginning to end. Every picture tells a story and most have a title that makes the story self-evident. His avatar subjects are more interesting than the often plasticine perfection of most of ours, including my own. “His chaos births a dancing star.” not only gives us a unique avatar, but the use of radial blur creates a sense of movement from a static image.

Cajsa's SL Flickr Pick: Hitsu Ruby’s Gloriously Detailed Outdoors Photos

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

Hitsu Ruby’s Second Life photos are a mix of decor and relationship photos. However, I am obsessed with her streets and sidewalk photos. Something about the clutter of bikes, signage, and leaf shadows that lead off into the light in the distance just makes me happy. It’s a nice touch that she adds the SLurl so you too can enjoy the sunny day and bikes.

Cajsa’s Second Life Creator Flickr Pick of the Day: “@tomic Viper”

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

I admire people who use their photography to explore their obsessions and experiment. “@tomic Viper” is certainly one of those. His photostream is filled with superheroes and exploration of digital art processes. This picture “Shadow” is relatively simple, a black and white soldier in the rain. I appreciated the facial expression that captures the perseverance of a soldier at rest in the rain. Just taking it as long as need be.

Casja's Flickr Pick: Scott Silverdale's Stylish, Experimental Second Life Imagery

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

“Dune Bunny” is a bit different from the majority of Scott Silverdale’s photostream as its touch of whimsy and puntastic title stand out from his more serious landscape and fashion photos. This playful side is usually expressed just in the titles, though humorous photos are sprinkled here and there in his photostream to show he is someone who looks at life with a twinkle in his eye.  A surreal twinkle if you go by “Sing for Supper! Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” Nonetheless, even in whimsy his penchant for finding beautiful places in Second Life is evident.

Cajsa’s SL Flickr Pick: Reesla Makes Great Use of Lighting & the Golden Ratio

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

Reesla’s photostream is exciting to browse, full of a variety of photos united by good composition and dynamic energy. “Way Back Home” is a beautiful example of using the Golden Ratio to situate the subject. I love the use of light, the sunlight casts the subject in shadow, a silhouette while picking out bright orange flowers in the field. Cropping the picture at an angle makes it seem more dynamic.

Cajsa’s SL Flickr Pick: Maerin Tamura's Whimsical Tributes to Virtual Childhood

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

“Urban Jungle” from Maerin Tamura is representative of the cheeky and light-hearted photos that dominate her stream. The pose is poised for action and delightfully teen-appropriate, youthful and non-sexualized. The Big Kids of SL are seen less than the toddlers and the adults, but they are part of the community and have adventures of their own.

Cajsa's SL Flickr Pick: Flubs Turns Screenshots Into Digital Paintings

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

“The Old Men and the Sea” is an extraordinary capture because it feels so organic, with a sense of place and time. In terms of composition, the sand meets the ocean at a third from the bottom and the man on the left is a third from the right while the man on the right is a fifth from the right. There is an old-fashioned feeling to the photo, not just from the men but from the desaturated colors.