Photo-Op on SLDiscovery.com is a semi-regular feature that puts the spotlight on a Second Life spot that makes for a cool place at which to take photos inworld. Not an entire sim, not even a complete parcel, but just a single specific location - a spot.

Flickr members: join the SL Discovery Photo-Op group and add your pictures taken at Photo-Op spots to the group pool.

!! -->>  Take note that several of the previous Photo-Op spots are already gone or changed in a significant way that renders those SLurls ineffective as originally intended. Very little in SL stays the same for long, so be sure to grab these opportunities as they come!

Okay, guys and gals, it's time to dig into your voluminous inventory and haul out your Asian-themed clothing. I'm pretty sure you've got some, and today's Photo-Op is going to provide you with a terrific location at which to wear it! (And if by chance you don't have appropriate clothing, you must not have been doing any hunts lately, heh! So look up the profile for Giorno Brando and visit his shop for some freebies. That should take care of you!) Get dressed up, then head on over to the Violet sim.

Violet?? Isn't that a newbie welcome sim? Well yes it is, but you see, it also happens to be one of the most beautiful welcome areas in SL.

And there...right there at 159/64, is where you need to be once you (or your model) are all dressed up. The landing point will set you down inside the welcome building, but turn South and you'll see the bridge. Once you're on the bridge, point your camera toward the NW garden, start fiddling with your Windlight settings, and let the magic happen!

For this trio of images, I used a Windlight setting called Sailor's Delight, which I believe is available to everyone in versions 1.19 and above, so you could give it a try. Explore as many settings as you're inclined to; they provide so many different appearances so easily. (Review a painless introduction to Windlight here.)

See the different focal distance in these three captures? My camera didn't move, my model didn't move, and there were no changes to the Windlight settings. The only difference was the use of focal zoom (Control + 0/Command + 0), which is btw, far less distortive than Alt + Click maneuvers. But notice that even at the widest angle, Violet has a lot to offer here.
There are a couple full-bright signs in the background. Just have your model take a step sideways or change the angle of the camera just a smidge, and you'll be able to say "what signs?"

For this pic of myself as a (wise?) Zen master, I used a different Windlight setting and gave the image a bit of texture later in my paint program. That was a very simple post-capture process with satisfying results. You can, of course, take postwork a lot further.

When you've set up your shot, open your Snapshot window capture your shot three times, once in each mode: colors, depth and mattes. Later in your paint program, stack all three versions on separate layers. Make a copy of the colors (normal view) layer to use for separation, blurring, color tinting, and whatever other modifications you want to play with. Use the depth layer as a guide to what's near and what's far, as well as an ease for making certain selections. The mattes layer will come in handy for making complex selections.

To reach the final version of my lovely geisha, I separated the image into distance segments of far background, near background, midground and foreground. On the geisha herself (the foreground), all I did was fix the hair that was disappearing into her cheek, and to tint her kimono toward the violet tones that emerged as a color scheme. (Violet sim, I couldn't help myself!) Each of the other segments was blurred from gently to strongly (the further away the area was), tinted for the emerging tones, adjusted for brightness/contrast, and subtlely texturized. Working with the depth and mattes captures made it very easy to add the illusion of depth-of-field to a world that typically has none.

The Violet garden bridge has been in place quite a long while and probably will remain for quite some time, but in SL, one can never be sure of this. So find some time to visit the bridge soon!

Did you grab a good shot at this location? Remember you're welcome to share it in the SLD Photo-Op Flickr Pool. Doesn't matter if you use a paint program afterward or simply crop the snapshot. We'd love to see how these locations are working out for you.

I know we don’t normally post stuff like this. But we have 1/2 a homestead sim (residential) for rent in a beautiful Estate. This location has 32,704 sq.m. And 1,871 prims all for 16,000 per month this is about the lowest price I have seen out there. I have seen prices anywhere from 18,000 to over 20,000 per month. I don’t expect this deal to last long! TELEPORT

This sim is part of a 4 sim Estate 3 residential sims and 1 commercial sim. Amenities include Shopping (PG), Club miX, Little Caesars Game Room (Zyngo), 2 seven seas fishing spots, kids playground, usable roads and plenty of water for boating. And yes we are kid friendly plenty of kids to play with here!  

We do allow terra forming on this sim all we ask is that it fits in with the area. The only thing we don’t allow is castles or gor’ish structures. If you don’t know how or you’re not good with terra forming we can help you out and create the unique place just for you. TELEPORT

If you have any questions please contact Ikonn Giano or Audra Siemens

What is a toque you ask? It's a winter hat. Hunters will be searching for a winter hat filled with your goodies. The Great SL Toque Hunt will take place from December 21st to January 21st. Why December 21st? This is the first day of winter, appropriate start date for a winter themed hunt.

There will be a 150 shop limit to this hunt. Applications will be accepted until November 30th, or until we reach the 150 shop limit. Please make sure to fill the application out completely, incomplete applications may keep you from being accepted into the hunt. Change the name of the notecard to reflect the name of your shop where indicated. Applications should be sent to Lunatic Daffyd.

Please feel free to send in a seperate application for more than one shop, however, due to the shop limits vendors who send in applications for more than one shop MAY  be asked to pick one to join the hunt in order to allow for more vendors to participate.

To keep the hunt friendly to ALL avatars, including the kid avs, shops that only have a location on an ADULT sim cannot be accepted. Shops on mature sims that require age verification in order to tp in will be place near the end of the hunt in order to allow for a less interupted chain.

Vendors will be informed AFTER the 30th (or when we reach 150) as to acceptance into the hunt. We'll be setting up a Subscriber for the vendors so that we can keep you informed of hunt updates and information. Upon acceptance we'll send you the information on where to go to subscribe. Vendors who have not subscribed by a set date will be removed from the hunt.

The SL Discovery Team