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Second Life PhotographerIf you want to be a Second Life photographer, one of the best resources in the Second Life (SL) wiki is a page by Torley Linden about ‘taking snapshots’. The SL viewer allows you to take snapshots, save them to disk, upload them to your inventory or send postcards made with them. The basic controls are straightforward and intuitive – just select the ‘take snapshot’ command from your dropdown menu and you have a digital photo of your virtual scene. But taking a really great photograph requires more than just pushing the right button. Just as in real life, picture-taking inworld can be raised to an art form with some training, practice and thorough knowledge of your camera. Real world photography skills
A SL photographer needs some of the same skills as a real world photographer. An eye for composition and color is necessary for a good photo online or offline. Of course, post processing cropping can improve some compositions, but if you have to crop too much out of a picture, it will lose resolution and clarity. Proper artistic framing of a portrait of a beautiful avatar or a landscape of a virtual beach at sunset can make the difference between a photo that is bland and boring, and one that wins gallery competitions. Second Life viewer skills As a SL photographer, knowing your camera means knowing both your viewer’s and your computer’s capabilities. It is important to learn the view control panel so you know the location of all the menu items, controls, keyboard shortcuts and commands that you need to fine tune your camera. Fumbling around for the right button when you spot an attractive scene can mean losing the opportunity for a great picture inworld, just like with a real life camera. And having enough processing power in your computer's ram and video card can mean the difference between capturing a stunning photo and crashing your system. Second Life photography tips Here are a few extra picture-taking tips for a new Second Life photographer. When you are taking pictures in public places, you can turn your camera’s shutter sound off by selecting the ‘quiet snapshots to disk’ command. That way you won’t annoy people near you while you snap away at the scenery – or at them. Turn on local lighting for added depth and contrast. This is an advanced feature that simulates light coming from nearby light sources as well as the sun and moon. You can also locally change the time of day to simulate any kind of sun or moon illumination for your shot. Click Here to Leave Second Life Photographer and Return Home
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