A Love Letter to Mimmo

I admit I did mull over the title for a bit before I came to realize that I had fallen in love with this breathtakingly beautiful region.  As a photographer, I have seen many beautiful and creative places.  Each one that I have visited and posted about, took my breath away in some way, be it visually, emotionally, and/or spiritually.  Mimmo, to me, is a dedication to photographers and their photography.  Everywhere I looked, there was a photo opportunity waiting for you to click your camera and capture it.
Mimmo is owned by Eli Cord (Elise Sirnah), who is a talented photographer herself.  Her gallery shows her work off, giving examples from Mimmo itself, of beautiful works of art.  If you are wondering what Mimmo means, it's an Italian term of endearment for a child or baby, and you can see, this is her baby.  Every inch of the land is done with love and dedication for photography, from the stream that runs through the entire region to the soft rolling hills and the mountains.  You are invited to rest and relax, allowing you to let your creativity loose on the beautiful landscape.
For photographers who need to rezz, there is a group available to join, just remember to clean up after yourself when you are done.  There is also a Flickr group that you can join, to submit your work to, as well.
For once, I find that I just don't have enough words to describe this amazing place, so instead, I think I'll let my work show you.  My only hope is that I did Mimmo justice in my photos.

If you don't already know it, Jay T Muir updated and released a large pack of wl's that he had available in his blog for free.  He now has it packaged all together, so there is 26 wl's in one pack.  Most of my photos were taken with his wl's here, with the exception of the last one with the painting on the easel, which was taken with Ambient Realism.  The link is to his FB page, just scroll down a little way and you will find the post where he released them along with the download link.

Ville de Coeur

One of the things I have found to be inspiring is individuals creativity and the ability to bring real-life places, into Second Life.  People have recreated or been inspired by real-life places, building them on amazing, scenic regions and bringing them to life with their creativity.  Ville de Coeur is one of those places in Second Life.  It covers 7 regions, each one showing off the creativity and talent of its owners, Bedrick Panacek-Guisse(Bedrick Panacek) & Ayla Panacek-Guisse (Ayla Guisse).

Places like Ville de Colmar, Cote d'Azur in France, and Chateauneuf-en-Axios in Bourgogne, France, have been used as inspirations for creating this amazing network of regions. You will find beautiful villages dotting the rural landscapes, with little quaint shops and homes, tucked in between the mills, hills, and canals.

As you walk or drive through each region, you can see that everything has been built with an amazing eye for detail, with each region seamlessly connecting to the other region.  Whether you do the walking tour, ride in a carriage, or take the trolley tour, the experience is smooth and beautiful to behold.  If you don't want to use those methods of travel, there are bicycles and horses that you can borrow, where you can ride the many horse trails or ride your bike down the many roads and pathways that you will find in each region.  No matter which method of transportation you decide to go with, you will be offered a cornucopia of scenic views to enjoy along the way.

Ville de Coeur is also very active.  They hold events, dances, get-togethers; along with having rentals for both residents and shop owners.  The list is long, on the many things you can do and interact with.  The people who live here are warm and friendly, as are the owners of this amazing place.

I visited the different regions and took a sampling of photos, to give an idea of what awaits you at Ville de Coeur.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Edit:  I noted this after writing the article that Ville de Coeur also has a Flickr group for their regions.  If you take photos, please consider adding them to their group and sharing with them your experience there.

Up, Up, and Away!

The airplane stays up because it doesn't have the time to fall. Orville Wright

It's been a while since I had a chance to write in my blog.  Life likes to throw you some busy periods and I have had a long stretch of one.  Since I have had a little more time, I have been keeping myself busy finding some new and interesting things to do and see.  Through some friends, I was introduced to two amazing groups, GTFO(Get the Freight Out!) and Drivers of SL.

Through these groups, I have been exposed to some wonderful places on the mainlands, like Aniak Airfield.  While there, I was able to take some photos of the decorative skills of Syler Avon & Rurua, who are responsible for the amazing look and feel of Aniak Airfield, which is owned by Cinn Bouchard, the owner of the wonderful GTFO game.

The airfield is a fully functioning airfield, where you will see planes coming and going.  They have a monthly competition going on for the pilots, the Flyer of the Month and a system that is unique to their airfield, called a STOL runway landing sensor, which measures the accuracy of landings and take-offs.

As for the setup, the whole area is set up with a quaint rustic, vintage-style of feel to it.  All of it is tastefully done, including their little rental homes and parking/storage areas for your planes.  The entire airfield is not just well thought out but wonderfully put together, so there is consistency through the entire area.

For photographers, this is a fantastic area for vintage style photos and if you need to use a pose stand, you are able to do so here.  *Remember to clean up after you are done and keep in mind, there is active planes coming and going in this airfield.*

Achill Island: A Touch of Irish Charm

Yesterday I did a bit of a walkabout on the grid.  Translation: I was profile perving and finding places that I have never heard of or thought they sounded interesting.  

Achill Island was in the 8th profile I had perved..I mean, checked out. and it just sounded so charming, quaint, and adorable that I had to take a peek.  I'm really glad I did that.  It has this sweet, charming feel of it, that was reminiscent of Ireland.    Designed and landscaped by the talented Minnie Atlass, she captures the feel, colors, and atmosphere of the Irish countryside in vivid detail.  

As you will see in the photos, it is set up with rolling hills, a peaceful and relaxing pond, and the cliffs are rugged and dramatic looking, similar to what you would find in Ireland.

Photographers are welcome but this is also a private home for Ziggy Duster and Grace Sixpence, who are gracious enough to open their land and share, so respect for their private areas, please.

All Hallows At Moochi

As you and the other kids watch the town elder taking a seat at the bench, the sounds of the soft crackling of the bonfire and the soft whispering of the wind through the leaves fill the air.  The crisp air scented with the smell of decaying leaves and the acrid scent from the bonfire lends to the Autumn atmosphere and a sense of excitement slides up and down your spine in anticipation of the upcoming story.  Sitting on the ground, at a safe distance from the crackling sparks of the fire, but close enough to feel the heat, our young eyes watched with eagerness as our eldest member of our community cleared his throat and took one more sip of his warmed apple cider before beginning his story of local hauntings.Visiting Moochi and seeing the different little spots where you can sit and gather, brought the memories of previous Halloweens back to me with perfect clarity.  I could wax on and on about the detail, style, and how wonderful everything looks but for brievity, let's just saying it's breathtaking and completely amazing.  It is found on the SL's Top Haunting Tour & Hunt list and if you only visit one place, let it be this place.

Labyrinth of Darkness

Do you love the thoughts of walking through the dark, foggy night with your senses on overdrive, waiting for something to jump out at you?  Does the Halloween season send thrives and chills up and down your spine in anticipation?  Does your heart race at that suspicious bump in the night?  Well, it does for me and for many others, who love to decorate and celebrate the season. 
At Labyrinth of Darkness, you will see the season's attitude and atmosphere captured perfectly, with a nice mix of humor, as well.  They are one of the stops of this years SL Top Haunted places & hunt.  If you have not had a chance to check them out, go check them out because they are here for only a limited time.

The Peace of Glenrosa

Autumn is a season filled with a myriad of different hues of colors and we are reminded by the cooling weather that winter is not far now.  Seeing all the different blogs dedicated to landscapes and destinations, I figured today I would actually do one that is not showing the autumn colors but instead is just a peaceful forest, filled with the colors of summer.  

Glenrosa is both peaceful and serene, though, with the right wind lighting, you can deepen those colors and create even an ominous backdrop for your photo work, depending on your mood.  As you will see in my photos that I grabbed, while at the sim, I used several different windlight settings to give different atmospheres to my photography.

The sim is well thought out, well designed with a solid eye towards each section blending in with the other, creating a seamlessness in your visual experience.  It is a sim well worth the tp over to check it out.

The sweet sounds of Melody

I should first confess that I love fall.  The colors, sounds, smells, and the feeling of a cool breeze on my cheek, are all things that make fall one of the most amazing seasons for me.  I'm a lover of all things that happen during this season, including the landscaping and decorations that are done on the grid, during this time of the year.
This next sim is called Melody and they put together an amazing visual of the season on their land.  As I walked through, I could almost feel that cool breeze caressing my cheek and hear the crisp crunching sound of the leaves under my boots.  Photographically, they put together a treat for the eye, in the way they blended the colors together in their landscaping.  I highly recommend popping over and enjoying the hard work that went into this sim.

Fall is in the air

As the season is changing, so is the look on some of the sims.  As a reflection of real life, the sims have been changing up their seasons, creating amazing landscapes which are filled with colorful views based off of the fall palette.
Frog Hollow has set up their sim with the warm and vibrant colors of fall, with dancing leaves, bright hues in the trees and a warm sense of atmosphere surrounding this, their keen eye has paid amazing homage to this season.
Sadly, this is a temporary installation, which will end when the leaves stop falling, according to the description in their LM, so visit it while you can.

Our turn through The Looking Glass

In 1871, Lewis Carroll invited us to go through a looking glass with a little girl named Alice, where she was met with fantastic adventures with amazing creatures in this wondrous fantasy land, which was her second trip in fact to this strange land. 
In Second Life, we can travel through to an amazing and wonderful land, thanks to the creative and talented minds of Marcus Inkpen and Sharni Azalee, the owners of The Looking Glass sim.
They have created a sim that is fantastical, whimsical and different, with touches of steampunk atmosphere, earthy charm and a wonderful eye to the smallest details.  Depending on which lighting you choose, you can go from fantasy, to steampunk to gothic very easily. 
I took several photos myself, getting a small taste of some of the things that the sim offered but it's a sample, since there is so much more than what I can even show in just one posting..so drop by and visit and see for yourselves on how many things, wonders and adventures you can find here.

One of Annan Adored's windlight settings

Regions windlight settings

As you can see from the photos of the same tree, windlight is really everything, giving the same thing a whole different look and feel about it.

The Looking Glass

Telrunya - Forest of Dreams

I admit, I have a deep fondness for fantasy themes that go with Fae or Elven.  It's probably from my days in roleplaying, when I first started in SL.  The outfits and looks were amazing and the only limitation was what your mind put on you.
Telrunya truly fed all those things in me and more.  To say that this sim is breathtaking does not do it justice.  The designer, Nessa Zamora; not only invites us into her dreams and fantasy world, she creates a dreamscape of color and composition that blends, flows together and allows her guests to indulge in a plethora of different areas filled with fantastic beauty and secret gardens.  As she states in her own profile, "A haven for  those who look for a tranquil environment, a home for fairies, fauns, elves and those who love to be lost in a dreamworld... "
**Side note:  the sim is not only amazing and beautiful to see, it is also graphically demanding.  This is not for those computers that are faint of heart or weak in the graphics card division."

Credit:
Sim designer and owner:  Nessa Zamora
Telrunya