Much like real life, Second Life photography is more than snapping a photograph. It’s about telling a story or exploring the endless possibilities opened to us in a world where you can be whatever you wish to be.
I didn’t always have a gaming laptop. I stumbled upon Second Life as a young teenager feeling isolated— despite being surrounded by those I called friends. Photography is a passion of mine. When I got my first gaming laptop, it opened new doors to explore in Second Life. The first process is to snap a photo of my avatar or whatever it is I wish to capture in SL (Second Life).
There’s but so much one can do when taking photos in SL. Sometimes hair clips through your avatar’s shoulders. Sometimes the Windlight doesn’t illuminate the scene enough. Second Life isn’t exactly like other games where a physics engine allows hair to flow beautifully as the wind blows or skin looks like…well, skin. That’s where drawing comes in. I open Procreate on my iPad and start drawing away—nearly distinguishing between artistic vision and technical perfecter.
I find Second Life photography to be therapeutic. I press my earbuds against my ears as I listen to Lithium by Nirvana. I get lost in a world of creativity. My avatar being the canvas as I become the painter. In the end, I am left with my own sense of beauty. Of course, it may be silly to some—even chaotic to others. It’s like how people create mods for their characters in the Sims games. In the end, it’s a representation of myself even if it looks nothing like me. That’s the beauty of it.
The Second Realms 