Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Get Connected To LUMIPro!


*** Walks into the sales gallery with a big smile and a wave. ***

Stefan and I really hope everyone had an amazing Christmas holiday. We hope if you did not have a LUMIPro before the holidays that you have one now! We have great veteran LUMIPro users and we have some great new users as well.  To help everyone stay connected I thought I would post a reminder of all the places you can connect with LUMIPro.

Find us on Flickr!
Find us on Koinup!
Find us on Facebook!
Find us on Google +!

For those of you who do not have a LUMIPro you can get one in world or on marketplace.

We have some great things planned for the new year, and we look forward to seeing all the great art everyone creates! It is time to take your photography to the next level!


*** Blows a kiss and smiles. ***

Until next time... Happy Shooting!

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Capture Your Memories Forever With LUMIPro!


*** Walks into the sales gallery, with a piece of pumpkin pie, yawning. Smiles at the half eaten cookies, and stretches with a groan. *** 

Oh, I did not see you there! What should you do after all the presents are opened and the dinners are done? Why not capture your holiday memories with LUMIPro?! The LUMIPro hud is a tried and true system, used by photographers and machinimists alike, that is second to none! So why not stop by and have a look? Just be sure you watch out for snowballs!


Check us out on marketplace!
Check us out in world!

*** Takes a bite of pumpkin pie with a giggle. ***

We know everyone is busy with the holidays, but Stefan and I would like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. From the LUMIPro family to yours may all your dreams come true!

Light Up Your Holidays with LUMIPro!

 

*** Wearing warm soft pajamas and fuzzy socks I walk into the room carrying a plate of cookies and a glass of milk. *** 

Shhh, someone told me Santa was coming! I do hope he will bring some of you the gift of great lighting for your holiday photos. Give your Christmas morning photos that "little extra something with LUMIPro. The LUMIPro hud is a tried and true system, used by photographers and machinimists alike, that is second to none! So why not stop by and have a look? Just make sure you are quiet, we would not want Santa to know you are awake.


Check us out on marketplace!
Check us out in world!

*** Quietly walks to the door and turns out the light. ***

Until tomorrow...
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from LUMIPro!

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Come Home For Christmas With LUMIPro!


*** Walks in with an arm full of presents and bends down to place them under the tree. *** 

Oh, hey there everyone! So I know with the holidays everyone is going to be spending time with family and friends... Well, why not come home with the gift of great lighting for your photos?! LUMIPro is a tried and true photography hud used by photographers and machinimists alike. Our customer service is second to none so stop on by and have a look.

 
Check us out on marketplace!
Check us out in world!

*** Stands with a wave and a smile. *** 

Do not worry I will be back with more goodies later.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from LUMIPro!

Thursday, December 18, 2014

And The Winner Is...


***Walks into the room two men all dressed up for Christmas and carrying two large covered photo frames.***

Oh hey there everyone! Well I know you all have been waiting, some impatiently, to hear who won LUMIPro's Holiday Advertisement Contest. Well here they are... 

***Steps in front of the two frames and pulls the covers off to reveal the advertisements.***

by Sumomo Cheri

by Peep Sideshow

***Watches as a third person walks into the room carrying another large photo frame and places it next to the others.***

Oh yes! There were so many great entries Stefan could not just pick two; take a look at his third selection!

by Ravenlynn Templar

Everyone did such an amazing job! We really want to thank everyone who participated. All of the entries were so amazing that you never know when they might just pop up! Sumomo, Peep, and Raven all received 5,000 lindens for being our winners... Congratulations!

LUMIPro is the perfect holiday gift for all the photographers in your life, from a pro to those just learning the ropes. 

***Gets up slowly walking to the door, turning off the lights, and switching on the holiday lights before turning to smile.***

With that said... Happy Holidays and Happy Shooting!

Find us in world.
Find us on Marketplace.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Raising The Stakes!


*** Walks into the room excitedly waving a newspaper in the air. ***

Boy, do we have some exciting news today! Stefan and I were chatting, and he is so excited to see what you all are going to come up with for the holiday advertisements. He is excited enough to raise the stakes! Each winner of the contest will now receive 5,000 Lindens instead of 3,500! 

Here is a quick reminder of all the details...
  1. The advertisements must be holiday themed.
  2. The advertisements of must use LUMIPro (Of Course!)
  3. All contest entries must be e-mailed to Sammie Ansar by December 15th!
  4. We will be picking two winners! They will be featured in our promotions, and they will each receive 5,000 lindens!
  5. Please email entries to samoanhoneypot@gmail.com Be sure to include your full avatar name.
Please remember that by entering the contest you give LUMIPro permission to use your work in our promotions. We will of course always give you credit for your work!


We look forward to seeing  what everyone can do! Don't forget entries are do by December 15th!

*** Gets up, walks to the door, and turns to smile. ***

Oh and these might help...
(If you need any help getting the logos just let me know)

Happy Shooting!


Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Show Us What You Can Do!


Have you ever seen an AD for LUMIPro and thought, "Wow I wish I could make something like that." Well now is your chance! Stefan and I are looking for some new Christmas advertisements, and we thought why not see what are talented users can do! So here are the details...
  1. The advertisements must be holiday themed.
  2. The advertisements of must use LUMIPro (Of Course!)
  3. All contest entries must be e-mailed to Sammie Ansar by December 15th!
  4. We will be picking two winners! They will be featured in our promotions, and they will each receive 3,500 lindens!
  5. Please email entries to samoanhoneypot@gmail.com Be sure to include your full avatar name.

We look forward to seeing  what everyone can do! Don't forget entries are do by December 15th!
Happy Shooting!

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Molly Bloom Presents Depth Perception At The Rose Gallery!


Hi there everyone... 

Normally when I do a blog post I like to tell you all a story, but tonight I think it is time for someone else to tell their story. Molly Bloom has been a long time user and supporter of LUMIPro. She tells a story, through her photography, in a class all her own. Well on December 7, 2014 Molly will be sharing some of her beautiful work in a collection called Depth Perception and presented by The Rose Gallery. Before I ramble on lets hear her story...


The thing about artists is they get a feel for something, and it sticks to them. That “thing” is always sitting there in the background, lurking, waiting, until it reveals itself somewhere in their art.   


For me, it started was when I was 17, visiting the Louvre in Paris, and I wandered into the Dutch art room. I was captive there for hours looking at the artists from the Antwerp school who pioneered a style that has influenced art to this day.  Their sense of lighting and color created a permanent scar on my brain, and influenced much of the art I was to make my entire life. However, I was never a good painter, and I couldn’t take a real-life picture if someone held a gun to my head. Instead, I spent years working with other mediums: glass, clay, metal, decoupage, cement(!), to name just a few.  But the desire to create art with the lighting effect called chiaroscuro, which is the effect of contrasted shadow and light, has been lurking, waiting for an outlet.


Along comes Second Life. When it was suggested I take photos, and for the first time saw the works of Skip Staheli and Trindolyn Beck, two major influences on me, I laughed.  Yeah, right.  I knew I could not take a picture, and I’d never done digital art. So I’d take the most hideous pictures, flat and uninspiring. But again, like with any artist, the challenge was there. I swore I’d figure this out.


I kept taking pictures, adding context, and a photographer friend, Royal, started talking to me about lighting. I was so defensive, figuring my pictures were good ENOUGH, and really not understanding what lighting would do to enhance my “art”. Then the memories flooded back, and that age-old desire to paint like Carravagio, Peter Paul Rubens and Rembrandt, et al, resurfaced.


And then I discovered the LUMIPro hud. With the first shadow I made with my hud, a tidal wave of creative emotion came over me. No longer were my pictures flat, they sprang to life.  My avatars became almost 3D. I GOT IT!! I have thanked Stefan Buscaylet over and over. The hud he created does so much, and is so easy to use, that even someone that has ZERO knowledge of photography can create amazing pictures in this virtual world. I am dedicating, in part, my new series Depth Perception to him because his lighting tool caused my flat world to spring to life, and allowed me to finally create my longtime dream. I am still finding new and surprising ways to use the hud in a constant dance with windlights. Stefan really knows his stuff. I use his hud constantly, and often will have someone at a club IM me and say...umm, you know you have some balls and a camera revolving around you? Oops, forgot. 

Kudos LUMIPro. 


I have had the pleasure of a sneak peak at a few of these pieces, and I am just amazed. The photos in this blog entry do not do the collection justice. These works of art mix 2D and 3D techniques to come alive in ways you will not forget. I do hope everyone will take a moment to stop by The Rose Gallery. Molly's work will be on display through the month of December. Congratulations Molly!

As I am sure you all have guessed Molly took all of her photos with the help of the LUMIPro Hud. To try a demo check out our Sales Studio in world!

 Everyone is invited!

Monday, December 1, 2014

The Art of Elegance!

*** Comes into the sales room, holding a pile of what looks like magazines, and sits down at the desk with a smile. ***

Oh hey everyone! Each and everyone of you know how much we here at LUMIPro love seeing your photos. I am proud to announce that we found another person, Lion Wildmist, who loves the photography of Second Life! He loves it so much he decided to start a magazine! The Art of Elegance had it's very first issue come out today. To find out more I had a quick chat with Lion.

*** Picks up a small remote from the desk and hits the play button. ***



What is the Art of Elegance all about? What is your mission or goal?
Lion: The Art of Elegance is about showcasing the works of current masters and highly motivated students of Second Life photography. It is to show not only what is possible but hopefully inspire, motivate, and spark a creative spirit in other Second Life photographers to say, “I like that .. I want to try to do something like that.” My goal with Art of Elegance is three fold. First, showing the works of some of the best visual images in Second Life, images that tell a story or express an emotion. Secondly, I want to show up and coming Second Life photographers what is possible with practice and desire. Third, to introduce photographers to other mentors, inspirational motivators, and just plain good ole nice people who love photography.

What inspired you to start the magazine?
Lion: I am constantly looking at Flickr and talking to my extremely creative photographer wife, Addison Wildmist (Summerwind) about photography, art, and the creative process. Our discussion, her inspirational view of art and her love, support, and generosity in showing me not only what is possible but to reach for the stars in becoming a better photographer are truly the inspiration that has launched the magazine.

How did you find all of the artists to take part in the premiere issue?
Lion: Currently, I use a two fold process. One, I have a number fellow photographers that either myself or my wife follow on Flickr. Two, I ask fellow photographers for their source of inspiration.

How can artists who might want to be a part of future issues get involved?
Lion: If anyone has recommendations for contributing artists to the magazine, please contact me via email at lionwildmist@gmail.com or via Flickr mail. I ask that recommendations include the artist name and their website or Flickr site. I will review and make contact with each artist that meets the standards of being truly inspirational.

How often will new issues be released?
Lion: Each new issue will be released on the 1st of the month.

Where can everyone get their own copy of the latest issue?
Lion: The magazine can be found at The Art of Elegance. So get your copy today!
*** Picks up the remote, presses the stop button, and claps her hands together. *** 
Well there you have it! All of us here at LUMIPro would like to say congratulations to Lion Wildmist, and all of this month's featured artists!

Until next time... happy shooting!




Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Our 3.4 Video Library!!


*** Walks into the LUMIPro Sales Studio quietly pulling down a white projector screen. Then walks over to an old fashioned film projector and slowly threads a film through before looking up. ***

Oh hello again everyone! What is all this, you ask? Well we here at LUMIPro recognize that buying a LUMIPro can be a big step. For most of our users it was a very thought out, and well considered, purchase. We know that when you are considering making such an investment in your photography that you might have lots of questions. To help answer some of these questions Stefan has been working hard to give you some great video tutorials.

The first video is great for those people who really want a detailed look at the differences between LUMIPro and a photo studio. Oh you already own a photo studio? Well this video will also show you how they can work together for a better quality photo!


The second video we have for you is a great overview of hud functions and capabilities. To excited to sit down and read the manual? This video is for you! (Hint: This video also works great for seasoned LUMIPro users who need a refresher or want to know about new features.)



The last video is to help everyone who is switching from an older hud to a newer version. It makes reloading poses and presets so much easier!


We look forward to bringing you more helpful tutorials in the future! To be the first to know check out LUMIPro's YouTube Channel. If there are any tutorials you would like to see us film please don't hesitate to ask!

*** Gets up and slowly walks over to turn off the projector, slides the screen back into place, and makes her way to the door before turning with a smile. ***

Oh and until next time... Happy shooting!

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Gobos Gobos and Well... Gobos!


***Flips off her projector and turns to smile at you***

Oh why hello there! It is great to see you all again. Oh how was i getting those cool shadows on the wall you ask? Well that comes from LUMIPro's very own gobos in each projector!

You would like some of the cool ones I am using? Well what if i told you could have them! They are available in LUMIPro's new projector update. While this is an optional update I know it is one you are all going to want. 

To get your update just go to the LUMIPro Sales Studio where you will see a kiosk that i'm modeling for you below.
Once you get here all you have to do is click the kiosk and follow the instructions to get the new udpate.

Now we all know that reloading your poses and presets into a brand new hud can feel like a daunting task. Well, it doesn't have to be check out this video on how to use the LUMIPro backup server.  You'll be up on your new hud in minutes with all your presets and poses from your last HUD.


See easy as pie!

We would like to take a moment to thank TexasRob McRae for letting us use some of his amazing gobos in this update! Be sure you check out some of his work.

We would also like to thank you all for your feedback and continued support. Our users our what make us truly amazing!

***Slowly walking towards the door she turns and smiles***

Well until next time... Happy Shooting!

LUMIPro Spotlight Time!


Written by Stefan Buscaylet

LUMIPro's public Flickr group was created back in May 2011 by Colleen and since then it now has over 400 followers and close to pushing 10,000 photos.  It is a beautiful thing seeing the range of talent and styles in the Flickr group.  (click here and follow it and post to it!).

For the most part I've let my business manager periodically pick photos from the Flickr group, and give them recognition as standing out.  I'd love to do it all the time but between high stress job demands and the fact i want to keep doing my own photography, I decided this time I wanted to pick the photos myself.   I'll add a few of my own comments to each photo and hopefully I'm not too far off.

Bucky Barkley's photo "Bucky_DerailedBar" is a great example of the ambient light matching the face light. Right color and position.  Even to a not trained eye, of the avatar's light seems like it is coming from a totally different direction and color it just "feels wrong".  This just "feels right".


Snoob Johnson's "Down To Earth" - What impresses me is how the scene lighting matches the avatar lighting, even the color matches. Love it!


Addison Summerwind's - "Jacen".  How the scene and model lighting match and make sense.  The facial light accent light on the chin and nose create the required separation or the face would be lost in the scene.


Gala Caproni's - self portrait has a great facial light as well as one that helps outline her body.  The avatar is super well put together. 


 Strawberry Singh - "Tis The Season For A Jacket".  Strawberry has been a force of nature on Second Life.  This is a great example of well lit commercial photography not having to always be in a studio. This is my dream that more commercial/blogger photographers will unleash themselves from their flat backdrops and show their product in the big beautiful Second Life world.


Zach Larsen's "Azra 2" - I've been a fan of Zack for a very long time.  His instincts in lighting and composition very much align with my own and thus his work resonates with me, A LOT.  The high key look of this through a strong accent off to her right that lights only part of her face leaving a sense of 3D and yet remaining soft.  Love it dude!


Oh and not like you have not already seen it, but I did enjoy this project I shot with Sammie This was shot with a single projector high. The red primary light was set to keep the face from being completely lost into the car. The blue light kePT her left leg and heel also from not getting lost in the photo.  It was my first green screen ever, lol.  (Yes, sometimes I do shoot in my workshop).


What's the old quote about "You may like sausage, but you don't want to know how its made."  Well tough, here is my poor little workshop covered in crap to get the photo above.  Since this was my very first croma-key attempt ever using Photoshop, it took a little longer reading how to do it, but it wasn't as bad as i thought.



It is time to take your photography to the next level!


Saturday, November 1, 2014

Whitburn Blackburn's Winning Interview With LUMIPro!



***Walks slowly into the room and switches on the lights and quietly walks over to the desk having a seat*** 

''Oh hello everyone! Boy, do I have a treat for all of you today! Do you remember the customer survey you all were awesome enough to fill out for us? Well as you might also remember we held a contest where we picked a random winner to do an interview with yours truly! Well that winner was the one and only Whitburn Blackburn, and I have the interview right here! 



***Waves everyone over excitedly to get their copy.***

Were you excited to win the contest and get an interview with LUMIPro? 

Whit: Of course! I almost never win anything so it was a complete surprise but a lovely one.


How did you hear about and get started in Second Life? 

Whit: It’s a long time ago now, nearly seven years, I read about it first in a technical magazine and a friend who had been on Second Life for a while introduced and guided me. This was really a great help as I didn’t have to go through all the ‘newbie’ pitfalls. Sadly he hasn’t been on Second Life for years now.


How did you get started in fashion blogging? 

Whit: I have always read other peoples’ blogs and thought many times about blogging myself. I had been away from Second Life for an extended period (I won’t go into the reasons here!), but couldn’t stay away so came back around Christmas last year. There seemed to be a lot of exciting new technology like Fitmesh and tattoo cosmetics layers and mesh was a lot more mature than when I left so I decided to start up my own blog to try and share my enthusiasm for the things I was finding and buying. I never expected it to be as successful as it has been.






What inspires you to blog?
Whit: Well, obviously fashion first and foremost. I am fortunate in that I can afford to spend a little on SL each month, most of which goes into buying clothing and shoes, but also allows me to get involved in the latest avatar enhancements and I am very into mesh avatar components right now, something I blog about regularly. I am fascinated too by the psychology of virtual worlds and my musings have inspired more than a few posts. I have also been humbled by the comments of friends and readers who follow and have made positive comments about my blog which really inspires me to continue.

What advice would you give to people who are interested in starting a blog?

Whit: Just do it! There is no time like the present. I waited far too long before I was confident enough to start a blog, and it is a lot easier than I would ever have expected. If you have the enthusiasm and a subject or subjects you want to blog about, go for it and you will soon find out if your blog is successful. I went from less than 100 ‘reads’ the first month, to 200 the second, then 400, then over 1000 and so on.


I see from your blog that you like things like mesh heads, don’t worry I am a mesh addict myself, What developments would you like to see in Second Life fashion?

Whit: I just love the mesh avatar enhancements, in fact I have to admit it - I am an addict too! I think the concern that with mesh heads we would all end up looking the same is overstated. There are now a number of mesh heads available and with the options to modify them, plus makeup and hair, people still can maintain individuality. However mesh bodies and clothing still need improvement. I maybe notice it more as I am putting on new clothing almost every day for blogging purposes, but the alpha systems on mesh bodies are not perfect, nor am I convinced they are the way to go. Fitmesh tends to be better and not need as much attention to alphas plus it clings better when your avatar moves. Sometimes however I have to give up and revert to the system body and the designer supplied alpha to get a useable photo or worse, have to spend ages on Photoshop trying to correct glitches in photos I can’t repeat easily. So I would like to see improvements in fashion and mesh technology. I have no concerns over fashion design, the Second Life designers are so varied and so good that SL fashion is in good hands!






How did you get started in Photography in Second Life?
Whit: I had only ever taken snapshots, and really had no clue about SL photography, I’d never even tried Windlight settings, until I started my blog. Then Pandora’s box was open!

What inspires you to take photos, or why do you take photos?

Whit: My inspiration comes from all the lovely photos I have seen on other blogs over the years. I realised the standard is very high which meant if I was going to blog I had to learn how to at least take adequate photos. The learning process has been an inspiration in itself and now taking photos has become somehow separate from the blog as I now take photos for their own sake, rather than simply to illustrate some item of fashion or the like. This has led me to include pure photography posts in my blog with photos of beautiful or interesting Second Life places.

What advice would you give to those interested in photography?

Whit: I don’t feel qualified really to advise people on photography, I am still just a learner. However from my own experiences I would suggest firstly learning how to use the camera and save your photos externally to Second Life so you can enhance them. There are good tutorials out there, make use of them. I save my photos to Flickr and use the built in photo editor to do simple stuff like cropping or adding my name to photos. For the more complex stuff I have a copy of Photoshop CS2 (available as a free download) and save the photos to my hard drive.However, the most important thing in my opinion is to get the photo right at the point of pressing the shutter, the less you have to do afterwards the better! Secondly, learn how to use Windlight, it is a wonderful tool. I have been using other peoples’ presets for a while but have recently started creating my own just for fun.






Do you have any people that inspire you?
Whit: Yes of course! There are many bloggers, too numerous to mention, blogging both Second Life and Real Life fashion who I find inspiring because of their knowledge and taste. Then there are the Second Life photographers I admire, people like Strawberry Singh and PeepSideshow Darkward, both LUMIPro users incidentally, and the others whose work I see in various Flickr groups.

Speaking of LUMIPro...



You haven’t had LUMIPro that long? what made you decide to take the plunge and buy?

Whit: Well, it’s simple really, one word in fact - lighting. I soon realised that while setting my sun position to midday gave me a reasonable result, it was boring and not perfect. I also use a photo studio but while that is great for certain types of shot, there are times you need something more flexible that you can use anywhere. Then when I started to play with Windlight I found there were many settings I could not use as they weren’t bright enough. That was when I started searching for a way to provide the lighting I needed. A bit of research showed LUMIPro to be the answer and as soon as I tried the demo I was sold. The fact that it provides much more than just that is of course a bonus


Do you feel LUMIPro has enhanced your Second Life photography?

Whit: Without a doubt. I’d go further than that and say it has revolutionised my Second Life photography and I couldn’t be without it! I now have three methods I use. The first is simply the use of the camera and windlight for landscape photography, the second is the use of a photo studio for objects like shoes where they can be placed as required to show off the features and have a plain background, and thirdly for everything else involving avatar photography, and that is most of my fashion shots, LUMIPro is essential.



I see that you have started doing photography for more than just commercial photography. Do you feel differently about your personal photography versus your blogging photography? Do you use LUMIPro different for each?
Whit: I don’t feel radically differently about both, in fact a lot of what start as personal photos subsequently end up in my blog. However when photographing clothing for my blog my concern is to get the best photo I can which also shows off the clothing item to best advantage. With personal photos I am more concerned with the final effect and (this sounds pretentious but it is not intended to be!) how artistic it is. It is a case of different emphasis only, though often the two are not mutually exclusive. As to the use of LUMIPro, I am experimenting all the time and perhaps I experiment more wildly with personal photos, but that is really the only possible difference.

Do you have a favorite LUMIPro feature? What is it and why?

Whit: Yes. The click to hide button! The way you can have the close up lights display for setting up, then make them disappear with a single click, though still showing the lighting effects, while you take the photo is just awesome. If I can have another favourite feature it would be the sliders on the latest version, so much easier and intuitive to use than the menus in the previous version.


What would you like to see in future releases of LUMIPro?

Whit: This is a difficult one as I am so happy with it as it is. Perhaps an additional couple of ball lights would allow more flexibility but might add too much complication?






Would you recommend LUMIPro to others?
Whit: Definitely! I absolutely love the product and the latest V3.4 release is just great.

So just because we all curious did you enjoy the prize money?

Whit: But of course! I spent it all on photography related items, including a Pose & Animation System to allow me to create my own poses and modify others, plus poses and props from various suppliers. Did I mention I’m also a pose addict………..?


It is okay I have all sorts of things I am addicted to as well! I had a wonderful time getting to know you! I look forward to getting to know you more.

Whit: Thank you very much Sammie for giving me this enjoyable opportunity to meet you and talk about what is in effect my new obsession with photography, my blog and of course the wonderful LUMIPro!


''Well there you have it! Whit was an amazing person to get to know, and it all started because of a survey. She has a wonderful blog that I know everyone will love! I know if she keeps going and of course keeps using LUMIPro we will see great things from her! Be sure you check her out."

Whit's Fashion Blog - 'SLikely
Find Whit On Flickr

***Slowly stands and quietly pushes the chair back under the desk and adjusts the camera case just right. Walking slowly to the door and turning back to smile.***


"Oh by the way... Happy Shooting!"