LUMIPro Featured In Imagine!

Here at LUMIPro World Headquarters, we recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Imagine Magazine. We talked about how we got started, our favorite features, and even shared a few hints about future updates! For the interview portion, Stefan and I were able to meet with one of our longtime users, ραятєє мчтιLι (Parthenea). Stefan also shared some of his photography with the Imagine team, and we had an amazing time shooting with Imagine Magazine’s very own Cesare Drucker.

You can pick up your own copy of Imagine Magazine on their Marketplace or at various locations throughout Second Life, including Naturally Naughty.

Stefan and I are thrilled to be part of this issue, and we can’t wait to share even more with you in the coming days about LUMIPro’s future. A huge thank‑you to the entire Imagine Magazine team for having us!

A Little Holiday Cheer from LUMIPro

 Hello everyone!

While doing a bit of Christmas shopping this week—both in Second Life and in real life—I was reminded just how challenging this year has been for so many. I know I’m not the only one who could use a little extra holiday cheer, and it inspired me to give back in a small but meaningful way.

✨ We decided to extend this holiday event until December 31st, we’re taking 1,000 Lindens off the price of LUMIPro! ✨

If this helps brighten your season even a little, then it’s already worth it.

You can pick up LUMIPro here:

• LUMIPro on Marketplace

• LUMIPro In-World

And just a quick reminder: if you’d like to keep your purchase a surprise, Caspervend offers a convenient gift box option.

Wishing you all a warm, joyful, and creative holiday season!

LUMIPro Chats with Wheeler Oppewall

LUMIPro Chats with Wheeler Oppewall

Interview conducted by SamoanHoneyPot AKA Sammie Ansar

LUMIPro Media Manager

There are so many wonderful things I get to do, because I work for LUMIPro, but I have to say one of

my favorite things is getting to chat with all of our wonderful users. I recently had the pleasure of sitting

down with our very own Wheelerwood Oppewall, and here is some of our interview:

How did you get started in Second Life?

Wheelerwood Oppewall:I read an article when I was at the dentist office, became interested and

more less been here ever since.

Really an article at the dentist office? It almost makes me want to ask what you were

having done. Do you remember the name of the magazine?

Wheelerwood Oppewall: No, that was close to 8 years ago, sure it was some science based

magazine,since that is what I read mostly.

How did you get started in Second Life photography?

Wheelerwood Oppewall:I had known of shooting in Second Life for a long time, but early in my

Second Life career I was doing other things on the grid. I met Bianca Xavorin in June of 2012 when I

had returned after a fifteen month break from the grid. She took me to her gallery. At that time Bianca

was shooting most of her work in a Dogme style of photography. Her work was a huge influence and

meeting her changed my course within Second Life.

So besides being inspired by Bianca; why did you get involved in Second Life photography?

Wheelerwood Oppewall:It was an another form of creative outlet and to keep up on Photoshop work.

Can I ask what were some of the other things you were doing in Second Life before

photography?

Wheelerwood Oppewall:I had a music venue/gallery early on in Second Life, but that more less became

a full time job, so I pulled the plug on it in 2008.

So does music ever inspire or influence work? I am curious since you used to have a music venue.

Wheelerwood Oppewall: Yes it does, very much so I have music on all the time when I am editing.

Did you get more out of Second Life photography than you expected?

Wheelerwood Oppewall:I go into everything with no expectations. For me when I am doing a shoot or

an edit. I just try and focus on the task at hand. I think when you go in with a set plan, you are not open

to things that can come up. Yes you need some road map, but at the same time, you need to be open to

things as well.

Does the end result that comes out of the edit process ever surprise you?

Wheelerwood Oppewall: Every once and a while something will pop up that I will enjoy, but the

bottom line is the model in the image is the one that needs to be pleased.

How would you describe your photography style and do you feel it says something

about you?

Wheelerwood Oppewall:I try not to do just one style. Personally, for me the shooting the same style

over and over is just being lazy and not exploring. You have to take chances, and sometimes the

chances results in producing crap, but that is how your work moves forward and doesn't become stale.

Now if I was to have to put my work into a slot that still really isn’t easy for me. There are many artist

both in Real Life and Second Life who influence my work. Raphael for color, the 18th century Dutch

masters for light play, Salvador Dali, and Android Jones for pretty much everything else. Within Second

Life there are many artists who have had an impact on my work. Bianca as I mentioned earlier, Meryll

Panthar, Freyja Merryman, Caoimhe Lionheart, Asia Rae, Koey Brown, Addison Strenton, Skip

Staheli, Dido Hass. Prettyp Rexen, Thati Boucher, Vaz, Harper Beresford , Benjamin Glenddale, and

Cenedra Ashbourne. I could go on and on about my influences in here, but these artist work are my

benchmarks.

Do you prefer Second Life or Real Life photography?

Wheelerwood Oppewall:Real life. It’s more of a challenge for photo editing. Perfect skin is rare in real

life.

What are some of the benefits of Second Life photography versus Real Life

photography and vice versa?

Wheelerwood Oppewall:In Second Life the weather is always perfect, I can control where the sun is,

the skin isn’t a mess, and if something or someone gets in my way I can just de-render. The down side

of Second Life is the on going technical issues. Personally I can’t compare Real Life photography to

Second Life photography; except the rules of composition. Real Life photography is a completely

different from my perspective.

What are some of your favorite Second Life activities (besides photography)?

Wheelerwood Oppewall: Shooting pics is pretty much my primary activity within Second Life, pass out

Photoshop advice when asked,. look for a good suit, and keep out of peoples drama and pissing

matches.

I think everyone can agree that with Second Life comes drama. If you like helping

others learn ever thought about teaching a photoshop/photography class?

Wheelerwood Oppewall:I get a lot of the same questions about Photoshop. How I light , doing fixes,

so I am tossing around the idea in my head about doing a blog that would be Photoshop based.

So lets talk about LUMIPro...

How did you hear about LUMIPro and what made you decide to purchase?

Wheelerwood Oppewall:I came across it by accident on Marketplace. I decided on the buy because

everything I feel I needed (lights, and avi control) was in one unit. I like to keep things simple.

Do you feel LUMIPro has improved your photography in Second Life? And has it made Second Life

photography easier?

Wheelerwood Oppewall: With the ability to be able to control the lights as well as the avatar I would

say yes it has made it much easier. It allows me to focus on the shot and do my work much quicker.

No there isn't a time element; but at the same time, I don't want a model having to stand there while I

am “gooberin'" with lights. Improvement on my work... Yes completely.

You have always been a big LUMIPro advocate; What are some of your favorite classic LUMIPro

features and why?

Wheelerwood Oppewall: Well I can’t say one thing is my favorite feature since everything ties in with

each other. I like the fact that I can completely light up a sim or bring the light down to a soft glow as if

one candle is in the room. My primary use for the LUMIPro is a pose controller, correcting skin tones

and setting the eyes. I tend to light the models in my shots very flat since I find SL shadows to be pretty

much garbage and I get much better results with shadows in editing. Yet if I need to do some type of

shadows for effect I will use the projector to do this. I can do this with the Gobos that are already a part

of the LUMIPro projector, attaching a projector to my own avatar, or placing a prim shape between

the projector and the model and using is as a light cutter to get the shadows that I am I might be looking

for.

With the release of the new Beta, there is a lot of talk about the new features people

would like to see, what are some things you would like to see in the new release?

Wheelerwood Oppewall:I have had a chance to “test” the Beta version and I will be talking to Stefan in

the near future and toss out my thoughts on it. Features I would like to see in upcoming version are

many. I would like to see numerical read out on what your settings are for the intensity, radius and fall

off. The Beta Version now within the new interface has sliders that you can control the level with. Along

with these sliders I feel controls that would allow you to move the level up or down in “one” and/or

“five” units at a time for more accurate light adjustments would be very helpful, especially when working

in a laggy sim. Lock controls on the hud for the Projector instead of clicking the actual projector to lock

the unit would be very handy. Personally when I start the edit process I open the image in Adobe

Camera Raw to check balances, etc. When I shoot in my studio I rez a color balance card and take a

photo of the subject for color balance and levels on location shoot well don’t happen. I would so love if

LUMIPro had a feature that would Rez a color level card with RGB, CMYK, along with gray scale

near the modelfor this exposure/color test shot. A built in digital color meter would be a nice feature as

well.

What would be your advice to people out there who might be thinking about getting

into photography?

Wheelerwood Oppewall: Study photographers who’s work you admire. Don’t steal from them. Study

how light and shadows interact with each other. There is an art side and of course there is a tech side of

shooting with in Second Life. Just like in Real Life you have to have your settings correct on your

camera. Know your editing software as much as you can, it frees up the creative process when your in

post-production. Photo composition is the foundation of your photograph. A weak composed photo...

well is a weak photo, so learn as much as you can about photo composition. I strongly believe that in

Second Life the model does the work on the grid and I do mine in post-production. Models spend

hours and a great deal of lindens on their art form. They are not just some one standing on a pose ball

while you snap pictures. Treat them with respect. Most importantly take lots of bad pictures the more

you take the better you are going to get.

And Of course last but not least...

For all the Non-Owners out there reading this; would you recommend LUMIPro and

why?

Wheelerwood Oppewall: Yes, because it works

Well there you have it! This was another interview I had a fabulous time doing! I can not wait to chat

with more of you. Don’t forget to check out Wheeler’s links I included below. Until next time... Happy

Shooting!

Check out more of Wheeler’s photography here: Wheeler's Flickr

And of course don’t forget your LUMIPro links...

LUMIPro On Flickr

LUMIPro On Koinup

LUMIPro On Facebook

LUMIPro Second Life Headquarters

LUMIPro On Marketplace

LUMIPro Chats with Victoria V. Lenoirre

Interview conducted by Samoan Honeypot AKA Sammi

LUMIPro Media Manager

Have you ever been surfing through Flickr, Koinup, or another photography site and wondered wow I wonder what inspires them? Well I know I have, and I was recently given the opportunity to sit down with one of our very own users, Victoria Lenoirre! She is the newest editor-in-chief for The Best Of SL Magazine, a pose creator, blogger, a teacher at Builder's Brewery, and of course a LUMIPro enthusiast. It was an amazing experience to get to see what one of our users is all about, and I can not wait to do it again with one of you! 

Here is part of the interview:

Okay first question... (Mostly because I am nosy) What got you started in Second Life?

Victoria V. Lenoirre: Well, years before I joined Second Life... I heard about it at a discussion forum. But I didn't join probably because I was too busy arguing or something lol. Then later I heard SL had cool graphics and sometimes RL authors visited to give lectures. I have never met one of my favorite authors in SL, but I have stayed on. :)

So when did you start developing an interest in the Photography side of Second Life?

Victoria V. Lenoirre: It was in October 2011. I met this guy at some random person's house, an old friend teleported me over. And that guy asked me to model for him; and since then, he showed me what he could do with avatars. Plus, I was creating poses, and I knew my product pics needed something. I later learned it was higher graphics. Lol

So he was sort of a mentor then?

Victoria V. Lenoirre: Yes, he was...

That is wonderful, I think a lot of us that enter the ''photography scene'' hope to find that mentor that will sort of lead the way... Would you say your work has changed a lot?

Victoria V. Lenoirre: Yes, I've changed a lot, and I've had many mentors since him. I still ask around for suggestions and advice. I believe a true artist isn't afraid to get positive AND negative feedback, it's how we develop and improve our skills. We all need at least a second opinion, and I try to experiment with objects and tools in post processing programs. I like to play around with windlight settings as well as edit sky settings. I like to change it up so it never bores me out. :) I look around at photos from Flickr, Koinup, even real life for inspiration and ideas. I believe we all need to challenge ourselves to capture or portray something fascinating.

Speaking of tools... Lets talk about part of the reason why we are sitting at this interview... LUMIPro! What do you think of it?

Victoria V. Lenoirre: Wow! It is a PHENOMENAL, convenient and instrumental tool! *smiles brightly* I think of how it was for me before I got the LUMIPro...no comparison.

I must say I get super excited about it myself.

Victoria V. Lenoirre: It makes my photos come to life. It gives them more depth and more character. I have tried regular face lights and some other photo HUDs and none of them come close to what the LUMIPro can do. It's just mind blowing when you put it on for the first time and go through all the options and tools. It is like carrying around a portable studio with you. :) I absolutely adore it! I use it for all my avatar photos whether I'm just exploring or when I'm getting shots of one of my poses.

Do you have a favorite LUMIPro feature?

Victoria V. Lenoirre: Wow, tough question. I love all the features. But if I had to choose a favorite feature it would have to be being able to change the flow of the light from a wide spotlight to a narrow spot from the projector. The projector wasn't in the package when I first heard of the LUMIPro. It's such an important feature, I can't live without it. :)

How did you hear about LUMIPro?

Victoria V. Lenoirre: Years ago, I worked at a magazine called Palais Orleans, owned by Madison Arnahan. LUMIPro was one of the advertisers. Madi did some photography as well, she showed me her studio. One time she even introduced me to Stefan. I was totally starstruck. But I didn't start using the LUMIPro until last year. I was focused on learning post processing and looking for photo ideas. That takes a lot of energy.

So since you are still fairly new in the use of LUMIPro, do you have any advice for our new users? (Like myself)

Victoria V. Lenoirre: My advice is that you wear the rezzables first and adjust them to how you like, slowly increase the intensity starting from lowest...to see what you like. then wear the projector and slowly move it around. When I use the projector, I click the menu and click bulb. I don't usually use all 9 bulbs. it's really bright. :) And play around with the presets like Rembrandt light and rim light. Those are quick and easy if you don't want to keep clicking to reposition the balls.

Don't feel bad I broke I broke my LUMIPro in the first five minutes, and Stefan had to send me a new one.

Victoria V. Lenoirre: I have never broken my LUMIPro. At first, I was nervous about using it. It can seem complex at first. But now, I use it for all my pose shoots and personal shoots.

Yes, once you start using it, it gets a lot easier. I think things like the user manual and blog are also a big help.

Honestly, my first reference is YouTube. I subscribed to Stefan's channel and his videos are really easy to follow.

*These videos can also be found on the blog*

So now that we have chatted some about what got you started... Let's talk about where you are now. Like BOSL … I hear congratulations are in order!

Victoria V. Lenoirre: Awww thank you, Sammie! :) It's an honor to be the new Editor-in-Chief. I never thought I'd be in this seat. I worked at BOSL as a Senior Writer Since March 2012 , I think. I have always admired Persia. She's been great. She made it look so easy.

I am sure you will do an amazing job. What are you hoping to bring to the magazine as the new Editor in Chief?

Victoria V. Lenoirre: I want to bring more balance into BOSL. It's not just about fashion and models. SL is based on RL and technology as well. BOSL will still have the fashion style cards and the home & garden section. I've always been fascinated by computers and the technical aspects of SL. And of course, we'll feature artists. I couldn't forget art. :) I'm very excited for the future. It was art that led me to BOSL actually.

There are some great artists out there. It is one of the reasons I love working for LUMIPro I get to see everyone's amazing work. And I can see why you were drawn to BOSL it is beautiful.

Victoria V. Lenoirre: Yes, and 3D art has influenced me as well. I really got into the Art world because of UWA in SL, University of Western Australia. It's a RL university. My friend Jayjay Zifanwe teaches there and heads up the organization in SL. Jayjay and Frolic are old friends. When I did an interview on Frolic, he hired me on the spot....little known fact. :) I started with art blogging. I learned a slightly different type of photo skill...how to do distant shots. That is a challenge because the builds can be huge and amazing... What part do I want in the frame? lol. but experience helps me to decide now.

Okay one last question, and maybe the most important of all, would you recommend LUMIPro to others?

Victoria V. Lenoirre: Yes, I would recommend the LUMIPro to anyone. It's a handy photography tool to have if you really want to be a serious photographer in SL. You could still make decent photos without it, but one of the great things about it, is that you can use it in any sim regardless if scripts aren't allowed, and you don't need to have rez rights. You can spend less time editing photos as well if you use this useful HUD. And the gazer....nice. Some poses make the eyes go up or down, and it looks odd. It's nice that you don't need a separate gazer HUD.

Yes I love it all... will be a tough act to follow in the next update.

Victoria V. Lenoirre: Stefan will wow us all I’m sure. :)

Yes I am sure -smiles-

I had a wonderful time getting to know a user behind the HUD. Victoria's first issue of BOSL as Editor-in-Chief came out on April 1st. If you haven't checked it out be sure you do! She is also featured in this years Pose Fair going on now until May 3rd! I will include links and landmarks below! I really enjoyed this and I can not wait to chat with more of our great users! Well until next time … Happy Shooting!

Visit the Pose Fair here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Desiderium/21/102/257

Check out more of Victoria's photography work here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/victorialenoirre/

And of course don't forget your LUMIPro links...

LUMIPro on Flickr:

https://www.flickr.com/groups/LUMIPro/

LUMIPro on Koinup:

http://www.koinup.com/group/LUMIPro/

LUMIPro on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/LUMIProSL

Find LUMIPro in world:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Phenomenal/229/173/1501

And on Marketplace:

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/LUMIPro-HUD-V3/2585413

LUMIPro Introduces ......

Our new media maven and our new Facebook presence !

We are very excited to welcome Sammie (SamoanHoneyPot) to staff as our  coordinator for LUMIPro.

 She’ll be responsible for getting LUMIPro’s name out on various social media sites. Say hello when you see her inworld or in group!

She has already been busy setting us up on Facebook. So if you use Facebook stop over give us a like and spread the word!!

LUMIPro on Facebook!

FROM THE DESK OF SAMMIE:

I have been in Second Life since 2011, and like most I started out as a host and dancer, for various clubs, and I even worked my way into management at a few. I work for the lindens I use in game, so I was always a hard worker, but I found myself dissatisfied. 

I was dissatisfied until I found photography. It was like the whole of Second Life had opened up to me. I had found a way to share my thoughts and feelings with the world (well the small world that follows me). I have continued to learn and grow in my craft under the guidance of some great mentors, and I still have a long way to go. My world opened up even more when I bought my LUMIPro and I have never looked back, I now have my own photography business, Clandestine Affairs Photography.

I am a host at The Original Blackhearts Cafe. I love the social scene that Second Life offers. I enjoy fashion (yes I do support the booby and booty movement). I love good movies and music. I also enjoy the occasional roleplay. I want to take a moment to thank Stefan and Colleen for this amazing opportunity. I look forward to sharing my passion for photography and LUMIPro with everyone! I can not wait to get to see more of everyone's great work out there! Please do not hesitate to say hi. I love to meet new people and have a wonderful time. I also love to do photo shoots ~wink wink~

Sammie (SamoanHoneyPot)

Director of Social Media Marketing

Please Follow/Add me if you like

FaceBook: http://facebook.com/SamoanHoneyPot

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamoanHoneyPot

SLXConnect: https://slxconnect.com/index.php?a=profile&u=samoanhoneypot

SLXSOCIAL: http://slxsocial.com/SamoanHoneyPot

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/clandestine_affairs_photography/

Koinup:http://www.koinup.com/SamoanHoneyPot/works/