I’ll Take You on a Trip

Posted on June 9, 2016

One of the things I love most about following and engaging with fellow SL bloggers is learning about their process for creating looks and capturing photographs. The other evening, my lovely friend Gia Swizzle sent me a message and asked what I was up to, and I said I was spiriting around the grid, looking for a country-esque region to take a picture at. She graciously sent me some suggestions, but as it happened I’d just landed at Bella Pace, turned the camera around, and found the exact vista I’d been hoping for. So yes, dear reader, I totally was that terrible soul who stands on the landing point and forces all others to rez in on her head. So rude! I mean, I did move slightly out of the way, but I offer my sincere apologies to the few intrepid explorers who showed up and essentially landed on my bosoms. … Actually, what am I saying about apologies? You’re welcome, more like! ;)

Please click for full size.

“We have gone to the country, in your old car
We have lost our way, so many times
Hello, hello
I’ll take you on a trip …”

So because I find the creative process so fascinating, here’s a glimpse at the weird, wandering, wonderful way this picture came about. It starts with my inspiration, the song “Chupee” by the French band Cocoon. I’ve adored it for years; a lovely tune strummed on a ukulele with lilting harmonies, and lyrics that are charmingly simple and sweet. One of the phrases has always puzzled me, though: “Eating your Chupa Chups …” What was a Chupa Chups, I wondered? Finally I decided to find out, and it happens that Chupa Chups is a brand of lollipops and confections from Spain.

Spain brought to mind the lush vistas of Mediterranean countries, so next I started thinking back to pictures I’d seen on Flickr that might meet that unique landscape. While I was doing so, I began putting my look together, feeling inspired by the “dress for comfort” leanings of the RL Ever, and thinking about what I might wear on a picturesque day trip. The wonderful TETRA Leather Jacket & Hoodie at the current round of Uber was perfect, and the amount of color-change options between the jacket, hoodie, and optional sweater in the HUD is truly extraordinary. I adore a pair of worn, well-loved jeans, so the Ginger Boyfriend Jeans from Addams worked out beautifully, and as my freedom-loving toesies live in sandals year ’round, the Izzie Sandals by Fri were the perfect addition.

And that once more brings me to my fortuitous landing at Bella Pace, where I found this beautiful sight right over my shoulder. What followed was about two hours of fiddling with poses and windlights, taking pictures, making the composite in Photoshop, editing the final picture, and now a few days later I’m finally writing the post. Sometimes I feel strong tuggings of envy and awe toward prolific bloggers who are able to produce amazing photographs and detailed posts much more frequently. But I try not to worry that I don’t measure up, because we all have our special sauce that sets our words, our pictures, and our blogs apart. It’s why I happily follow dozens (if not hundreds) of SL-related blogs, yet I don’t feel myself growing weary of seeing similar items; we all style them differently, and both literally and figuratively, we all look through a different lens.

So I hope this little peek into my own process has been interesting; now I’d love to read about yours! Take me on a trip? ♡