It is October which means my family back in Minnesota have had their first snow and the avatars in Second Life® have turned ghoulish. The foliage is changing color and the frost is on the pumpkin. I like how October brings out the creativity and wild imagination in SL® artists. As you can see in the gallery for this week, people are not waiting for Halloween.

Photosynthesis by Isa Messioptra

Photosynthesis from Isa Messioptra is one of those marvelous photos that make you wonder if it is a first or Second Life picture. The dramatic lighting, the depth of field blurring and the little bit of noise all add to its verisimilitude. As you can see, there are may triangular shapes in the picture, as I have mentioned before, our eyes have a natural affinity for geometric shapes and unconsciously look for them. When we find them, our visceral need for order is happy. Her framing also follows the rule of thirds, centering her subject one third from the right. She is smart and confident enough to crop the picture closely, leaving off the face and the rest of the body. We more or less autocomplete picture and missing bits, so long as they do not imply amputation, just serve to make us interact from actively with the picture.

Visitor by Deborah Lombardo

Deborah Lombardo’s Visitor is such a dramatic and powerful picture it took my breath away. The black and white with that solid saturated red is dramatic in and of itself, but then look at the subject. That is spooky! The angle makes the subject even more spooky, towering over us as she is. And if you want to talk triangles, this picture is almost all triangles. She also framed the subject so skirt is two-thirds and the cloak is one-third at the bottom, employing the rule of thirds with subtlety.

What Used to Be Yours by Sajiah Viper

What Used to be Yours by Sajiah Viper is another picture that uses light beautiful, crops the picture so the subject is framed according to the rule of thirds and omits significant elements, forcing us to imagine and complete the picture. I want to highlight this one, though, because of who beautifully the clothing and the lighting and pose work together and how closely everything is fitted and carefully done. It really is an exquisite romantic picture.

I has cheese tho by Lemon Panda

And now for something completely different. I fell in love with I has cheese tho by Lemon Panda. The pose of the cat is so perfect. Their eye contact is perfectly aligned so we can feel the tension and experience the story. IT’s fun, cute and cheeky and  I love everything about it.

The Dreaming Dark by Rainbow Mubble

The Dreaming Dark by Rainbow Mubble is freaky ghoulish and so perfect for October. Those feet are really something. The reflection in the water is effective in making it look like she really is sitting on the water – using what ever anti-sinking device she may. Her one hand going into the water keeps it from being the miraculous sort of “walking on water” we often see. The overlay adds a bit of moodiness. She uses the rule of thirds in placing her subject on the right. I also like who the wings and the horns balance each other.

So this week there was a delightful dick pick, something I never thought I would ever say. It’s NSFW and Restricted so I could not add it to the Gallery, but if you want to see guys not taking their penis too seriously and have a little giggle, please click here.