Photo Cafe' Beach Lounge
~ Chat Transcript ~
15th January, 2022
H.11:00 AM SLT[ The following Episode #10 will be on:
Sat, the 29th of Jan H.11.00 AM SLT! ]
[11:05] Duraya: Hello everyone – welcome to a new year of interesting discussions, exchange of insight, mutual support, new experiences, challenges and a bit of reflecting and learning here at the Photography Café!
[11:06] Duraya: I am happy to see you all again!
[11:06] Duraya: I hope everyone had a great time during the holidays and all are rested and full of energy for new projects.
[11:06] Duraya: Our main agenda today will be Storytelling in Photography!
[11:07] Duraya: Before we start Kika will give an overview of all the facilities the Photo Café offers for all of us to use.
[11:07] Kika Yongho: Thank you Duraya
[11:07] Kika Yongho: Hello SL photographers and let’s start 2022 with a recap of features available as of today in your photo Cafe’ Beach Lounge sim!
[11:08] Kika Yongho: Anyway.. as you land, there are the Pod Tours that will show you the whole sim in a guided pod tour full of surprises: just click on the board to summon-a-pod and jump aboard!
[11:08] Kika Yongho: Going towards the Info Point, just after the amazing Teegle horses that you can rez-and-ride around the beach, there is the PhotoModels board that you can touch to request a list of available Photographers / Models, if you are a registered user for it!
[11:08] Kika Yongho: And, inside the Info Point gazebo, from left to right, you will see:
[11:08] Kika Yongho: 1- Welcome Pack: click to receive the content!
[11:09] Kika Yongho: 2- Art Bulletin Board: click to gather information (displayed in nearby chat) about many Art locations and places of interest for SL Photographers.
[11:09] Kika Yongho: 3- Photo Cafe’ News Archive: with all our past history, by year (click to select it on the menu).
[11:09] Kika Yongho: 4- Photo Cafe’ News Board: where you can subscribe to receive all our news as soon as they happen! Click and join!
[11:09] Kika Yongho: 5- Photo LMs list: an extensive catalogue of info of beautiful locations for your next photos!
[11:09] Kika Yongho: Just outside the Info Point there is the Mailbox, to receive your messages, LMs and more!
[11:10] Kika Yongho: And if you walk further to the teleporter, you can click and select destination: “Photo Booth” to access our photo studio, created for you all, with a few interesting features: lights, backgrounds, etc!
[11:10] Kika Yongho: This is all, enjoy this virtual space!
[11:11] Duraya: This is a lot and thanks for all you do, prepare, organize!
[11:11] Duraya: So to all fellow photographers here: If you can please tip the place 🙂
[11:12] Duraya: Time to start talking about Storytelling in Photography!
[11:13] Duraya: Before Kapaan will jump in with his input that is more closely related to photography I would like to say a few words about self-expression from a psychological view.
[11:13] Duraya: I will refer mainly to the Western perception of self-expression.
[11:13] Duraya: While our society is very much based on individual values others are dealing with collectivist values and of course both shows in the way people express themselves.
[11:14] Duraya: Self-expression seems to be a need – especially for people stemming from an individualistic accentuated environment and especially for those on a journey of self-discovery.
[11:14] Duraya: Of course, there is a wide variety of ways to express oneself.
[11:14] Duraya: You can use your words, your facial expressions, your body, your movements, clothing, actions, possessions and more to express your authentic inner self.
[11:15] Duraya: But what is that authentic inner self?
[11:15] Duraya: Constant missives about what we ought to do and who we ought to be can make it difficult to let go of expectations and simply be ourselves.
[11:16] Duraya: How should we look, think, speak, and act; what should we eat and drink and study and do for fun?
[11:16] Duraya: Who should we associate with and who should we love or despise; and, indeed, who should we be deep down.
[11:16] Duraya: Authentic self-expression is how we embrace who we are, all the way from the positive traits and acts we keep on the surface to the darker and less valued pieces of ourselves that we bury deep down.
[11:17] Duraya: Researcher Judith Glaser states: “Neuroscience is teaching us that ‘self-expression’ might be one – if not the most important ways for people to connect, navigate and grow with each other.”
[11:18] Duraya: When we open up and express ourselves, we move from what she calls a state of protection (coddling our ego and manning our inner walls to protect ourselves) to a state of partnering (being open to sharing yourself with others and vice versa).
[11:18] Duraya: We shouldn’t be shy to be ourselves! Our individuality and our special way of self-expression leads to that dazzling array of work we see and share.
[11:19] Duraya: Every little contribution is precious and enriches us.
[11:19] Duraya: We should neither follow nor compare! Learn, experiment, be brave, run wild or get silent, none of it can be wrong!
[11:20] Duraya: Thanks for listening to this theoretical input – I could talk on for hours but I will spare you 😉
[11:20] Duraya: Let’s now turn to something more practical.
[11:21] Duraya: Kapaan will you start please?
[11:21] Kapaan: Hello again everyone
[11:21] Kapaan: Many of us draw from personal inspiration and often we want to express something or even share something meaningful to us.
[11:21] Kapaan: There are many ways in which we convey a message or tell a story and some people are amazing and can create an entire world in an image while others prefer to use a series of two or more images to share their story.
[11:22] Kapaan: What are the elements that we typically see in these images?
[11:22] Kapaan: Like any good story, we need to consider what is the central theme of the photo and we need to be able to introduce the elements just like they would be introduced in a story. A photo of course as they say speaks a thousand words.
[11:22] Kapaan: The biggest part of creating a story is to really question yourself and dive into the reasons for creating the story.
[11:22] Kapaan: Some of the questions you typically need to ask are:
[11:23] Kapaan: What is the subject(s) I need to tell my story?
[11:23] Kapaan: What kind of composition would enhance the subject and help you tell your story?
[11:23] Kapaan: Do I need to clean up the space around my subject or potentially add something?
[11:24] Kapaan: What settings can I use in my tools to enhance and convey the message?
[11:24] Kapaan: I wanted to share an image that I reacted to:
[11:25] Kapaan: I looked at the picture for a while
[11:25] Kapaan: You will notice that we have a simple picture of a lady smiling and a contrasting reflection. I looked at this photo for quite a while and for me there were three messages.
[11:26] Kapaan: The one that shows the lady smiling and happy and I knew immediately that this is how the world sees her.
[11:26] Kapaan: The photographer has her in focus and happiness.
[11:26] Kapaan: In contrast to that, the reflection shows her sadness.
[11:27] Kapaan: But if you look closer to the far right side of the photo you will notice a distortion
[11:27] Kapaan: This distortion really impacts me because to me it says there is something deeper under the sadness that I do not understand,
[11:27] Kapaan: That unknown is something that makes me uneasy.
[11:27] Kapaan: In the end, I am lost not sure what her true self is.
[11:28] Kapaan: For me there is many questions and my mind drift to what is happening around this photo
[11:28] Kapaan: What does this picture tell you?
[11:28] Violette (violette.rembrandt): looks like it’s like a veil
[11:28] Kika Yongho: c
[11:28] Duraya: yes Kika
[11:29] Kika Yongho: I see also another element in the photo that is the clear light in the middle, as opposite to the “unknown” to the far right
[11:29] Jaminda Moon (jaminda): c
[11:29] Kika Yongho: And of course you can say that the “backbone” of the whole picture is the light as opposite to the let’s call it fear/death/unknown of the following right
[11:30] Kika Yongho: done
[11:30] Duraya: thanks Kika
[11:30] Kapaan: Absolutely Miss Kika 🙂
[11:30] Kika Yongho: (sorry for digging) 😛
[11:30] Duraya: Jaminda is next
[11:30] Jaminda Moon (jaminda): I think this picture is saying we are often focusing on what is on the outside she looks happy but her reflection speaks of a very different feeling its inviting us in a way to look deeper than the surface
[11:31] Jaminda Moon (jaminda): what is on the outside might not be the case inside
[11:31] Jaminda Moon (jaminda): done
[11:31] Kapaan nods
[11:31] Violette (violette.rembrandt): c
[11:31] Duraya: thank you Jaminda
[11:32] Kapaan: Violette 🙂
[11:32] Kapaan: Your turn 🙂
[11:33] Violette (violette.rembrandt): sorry i forgot to “c” earlier ^^ seems the distortion is a veil, you can see a part of her face covered with it, makes me think that there is more to discover on her inner-self if you look behind the veil
[11:34] Moki Yuitza: c
[11:34] Prins (skylog): c
[11:34] Violette (violette.rembrandt): nor the happiness, nor the sadness
[11:34] Violette (violette.rembrandt): something else
[11:34] Michiel Bechir: c
[11:34] Duraya: thanks Violette
[11:34] Violette (violette.rembrandt): sorta complexity of the character
[11:34] Kapaan: Very interesting Violette
[11:34] Violette (violette.rembrandt): done ^^
[11:35] Duraya: Moki is next
[11:35] Moki Yuitza: it would be interesting to know the title of that photo
[11:35] Moki Yuitza: because it reminds me something i made long ago, and i titled it “The Mask”
[11:36] Duraya: that was what I was thinking: what message is more important, the one the artist wants to give or the one you derive?
[11:36] Moki Yuitza: i have the same feeling watching at that photo, what you see (the smiling face) is not the reality of the person, but just the mask
[11:36] Moki Yuitza: done °͜°
[11:36] Duraya: thank you
[11:36] Kapaan: Moki, I took the image from psychology today. Because it is licensed under creative commons 🙂 I do not see the photo name.
[11:36] Duraya: Prins – your comment please
[11:36] Prins (skylog): It is a photo taken in 2 shot – the smiling Lady and the not smiling Lady – the overlay to the right is the back from the smiling Lady and it is easy to make, since the window frame make the break.
What does it say to me – I am a simple man but it reminds me about a life’s many faces and that life is opposites – white/black, Smiling/sad and front/back
[11:37] Prins (skylog): done
[11:37] Duraya: thank you Prins
[11:37] Elfi Siemens: c
[11:37] Duraya: and we have Michiel next
[11:38] Michiel Bechir: Thank you, it symbolizes to me two faces of the same person
[11:38] Michiel Bechir: a smile of kindness which tries to her inner uncertainty and sadness
[11:39] Michiel Bechir: 2 faces: 1 to the outside world, and 1 to the inside world
[11:39] Michiel Bechir: done
[11:39] Duraya: thanks 🙂
[11:39] Kika Yongho: c
[11:39] Duraya: and Elfi please
[11:40] Elfi Siemens: first of all i agree very much with the mask theme
[11:40] Elfi Siemens: and what Michiel just said, the face for the world outside – what she allows people to see
[11:41] Elfi Siemens: and second, pictures like these always remind me of that old beatles song “eleanor rigby”
[11:42] Elfi Siemens: she even keeps that public face hidden in a jar behind the door 😉
[11:42] Elfi Siemens: i kinda like that idea, i did a pic about it last year, with a shelf full of jars with different expressions on my face
[11:42] Elfi Siemens: debating which to wear on that day 😉
[11:43] Elfi Siemens: done
[11:43] Duraya: great idea Elfi
[11:43] Duraya: Kika please
[11:43] Kika Yongho: I wanted to say another thing and it is about her “look at”.. She smiles when looking at her “inside” – that is actually instead melancholic, and caught in between the light and the dark veil of herself. What is the melancholic self looking at? Done 😛
[11:44] Duraya: thanks Kika
[11:45] Duraya: will you please continue Kapaan?
[11:45] Kapaan: That was lovely insights. I think that it highlights that we as the viewers each see things in our unique ways.
[11:45] Kapaan: When you compose your stories consider the full message and question yourself in your creation and always remember the subject, the photographer and the viewer will quite easily see their own perspectives and your story tells a story of a thousand words from every perspective.
[11:46] Kapaan: I have a friend Dia who tells the most amazing stories.
[11:46] Kapaan: I love that he composes his photos visually and use his words and in doing so convey a story that makes the viewer want to know more
[11:47] Kapaan: When you have time, head over to:
and see his approach to storytelling.
[11:47] Cesar Lighthouse: c
[11:47] Kapaan: Thank you everyone
[11:47] Duraya: thank you Kapaan
[11:48] Duraya: Cesar, you have a comment
[11:55] Cesar Lighthouse: there is a very interesting detail which is this. The comments reflect a visual interpretation of the photo that can serve as an example of how visual composition can be important. If the reflection with the sad face would be on the left side, because we read from the left to the right and also perceive the passing of time from the left to the right, it could have been interpreted as first she was sad and now she is happy. Placing the sad face on the right side and using most of the area, nearly two thirds to the image where she is smiling, does not compose that message of the passing of time from before sad and now happy, and allows us to interpret the photo in a different way, which results in the interpretations that were shared here. I think its a very interesting example of how visual composition is important to deliver a message.
[11:55] Duraya: thank you – a very elaborate interpretation
[11:55] Duraya: Kapaan designed a survey for us
[11:55] Duraya: PLEASE take a few minutes and complete it – it will help us to plan the future meetings and make sure your expectations and wishes are being taken care of. Thank you!
[11:55] Duraya: you can do that any time you find suitable
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CYYM8MT
[11:57] Kika Yongho: c
[11:57] Duraya: Kika, your turn 🙂
[11:57] Elfi Siemens: c
[11:58] Kika Yongho: I like the time line Cesar gave as indeed it seems that the most important aspect of the photo is the living in the present moment vs. the melancholic past behind 🙂 Thank you Cesar!
[11:58] Kika Yongho: done
[11:59] Duraya: thanks Kika – it’s Elfi’s turn now
[11:59] Elfi Siemens: i made the experience that whatever story you yourself put in a picture – if you show it to 5 people you might get 5 different interpretations back
[11:59] Duraya: yessss!
[12:00] Elfi Siemens: i’ve had people pointing me to aspects of my own pictures, that i hadn’t seen myself 😉
[12:00] Elfi Siemens: or maybe not “seen” but “noticed”
[12:00] Elfi Siemens: done
[12:01] Duraya: thank you Elfi, those were great closing words 🙂
[12:01] Duraya: and that was a really great discussion
[12:01] Duraya: please take the few minutes for the survey some time during the next week
[12:02] Duraya: if we can have it back by then we can base the program on it
[12:02] Duraya: we will meet again in a fortnight
[12:03] Duraya: program will be out in a week
