Stylish

Credit – POSES (and everything else too)

Many years ago now – wow that flew by – I did a blog post referring to the different types of Bloggers, because there was a general consensus that we were all the same, a few bad experiences were putting Scarlet B’s on our clothing and it was not a good way to feel, or thing to see. It is four years on now, and things have gotten worse, and blogging has changed a lot, how people blog, where people blog and what is considered acceptable.

Now whether you agree or not, when it comes down to it blogging is supposed to be the sharing of information, which is very helpful to all, especially on a platform like Second Life. I could write a novel on why crediting is important on all things, and in the past I actually have, as you can see in that older post, but the other day I was reading some comments on Facebook and by the time I pulled myself away from it, my face was contorted into a very awkward position and I think I ended up with a facial tic.

Crediting POSES was the conversation, and I do not remember who or what started the convo, and I am not about poking at individual people that were in it, but one of the main themes throughout was that crediting a pose when modified in any way was not ‘fair’ somehow. Now I use animare, which is a tool that can be used to move the joints, while it can be used from a standard default ruth stand, it can also mean that if in ‘pose’ you can make changes to the pose that affect it in the moment. It does not change the pose that you can use the pose, again and again, this new way, it just alters it in the moment. For “Fashion” Blogging – please know it is 99% what I am going to be referring to when I say Blogging is Fashion Blogging – this can help with hands that may poke into clothing, or a foot that may go too far back into a stool etc. It can also change how a pose looks if you want to play with it further. Then there is the Neck Poses HUD I did a post on the other day, which in the past I only used animare for. I also use the Slink basic static poses HUD for my Bento enabled Dynamic Hands so that they can sit flat on a bench, or closed fist if that works better, sometimes changing the hand pose, means I don’t have to alter the wrist at all.

These are TOOLS that benefit me as a blogger that uses photos to express a look. They do not take away from the hard work of a Pose creator because it is very often the pose that inspires the photo in the first place. Without a pose, if we all had to start at ruth default stands, we would take fewer pictures and SL would be an uglier place, this is a fact based on those of us old enough to remember that many moons ago poses were very limited, and that you could go to 20 stores in a day and every single ad used the same dozen poses set. Much of blogging was started with the same poses available, and as poses were created we all added to our options from the same pool. Again this work was inventive, stylised, often creating packs of poses purely for the sake of us that needed particular types of stands, sits etc for blogging, we were their customer base, us and Designers.

If someone found poses we didn’t have, the info was passed on through blog post crediting and off you went. Then photography in its own right became a big thing, so there were newer customers to poses stores, and they usually got their information through blogs, then people new to blogging found out the best places to find poses, through you guessed it BLOGS! Designers shop on blogs too for poses for their ads, and this just goes on and on…then when photographers and bloggers could not find more poses they became pose creators themselves, making what they needed, and then opening stores, with the information spreading through the community. People now just as often buy poses because they take fun snapshots for their own Flickr, or just family snaps and so on, they see someone showing a fun group set, and off they go.

The idea is to spread the word about the store, the resource more so than this is the exact pose I used in this picture. My VR Studio HUD tells me the exact name of the pose I am using on my screen while taking the picture, but I do not share that information, because the name of a pose does not help someone find the pose when it could be buried in a stand that is one of the dozens in a store. But what that does do is gives someone interested in new poses a store to go shop at. I am not wanting someone to tp in find that one pose buy it and run out again, I want to send someone to a store, have them jump on every posestand in the store, and buy lots and lots and lots, TP in everyone they know that also loves poses, and make a party of it. Whimsy, Ashia and I did that at Ma Vie’s Poses store the other day, buying all the packs we did not already own. When out poses shopping we usually stand on stands close enough to each other so that while I am trying pack A she can be trying pack B and we buy both each.

One of the other things about poses and pose stores for me has always been that you can take many pictures with a pose, from many angles, but you can also be completely inspired in such a different way than the next person by the same pose. I once used a figure skating pose to get beans out of a high cupboard. Was so far from the concept that the creator of the pose had in mind, but it was indeed that pose creator that made something that inspired the plan. If I had to move my hand to clutch the beans does that mean their creation of the pose and the inspiration it produced is no longer worthy of credit?

I took some pictures yesterday to show that while I could make slight changes, the pose still is and deservedly so belongs in credit to the creator of the pose. Even if you were to say in your post or next to the credits that it was modified, it still gives your readers and customers a starting point, because you can never know what can cause inspiration to happen, or a real love for a creator that comes from something like, oh they create really good straight up and down poses, those are perfect for clothing ads, or they often do hands in front of upper torso and as a jewellery or accessories creator/blogger these are really helpful to me.

First Pictures –

  1. Exact Pose – hands are in the position of my Slink Dynamic hands, not the pose.
  2. VR Studio Pose stand turned to see pose from another angle Neck turned using Neck Poses HUD by Amacci
  3. VR Studio Pose stand turned again, Leg straightened using Animare
  4. VR Studio Pose stand turned, Leg kept in position and arm straightened using Animare

Credit Poses Example 1 Does this make that one pose any less worthy of the credit to the store that I bought it at? I truly believe no. Everything about the pose was beautiful, to begin with, and then tweaking it to get as much out of that one pose to better my post makes it something very worthy of the credit. Second Picture – The second and third picture was again a ‘what I instantly thought of’ compared to the original vibe of a pose, and while I may have moved something it does not remove anything from the pose enough to not credit it. Not too many people would have looked at this pose and thought ‘ I need to get this water out of my ears’ but I did. I had to turn the hand a little bit, and I used the Slink basic bento static pose hud to flatten my hand, but everything else is identical to the poses original look. I also changed my face expression using my LeLutka head HUD. Credit Poses Example 2

Third Picture –

Same exact pose as the second, but this time I moved the forearm away from my head, changed my hand poses, and my face expression and then put on some rollerskates and an outfit that suited that look, with some build pieces that also went along with the vibe and voila. Again the pose creator deserves the credit, because without this pose, this photo would not be this photo. The above photo would not be that photo, I may have never gotten the water out of my ears.

Credit Poses Example 3

So while you may think you shouldn’t, you really really should. If a creator of the pose thinks it has changed so much they do not recognise it, well again they started the ball rolling and I am sure would not mind too much you sending customers their way.

Next time you hesitate to credit something you have changed, think about if tinting a hairbase would mean not crediting it, or if you are like me and you upscale vases almost every other decor filled post… adding strands of hair does not mean the hair is no longer the creation if the hair store, or changing the hue saturation to your picture creates a tone of skin that that skin maker does not do, does that mean you shouldn’t credit the skin?

Second Life was literally built on modifications, the ability to do such things as tweak a pose is a thing we are so lucky to be able to do now with the tools available, because again years ago there was no such thing as animare, or a neck poses HUD, you had to edit the hell out of things, or do tricks of layering with hair on and then off or a big dress skirt off then on to just get your hand outside of it.

Don’t disqualify the original creator of a product you use, that inspired you, made the picture what it is, or helped you along the route to that picture, just because you made some changes. Again the readers want options, they do not want to entirely mimic your look so much that they even stand around on a platform for the day in that pose, they want to know where you shop, just as much as what you bought when you were there, or what you may have received in a bloggers pack etc. They want to jump on a posestand and cycle through things and be inspired too.

I had a lot of fun taking these pictures, and I so loved these newish items from Blueberry in my first picture, the ability to select different colours for the various parts on the shirt dress and the divine boots – that come with three height options as in ankle, knee high and thigh high – was just marvelous. Fitting the dress over leggings by Sn@tch still a must visit for appliers needs, that makes mixing and matching mesh items so much more functional. I felt bad that this hair only got a look in the other day, so full shots this time, it deserved the spotlight.

Then moving over to the great styles of hair by Argrace, we were there shopping in the store the other day and cleaned it out, then I ended up realising that I did not already own the wet look hair that is a must have, for any sort of upcoming summer shots. It made the picture even more fun for me, and then the excessive bangs style in the third pic, also from there with a bangs option that completely covers the eyes.

I really hope this post changes some peoples minds on crediting even with alterations, I personally think it shows a lot of initiative to have done so and told people you have, because those that may have that pose, or know that build or have that hairbase, may never have thought to go in that direction with it.

Equipment Used:

VR Studio 4.2 and HUD and Library for location shoots

VR Foundry Mainstore (adult)

VR Studio @ Winx & Flair (general)

VR Foundry Marketplace

Neck Pose HUD – Amacci

Animare HUD – Animare

Props, Furniture, Build

Location

Poses by

MaVie

Skin & Body Parts Worn:

Spencer Mesh Head LeLutka

Alessa Skin – League 

Dynamic Mesh Hands (Bento Enabled) , Deluxe Feet & Hourglass Physique Body Slink

Avatar Enhanced Skin Appliers : League

Avatar Enhanced Nail Appliers : set 127 Flair

Hair:

Sofia – Limerence @ Shiny Shabby

Clothes:

Bette Dress Shirt – Blueberry

Jersey Leggings – Sn@tch

Shoes :

Sammy Boots – Blueberry

Accessories :

Minimalist Rings – Yummy @ N21

Splish Splash – Using

Summer Swimsuit – Ane

Chizuru Hair – Argrace 

Kelby Copper Hot tub – Trompe Loeil

Roller Baby – Using 

Stair Backdrops Vol. 1 – Black – BIGBULLY

Skateboard Ramp

Kim Loose T with Bra – Addams 

Mimi Headphones – Monso

Skates – N-Core

Gym Shorts Gacha – Paper Arrow

320 Comments

  • Magick Thoughts by AmandaMagick (blogger for real life and a virtual life)

    This is great and good food for thought. In my experience of blogging is that everyone has their own unique ways on how they blog and how they take pictures. Everyone has their own style and groove. For me as a blogger I tend to credit all relevant content including LMs and the items I am actually contracted to blog. All other items in the picture I do not credit unless someone asks me about something. To be real here for a second… I don’t have enough time in the day to credit every teeny tiny thing in the image even though I love it all. Besides the fact that most of the things in the image cannot take center stage and the attention they deserve because the center stage items already have close up dominant positioning and the others do not. I would not want other designers to be mad that their things can’t be seen well. As well as the fact that I am not officially blogging their items when I have not been hired to do so. What is most important are the items being blogged need to have credits and LMs have credits. This is all my 2 cents 🙂 As for poses I agree with many people comments here… but if I am not blogging the pose I won’t credit unless someone wants to know. If the pose needs altering I won’t use it and find one that works. But yeah… crediting poses is a nice thing to do because there are many pose collectors in SL just like hair collectors and shoes collectors LOL.

  • Moz Loordes

    Very interesting post, Sasy. I’m not a fashion blogger so I can only liken this to say… tinting a piece of furniture. Yes, of course you’d credit it as you didn’t make it yourself, you just modified it slightly.

    • Sasy Scarborough

      Hi Moz ♥ and yes definitely, even removing legs or making a cushion invisible so you sit neater, all those things don’t change creator 🙂 thank you for the input from the other side.

      xoxSasyxox

  • Ashia Tomsen

    perfectly said as always my Sasybum….now I know why you wanted rollerskates yesterday morn 😛

  • Starr

    You gave some very interesting points to think on as I do blog and there are times that I slap myself because I have forgotten to credit the exact pose but will say it was part of the pose from LumiPro ~ am interested to know why you think things have gotten worse in regards to blogging…but will agree blogging has changed a lot and not sure if its good or bad but your post was informative and interesting ♥

    • Sasy Scarborough

      No slapping, but I completely understand, I recently did a post entirely on a stool because I had missed crediting it ( it does happen that you can forget an item vs intentionally leaving them out ) even though I edited the post, I still wanted to give that one item attention to make up for it :). Saying that it came with something is crediting it, same as if the sit used in a sofa is used then the pose came from the sofa that is credited, so someone can know to look further into that, or find that that sofa has the kind of sits they like as well as the look etc.

      As for how it has changed, there is a lot more stress, a lot of rules that change from what was an original agreement, the outside sources, such as flickr, social media and the like being expected, when that was something we as bloggers did to enhance our reach in our own way and because we wanted to, now it is in the ‘rules’. There are many things, but fundamentally the fact that any blogger is not ‘feeling’ it anymore is sad, Doing a post is a lot of work, regardless of what others may think, and it is meant to come from a real passion for wanting to share, help, enhance etc, it should not be a duty that is tantamount to being a chore that is less enjoyable for all.

      xoxSasyxox

  • STARVED Magic

    dearest sassy …i totally agree with you. i use an animation hud that does the same thing. i am not a blogger but i am a consumer, and a photographer in second life. when i got to pose stores i enjoy trying all the poses, and end up buying a lot of packs. please keep doing the wonderful job you have always done and i will keep on following you, on your blog and flickr…thank you and all the wonderful bloggers out there, for helping the consumers consume…

    • Sasy Scarborough

      Thank you so much and I am so glad you get it, because it is definitely an experience visiting any pose store, whether for the first time or returning, there is something very cool about the whole experience, and crediting the source means another store that someone may never have heard of that gets to be on their list to visit in the future if not in the moment.

      xoxSasyxox

  • Lucie Bluebird

    I wish I could like this 50 times!!! It makes me crazy, both as a shopper and a blogger manager when people don’t credit everything they blog!!! It definitely impacts my decisions when selecting bloggers, too.

    • Sasy Scarborough

      Thank you so much Lucie ♥ definitely things to consider, I am really not sure why stores send to bloggers that don’t credit all, as it would be in their own best interest to be sure of it, and to be seen as supporting other creators by making sure of it, but that is probably a whole other post 🙂 As a shopper and reader, definitely impacts whether or not to spend the time looking through a particular blog at all.

      xoxSasyxox

  • PralineB

    Great article! I really enjoyed to read it. Thank you for sharing these thoughts around creators, creation, creativity, use and modify creations. Working also with open source tools and open source os, applications, I am quite familiar with this idea to modify the creation of someone else. This is the basis of open source, use, share, modify and …. credit!
    Credit is the master word.
    With digital tools, we all know how it is simple to modify, but we have to keep in mind when we make it that we were inspired by the creation of someone else and it’s really important and normal to credit and to identify the original source even the result may be far away from the original. This is a valuable creation process. This is the idea of collective brain we share.
    Thank you so much to the pose’s creators, they are an amazing and incredible source of inspiration for photographers in SL. So we can modify but, and I so agree with you, we have to credit them, always.
    Another question is what kind of license to use when you produce an artwork coming from the basis idea of another creator you modify? 😉

    • Sasy Scarborough

      Thank you so much, I am glad you enjoyed the post, and there are many wonderful reasons that Second Life has grown into what it is now, and that is through the creativity of its users, when making more out of something you increase its value for the next person. As far as Licenses go that is an area that I am not too familiar with, but if you are using someone elses work to create new work, you definitely need to make sure you know what they expect in return for doing so.

      xoxSasyxox