Magenta Plutonian Wins Oi's First Paparazzi Contest!

Mon 04/12/10


We'd like to congratulate Magenta Plutonian, Oi's first Paparazzi Contest winner! We had some fabulous entries, and her photos were judged to be the best. The competition was tough, and we're looking forward to future contests that highlight some of the best photography talent in Second Life.®

I had an opportunity to interview Magenta after her win and she was gracious to answer my questions. Here's what she had to say:

Where are you from and how long have you been in Second Life?
MP (Magenta Plutonian): I am from, and still live in, Cornwall (I have traced my Cornish family tree back to the 1600's and it would seem I am Cornish to the bone).
Cornwall is the bottom tip of the UK, surrounded by beautiful beaches.
I have been in SL™ since November 2008 and was introduced to it by my RL partner.
I had no interest in this world to start with, but slowly it has absorbed me more and more.


Magenta Plutonian, Top Paparazzi Photographer, also now herself a celebrity


Are you a photographer or artist in your first life?
MP: When I left school, I was accepted into Art College, which I studied for two years and found that I had a flair for colour.
Funnily enough it has not followed me in my career as I work with teenagers in care.

What an awesome and noble vocation! What made you decide to enter Oi's Paparazzi Contest?
MP: I have entered a few competitions before and found quickly that I did not enjoy the popularity-type voting as I hate nagging my friends to vote and they end up paying L$5-10 for their trouble.
This contest had a little more interest to it, not just making it a picture-taking contest, but an endurance one.
*laughs* I know Adianna and myself both made some sacrifices to be online at the given time slots.
I think the new easier rules will open it up to many more entries.

(Oi Magazine management would like to add that voters were never charged for voting in our contest,always completely free as we have sponsors like PurpleMoon Creations and more, supplying winners like Magenta their winning prize of 10,000 Lindens! for their efforts)

What did you enjoy most about the Paparazzi Contest?
MP: The contestants, Poulet and Persia, were amazing fun and they made the competition.
I had myself a lot of giggles in some of the shoots.
Also my fellow 'pappers' were a giggle to be with.
I know it was a competition, but I feel like I made some friends, which is always a bonus.


Absolutely, both Poulet and Persia were great subjects and a lot of fun to work with. What do you like about photography in Second life?
MP: Making a pixelated avatar come to life in a picture.
It's always a great feeling when someone really appreciates a picture you've taken of them.


One of the 2 paparazzi pictures that gave Magenta her win! Celebrity journalist Persia Bravin is displayed here



Other winning paparazzi picture, Fashion icon Poulet Koenkamp is displayed here

I couldn't agree more. Is SL photography more than a hobby for you?
MP: I don't think I will ever give up my day job. *smiles* But I think I use it to relax and as a little escapism from RL. It's nice to get creative

That's very true. SL offers many opportunities for creativity, and Oi's Paparazzi Contest added some whimsy as well. What kinds of photos do you enjoy taking?
MP: Dramatic portraits that reflect an individual's personality.


(Chalice Piers,Oi Magazine reporter *Nods Yes* and asks)
Can you offer some SL photography tips?
MP: Just play around, be experimental and have fun.
PhotoLife 3 Studio is not only the best photographic studio in SL, but the group support is truly awesome.
It does not matter what timezone you are in, there is always someone to help out if you need it. (But it costs a fortune so may not be suited for the dabbling photographer.)

Do you use any specific windlight settings for your photos?
MP: Any photographer worth their lindens will use the windlight settings.
You don't drive a car in first gear only do you?

LOL! No, but I do have favorite windlight settings I prefer over the default. What do you put your graphics settings on before taking photos?
MP: For taking pictures I always set graphics to ultra, but you need a really good graphics card for this.
You must remember after taking your pictures to set it lower again, or you will be wondering why SL has gone super laggy.


Oh, yes. I've done that myself. What software do you use to edit your photos?
MP: I use Photoshop to clean up the edges.

Same here, and for special effects. What are some of your favorite photo editing techniques?
MP: I am always playing around in Photoshop, but to be honest I am a noobie at Photoshop, so am still learning the basics.
I just do what I feel is right for the picture and to be honest it's not always the same and sometimes a happy mistake.


I hear you. Photoshop is the best and I use it daily in my RL job.
So, Magenta, would you recommend the Oi Paparazzi contest to others?
MP: For sure! The organizer's were awesome, always helpful with queries.
The prize money is great and most of all its lots of fun!

Thank you so much for your time, Magenta. You're a talented photographer and we hope to see more entries from you in future Oi photography contests.

Thanks for reading, everyone! And I hope you decide to enter the next Oi Paparazzi Contest. It's loads of fun, you get to express your creativity, and you have a chance to win some lindens! I look forward to seeing your photos.

Chalice Piers, reporting for Oi Magazine blog

The Faces of Moolto 2010 !

Mon 3/1/10

The contest for Mr and Miss Moolto is over. RicoRacer Flux and Mina Pelazzi are the winners!


RicoRacer Flux


Mina Pelazzi


And for once it seems the roles are changed between genders.
Mina is the one who chooses to meet me in the Moolto office. She is PR right through.
Rico is the butterfly, the fashion person all through. He meets me in IM before the model fashion show of McQueen where he is modeling instead. Am sure they will be a great team for Moolto.

Maxes Loon was pleased about the jury’s choice.
He is good at picking winners out of the crowd of pixels in this world of ours and had provided the jury with so many skilled persons.
They went through tough premises in the contest.
This time it was their ideas of promotion and ability to work in teams that was challenged, before it was about their personalities.
The red thread through the whole contest was about their ability to promote, marketing and represent Moolto.

When I saw Mina’s video promoting Moolto I just knew that she would win.
(It’s in the Moolto blog btw for Mr and Miss Moolto contest : http://moolto.ning.com/group/MrandMissMoolto)
You can sense it that she is PR all through. I noticed this first time I met her. Diplomatic and very aware of what she tells you,”This contest was not about only beauty, it was about more. That was what made me interested,” Mina tells me in the office of Moolto the morning after she won.


Maxes Loon at the Moolto social Network, Moolto Community Store


“I am very pleased to win this contest, since I work with graphic designs and PR in RL too. It gives me an opportunity to improve myself and add some good things to Moolto. “

Rico was a favorite among many people I know. He is a fashion person all through.
Many companies uses his skills and he writes a fashion blog and used to write for a Fashion magazine called Catalyst of Fantasy Magazine, of which the CEO,Lacie Beningborough is a very good friend of Oi Magazine ^^
I'm not at all surprised Rico is one of the super models in the McQueen Tribute show “For the love of McQueen”.
“I follow fashion shows in RL and I do the same inside of SL,” Rico tells me in IM.
Besides the McQueen show in a few seconds and later there is a photo session for him at another fashion company in SL.

Rico used to be a model in RL during college in catalogues, but he was too short for this to be his main career, he tells me.
You may say he is surely compensating for this inside of our pixel world of SL.
Maxes Loon (Owner of Moolto) joins me and Mina in the office and sits behind his desk smiling.
He knows he got one heck of a great team in his hands, and his plans are big as usual, and will be happening soon.
“The jury made a good choice, am pleased with their decision, “Maxes tells me with a smile.
“We are now sitting down to draw out the lines for this. We have lots of new projects coming up, a base for networking DJ:s, another for Fashion and a third for Photographers.
We just bought the best system for photos inside SL. We will have a gallery and different theme every month. And it will be open for amateurs as well as for professionals, “he tells me proudly.

“I am attending this”, Mina says with a glimpse in her eye.
“Mina is a professional when it comes to photography upon her skills for PR,” Maxes tells me.
Moolto is 70% about fashion, according to Maxes. So am sure he appreciates this side of Rico besides him being good with promotion too.
I can only wish for them the best and am sure it will be of success. ^^
Everything he touches turns to gold, or is it that he has sense for where to find this?
When I tell this thought to Maxes he simply says “haven’t seen any gold!” But am sure he is smiling behind his computer, he knows his skills^^ as an entrepreneur of high class and a network spider for sure!


Liza Veliz
Journalist/Event Blogger of Oi Magazine