It All Starts with a Smile, March 2014

When exploring, I often find myself re-visiting familiar regions. There are several reasons for this: they tend to change with the seasons; they are eye-catching; I like spending time sitting in them and keeping an eye on what is going on; they are often dramatically and beautifully remodelled and so on.

It All Starts with A Smile neatly encompasses all of these reasons as Kaelyn Alecto and Maxxster frequently refresh their region with a new look and style – so I tend to get pulled back there very frequently. In this case, however, there was another reason for my visit as well: the region is the subject of its very own photography contest, of which more anon.

It All Starts with a Smile, March 2014

One of the things I love about IASWAS is that when the region is remodelled, it is completely remodelled, offering lots that is new to see and experience while also retaining certain elements which link each rebuild to the last, giving a sense of history to the region.

Following a winter scene with windswept roads, cottages with snow-laden roofs and a small town square offering some shelter against the winter winds, the region is now basking in springtime. and with the change in season comes much to see.

Onyx Isle is now a very rural location. Yes, there is still a small collection of houses and buildings towards the centre of the region which exhibit a Mediterranean feel, with shuttered windows, bright colours, and sreets winding between them with places to sit and eat al fresco.

It All Starts with a Smile, March 2014

Follow the path down from the arrival point, and it will lead you out over the water, past assorted works of art and critters, to the IASWAS cafe, then on around the headland and past a dance floor before it finally returns you to dry land, where you can continue your explorations along a choice of routes. Throughout, there are places to sit and tarry, either on your own or with one or more friends, and enjoy the surroundings. Those who feel particularly active can take a rowing boat around the island while those looking for something a little more relaxing can sit a while and paint if they wish.

This is a place where you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled – there are a lot of subtle details which can be easily missed, not all of which are in plain sight. And for the photographer, there and lots of opportunities for landscape, wildlife and portrait picture-taking, which is just as well, given the aforementioned photo contest.

It All Starts with a Smile, March 2014

This is running from now through until the end of the month, and anyone is invited to join-in. Some L$10,000 on offer to the winner, with Dutchie, Essential Soul & XIAJ providing store credit/gift cards. There are also second and third place prizes to the value of L$5,000 and L$3,000 apiece provided by Studio Skye. Entries are limited to three per avatar, and should be submitted to the competition Flickr group no later than March 30th. In addition, entrants should note:

Pictures HAVE to be taken at It all starts with a smile, and past as well as present of the region are acceptable

Pictures may include avatars and do not have to be landscape shots

Post-processing is allowed, but not required – a good raw shot will have just as much chance to win

Pictures should not contain any nudity.

The judges for the event are Alex Bader, Froukje Hoorenbeek, Steven Dean & superjaix.

Whether you opt to take part in the contest or not, if you’re looking to find early signs of spring in Second Life, It All Starts with A Smile is the place to visit.

It All Starts with a Smile, March 2014

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