Exploring Second Life: Kingsand photographic region

I recently received an invitation from .Tempest Rosca-Huntsman and her SL partner, John (Johannes Huntsman), to visit their latest project, completed under the banner of the Formal Knot group and in association with Kultivate Magazine and Art Hub.

Kingsand is a Homestead region designed by Tempest and adjoining the Kultivate Gallery region. It is offered as a location for relaxation and photography – and to mark its opening, it is also host to a photographic competition running through until June 30th, 2024 offering a combined prize pool of L$30,000 – of which more anon.

Accessed via the southern side of the Kultivate Water Haven region, Kingsand presents an open, semi-rugged setting sharing the same region surround as the former, thus allowing it to be enclosed on three sides with high mountains which add depth to photographs taken within it.

The land comprising the region has been divided into three parts, each separated from the others by water channels. The land directly adjoining the Kultivate gallery spaces is fairly low-lying, carrying with in a hint of a wildling garden, ancient paths and steps providing routes between the more even elements of the land, walls and gates offering a further sense of sub-division among the trees and flowers. To the east, this land forms a long finger of a headland, far rockier in nature, bordered by relatively open waters to one side and that larger of the channels cutting into the land on the other. Cut through by a narrow gorge, this headland ends in a low-lying promontory topped by a giant windmill.

Across the channel, the larger of two islands cam be reached via a stone bridge. Low-lying to the south and west, this island rises to a tall central peak with highlands reaching up to it from the eastern side.  These slopes provide the means to reach the ruins of a cathedral or some similar structure sitting on a shoulder of rock thrusting outwards from the peak.

Apparently now the home of a library / story-telling space rich in flowers and blossoming vines and presided over by a dryad caved into a tree at its centre, the ruins might also be used as a means to reach the top of the mountain – although this does entail dropping down their flank and scrambling through the brambles at their base, and getting back again might be a challenge on foot, given there is no mean to climb back up into the ruins. Although that said, the bare peak is easily visible from the ruins, so such a climb isn’t really necessary unless you’re really wanting to take a photograph of yourself up there.

To the west, the land sweeps around the mountain and along the second of the water channels to reach another bridge, this one offering the way to the smaller of the two islands. The most rugged element of the region, this island forms two rocky hills cut through by a natural canyon. The latter leads the way to a deck built out over semi-turbulent waters and offering one of multiple places to sit and pass the time spread throughout the setting.

The overall design is such that the region might be enjoyed by multiple visitors without them necessarily tripping over one another, and with sufficient space for photographers to rez-out props for photography again without necessarily interrupting others. Those who wish to do so should join the Formal Knot group; there is no charge and auto-return is set for 90 minutes. This should be more than enough time to compose props and photographs – but if you take advantage of this and complete your work within the time limit, do please consider taking back your items.

Which brings me neatly to the June 2024 photo contest. Full details are in a notecard available from the region’s landing point – together with another card providing region information and rules – however, and in short:

• Entries must comprise images taken within the Kingsand region, and entrants are limited to two such images apiece.
• Entries must be submitted to the Kingsand Flickr group and bear the tag “Kingsand”.
• Prizes will be awarded on the basis of L$10,000 each to two winners and L$5,000 each to two runners-up, for a total prize pool of L$30,000.
• In addition, winners, runner’s up and a selection of commended entries to the competition will be exhibited at Kultivate Art Gallery at a date to be announced.

Sitting under a fairly neutral environmental setting, Kingsand is perhaps best suited to being photographed using your own EEP settings – the landscape being such that its naturally lends itself to a range of day cycles and settings extremely well. It also seems to lack any ambient sound scape, which is a shame given its natural beauty. However, accepting the region is primarily designed for photography, this does not overly detract from its appeal.

In all a superb setting ideal for photography and avatar studies. My thanks to Tempest and John for the invitation to make a pre-opening visit.

SLurl Details

• Kingsand (rated Moderate)