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A Hands-On Guide to Virtual Photography
The Fourth Focus shares more tips and techniques to take stunning virtual photos
With the first piece of this 2-part post having covered some of the fundamental aspects of virtual photography and what they actually mean, this second part takes a hands-on look at how you can put them into practice and start capturing great shots of your own.
Easily one of the greatest advantages of virtual photography is how it lets people conveniently explore the techniques and ideas of photography without the need for expensive equipment or the prospect of unwilling subjects. There are whole worlds and starring characters at your fingertips, so use this to your advantage and take the opportunity to try out new ideas. After all, there is no penalty for error when it comes to filling your virtual film.
Pro-tip: click and expand The Fourth Focus's images to get the full effect!
A Valkyrie in God of War
© The Fourth Focus - God of War
That makes photo modes an ideal creative environment in which to learn and grow, and mastering the basics will make it easy to express your inspiration, so here are some ways in which you can create interesting shots.
Composition
A photograph's composition is the way in which the elements in it are arranged, and this includes subject positioning, FoV, tilt angle, symmetry, leading lines and more. Arguably the most important aspect of any capture, proper composition is vital in how the viewer "reads" the image, where it leads their eye, and what message is conveyed, so this is where you should spend your time.
In this example, we have a scene from Horizon Zero Dawn with quite a lot going on as Aloy is confronted by a group of Watchers and a Fire Bellowback. While there's plenty of potential here, let's ignore the obvious and pick out a detail with a tighter shot of the lone Watcher to the right.
Aloy faces a Fire Bellowback in Horizon Zero Dawn
© The Fourth Focus - Horizon Zero Dawn
By using a longer focal length to narrow the FoV, and repositioning the camera closer to the Watcher, the subject is now clearly emphasized. As you can see the subject needs a little help to stand out from the background, so we can apply a wide aperture value like f/2.0 to create a shallow DoF.
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Exploring Depth of Field in Horizon Zero Dawn's photo mode
The Fourth Focus demonstrates the impact of depth of field in virtual photography through Horizon Zero Dawn
For shots like this, I often like to use an asymmetrical composition and you might find the thirds grid helpful in getting the balance right. If the subject is too close to the edge of the frame, they become marginalized and the empty space actually dominates the shot. Using one of the vertical guidelines is better, but if we put this Watcher over on the right then their gaze is away from us and the shot loses interest for the viewer.
Examining the rule of thirds with a Watcher from Horizon Zero Dawn
© The Fourth Focus - Horizon Zero Dawn
Instead, placing the Watcher on the left vertical achieves the asymmetrical balance while maintaining an a subject eye-line that cuts across the viewer and invites them to follow with wonder about what they see. Finally and for good measure, a 21:9 aspect ratio emphasizes the cinematic width.
The finished product: a Watcher from Horizon Zero Dawn
© The Fourth Focus - Horizon Zero Dawn
Lighting
Another of the most important elements of a good photograph, the lighting is responsible for much of the character, visual detail and drama of any shot. Try looking for good light sources within the game's environment to avoid getting shots that are flat and uninteresting.
Some photo modes, such as Horizon Zero Dawn and Ghost of Tsushima, also conveniently let the user shift the time of day to alter the available light. Either way, the trick to getting the best out of your lighting is in seeing the potential in how it can be used.
To demonstrate how this, let's look at a scene from The Last of Us Part II. The foreground around Abby is quite poorly lit so that isn't going to yield many good shots, but we also have the low sun peaking beneath the clouds that could be used for an edge lit portrait.
A city scene from The Last of Us Part II
© The Fourth Focus - The Last of Us Part II
Start off by finding a good idle animation to get an interesting pose, and positioning Abby at the right angle to get light cast slightly across her face. Again, narrowing the FoV creates a more intimate crop and a shallow DoF softens the background distractions so the viewer's eye if focused on our subject.
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Fine tuning a virtual photo from The Last of Us Part II
See how The Fourth Focus edits a virtual photo
The dark orange tones of this slightly gloomy area were definitely not very pleasing, so a switch to the monochromatic "Noir" filter adds a more dramatic feel and really helps to pick out the gorgeous edge lit outline of Abby's face and arm. A small tweak to the composition, optional branding logo, and the shot is complete.
A moody, noir image of Abby from The Last of Us Part II
© The Fourth Focus - The Last of Us Part II
Imperfections
While I would always encourage people to work on eliminating flaws in their composition and lighting, that doesn't mean that every image has to be pristine. Digitally rendered images can actually look a little too clean at times, so including a few imperfections can help to add a sense of authenticity. Adding film grain to low light shots will give the photograph a granular texture similar to that seen on film, and motion blur (if available) is excellent for adding a feeling of movement to an otherwise static image.
Ghost of Tsushima's Kurosawa Mode
© The Fourth Focus - Ghost of Tsushima
Advanced Techniques
Once you have mastered the fundamentals, you'll start to learn some of the more advanced ways in which certain photo modes can be used to capture outstanding shots. A great example of this is in Sucker Punch's Ghost of Tsushima, where the animated environment option and weather control can be combined to capture stunning lightning strikes.
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Weather and lighting in Ghost of Tsushima's photo mode
See how The Fourth Focus uses weather effects in virtual photography
You WILL need to be fast, but setting the weather to "Thunder" and then toggling the environmental animation on / off (extremely) quickly can be used to freeze electrifying lightning strikes on screen.
Put all of this together and the possibilities of virtual photography are endless!
Are you a fan of virtual photography? Check out more of Mik's work at The Fourth Focus. If you're in the United States, head to RedBull.com/CapturePoint to learn more about how your best photos of Ghost of Tsushima, Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War, Demon's Souls and The Last of Us Part II from PlayStation photo mode could win you some awesome prizes.
