Welcome to the Virtual Photography Archives, where I invite virtual photographers to revisit their back-catalogues with 5 short briefs that encourage them to try a little self-critique and reflect on how they feel about each shot now.
This time I am joined by a photographer with an eye for cel-shading, anime, and racing – MiyoshiVP (aka Lance). Over to you Lance, let's have a look through your Virtual Photography Archives...
First up, tell me a bit more about yourself and how you are involved in virtual photography
I am from the Philippines; my career with Virtual Photography started with Battlefield V in 2020, which was in fact on the day of the Normandy landings on 6 June! Today, I mostly do Genshin Impact, then Forza Horizon and recently Ghost Recon.
- GENSHIN IMPACT // ETERNAL OASIS -
At first, I experimented with every game I had on my PS4, from Need for Speed to Horizon Zero Dawn, and when Genshin Impact came, that's where my VP career took a huge change. With this, I always opt for a realistic colour scheme and style in my edits whenever I can, often blending in cinematic vibes to it when possible.
#1: A shot that is not from this year
- NOT THIS YEAR // MIYOSHIVP -
Game: Genshin Impact | Platform: PC | Date: 27th November 2022
Seirai Island's special skybox allowed me to create this masterwork, but it also posed a huge challenge since it uses what's called an Elemental Burst in-game, with a limited time to capture before the effect fades and reverts to normal. It took so many tries to get it right!
This shot reflects on the character Raiden Shogun - as the head of state of the open world of Inazuma in-game, it brings up one of the Bushido virtues: Integrity - Makoto, in order to pursue eternity without compromise.
#2: The style that you most enjoy
- STYLE YOU ENJOY // MIYOSHIVP -
Game: Forza Horizon 5 | Platform: PC | Date: 5th May 2023
I always wanted to take photos in this condition - where light and dark transition naturally through lamp posts at speed. It took many runs to get this right, especially with other passing objects that can affect the shot, while also managing to retain the detail of the number 70 decal that is easily lost if it is completely dark.
This is one of my best experiences with lighting adjustments and has been featured in Forza Horizon's official Instagram account.
#3: Something you got wrong
- GOT IT WRONG // MIYOSHIVP -
Game: Forza Horizon 4 | Platform: PC | Date: 3rd May 2021
This shot was supposed to replicate the desert, but I made a mistake of not clearing the cosmetic damage to the front bumpers. It also wasn't colour graded, hence it feels so washed out compared to the other Pontiac Firebird edits I made in the same period.
On the other side though, I keep thinking that maybe this was appropriate for the desert theme I was going for – the notion of roughness in the wild...
#4: A shot you were inspired to take
- INSPIRED TO TAKE // MIYOSHIVP -
Game: Genshin Impact | Platform: PC | Date: 10th February 2023
When this character named Yelan came out for Genshin Impact, I was inspired to have a shot at silhouette editing after seeing the work of @amich_vp on Twitter. This photo was inspired by not only the aforementioned virtual photographer, but also by the character's personality in game – a freewheeling feeling with a sense of binding her enemies with bondage.
#5: A shot you love the colour of
- LOVE THE COLOUR // MIYOSHIVP -
Game: Forza Horizon 4 | Platform: PC | Date: 3rd July 2022
With Forza Horizon 4's UK locations, we have huge opportunities to capture one of four seasons. This one is my take on the autumn side – allowing the Nissan GT-R's standard orange colour to feel at home with the maple leaves.
This is also made for a friend of mine who really loves the autumn – I gifted this photo to her on my Instagram feed at the time it was posted. I also loved how it turned out after editing, in fact I really loved playing with editing when making this.
Anything else that you’d like to add?
Virtual Photography has really given me a chance to make my life more colourful and explore more video games that carry such aspects. Recently I've been spending time on the latest game by the developers of Genshin Impact called Honkai: Star Rail, which has opportunities for virtual photography as well.
To this day I also aim to seek newer styles that still feel realistic, and I hope I can inspire more people, as I did on my Instagram.
Thank you very much for taking the time to revisit your shots and share some of the inspirations behind them, for what it's worth, I think the dirt and damage on the Firebird shot works perfectly for a desert theme, in fact it is better for it.
I hope you all enjoyed this look back over the Virtual Photography Archives and if you enjoy Lance's work then please be sure to check out some more and show some support on Twitter and Instagram.
As always, if you think that you would like to take part in future editions of the VP Archives, please get in touch as I would love to hear from you.
Thanks for reading, until next time...
