Every week, the Virtual Photography Archive Hour invites you to revisit your virtual photography archives as a great way to reach new audiences, rediscover past inspirations and even learn from mistakes. Featured below are a selection of the entries shared over the past month.
Title: Bound | Developer: Plastic Demo | Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment | Initial Release: 16th Aug 2016
Here's a shot that uses the subject matter of the game really well; creating a clean and simple backdrop with the abstract environment and taking advantage of the elegant movement of The Princess to capture the pose. What I like most though is how one had is reaching across a threshold, perhaps finding a way out of the dark.
Title: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order | Developer: Respawn Entertainment | Publisher: Electronic Arts | Initial Release: 15th November 2019
Even though we don't see much of the foreground subject, the image lets us read so much from his actions. The left hand reaches out with a calming gesture to de-escalate the situation, but the right holds a weapon at the ready, just out of sight of the Stormtroopers. It could go either way.
Title: Red Dead Redemption 2 | Developer: Rockstar Studios | Publisher: Rockstar Games | Initial Release: 26th October 2018
Perhaps not a creature model that stands up to close scrutiny, but this close-up shot uses composition and colour to add the interest. The wingspan stretches from one corner to another to divide the image along a curvy diagonal and actually helps the bird's head become a natural point of focus.
Title: Horizon Zero Dawn | Developer: Guerrilla Games | Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment | Initial Release: 28th Feb 2017
The slightly muted colours here create a less typical look for Horizon Zero Dawn and the chosen pose works cleverly with the icy effects, presumably while being bombarded by a Glinthawk, to create a magical theme. Beautiful work.
Title: ONRUSH | Developer: Codemasters | Publisher: Deep Silver | Initial Release: 5th June 2018
Although I am actually not keen on the colours here, I love the sense of scale that is given to the outrageous height achieved by the motorcycle. Soaring over the distant trees, the setting sun and even low-flying birds, there is no doubt that this machine is at the top of one almighty jump!
Title: Death Stranding | Developer: Kojima Productions | Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment, 505 Games | Initial Release: 8th November 2019
There are some similarities between this and the previous image, both featuring a subject that is so clearly out of place and using the environment to emphasise it. Of course when it comes to Death Stranding, the idea of a whale flying overhead isn't actually out of the ordinary but in case you didn't realise that this was not taken underwater, the rain (timefall) serves as a neat reminder.
Title: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order | Developer: Respawn Entertainment | Publisher: Electronic Arts | Initial Release: 15th November 2019
Another example of good use of weather and a second appearance for Cal from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. This time the direction of the rain adds a real sense of wind a treacherous conditions, definitely not the sort of time that you would want to step out onto a slippery, narrow beam while high above a canyon...
Title: The Last of Us Part II | Developer: Naughty Dog | Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment | Initial Release: 19th June 2020
Getting a character's eye line to engaged with what they are doing is often a challenge in virtual photography, it definitely works here though. Ellie may not be looking directly along the length of her drawn arrow, but the slight downward glance and furrowed brow tell of a moment's hesitation and moral contemplation before loosing her shot.
Title: Ghost of Tsushima | Developer: Sucker Punch | Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment | Initial Release: 17th July 2020
A stunning capture from the land of the rising sun, or probably setting sun in this case. As the sun, which dominates the left half of the image, drops below the horizon and darkness creeps in, a single pagoda stands proudly in black silhouette against the blood red sky.
Revisit your archives and share some lost shots on Twitter every Sunday using the #VPArchiveHour hashtag for a chance to feature in next month's post.
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