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: Need For Speed | Developer: Ghost Games | Publisher: Electronic Arts | Initial Release: 3rd November 2015
A speeding car and overhead helicopter would often make the main focus of a shot like this, but not here. A huge helping of tilt and clever use of light trails mean that it is all about the converging lines of light, road markings, barriers and even telegraph cables.
Title: The Last of Us Part II | Developer: Naughty Dog | Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment | Initial Release: 19th June 2020
Excellent use of both monochrome and silhouette styles, this image simplifies the scene by distilling it down into a recognisable outline of Ellie with her quiver of arrows and the obstacle she is vaulting over, all set cleanly against the open sky.
Title: Quantum Break | Developer: Remedy Entertainment | Publisher: Xbox Game Studios | Initial Release: 5th Apr 2016
By forgoing the full-length shot of the character, this is a composition that perfectly focuses on the movement in the scene. Whether the walkway is actually collapsing or if that is an illusion brought on by the excellent body shape of the running subject and the shattering pattern, I'll let you decide for yourselves...
Title: Assassin's Creed Valhalla | Developer: Ubisoft Montreal | Publisher: Ubisoft | Initial Release: 10th November 2020
With the sun setting behind the deadwood truck of a fallen tree, casting long shadows on a pebbled beach, this capture draws the viewer into the scene and perhaps even avoids any thought that it's a game at all.
Title: DiRT 5 | Developer: Codemasters | Publisher: Codemasters | Initial Release: 6th November 2020
An exciting low-angled view of two off-road racers jumping overhead is made all the more interesting through the use of a spotlight to emphasise the background smoke in an explosion of vivid reds.
Title: Ghost of Tsushima | Developer: Sucker Punch | Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment | Initial Release: 17th July 2020
I always enjoy seeing a collection of images that have been captured with a broader vision in mind. While any one of these arrow-wielding shots can work on their own, it is the final presentation of the 4 together that shows great forethought and really catches the eye.
Title: No Man's Sky | Developer: Hello Games | Publisher: Hello Games, 505 Games | Initial Release: 9th August 2016
Another image that is enhanced by its presentation, this jetpacking individual is photographed against a planetary crescent in a gorgeous pastel sky but also adds a subtle and minimalistic logo in a way that many photo modes could learn from.
Title: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order | Developer: Respawn Entertainment | Publisher: Electronic Arts | Initial Release: 15th November 2019
Thanks to the suggestion of scale from the perfectly placed subject, and the interesting outline of a near perfect semicircle offset against the jagged and irregular profile of twisted metal, there is as much intrigue here around where the camera is as there is about what it can see.
Title: Horizon Zero Dawn | Developer: Guerrilla Games | Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment | Initial Release: 28th Feb 2017
There are certain shots from Horizon Zero Dawn that we see quite regularly, but others still manage to be unique. This example of close-cropped action is very much the latter and makes great use of moonlight to create a muted colour palette while still crammed full of detail.
Revisit your archives and share some lost shots on Twitter every Sunday. Look out for the #VPArchiveHour theme post and simply reply with something from your existing archives for a chance to feature in next month's post.
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