The premise is simple, every Tuesday I will give you two virtual photography related topics to choose between. This could be a favourite photo mode feature, a preferred format for your work or a head-to-head between two popular characters or games. All you have to do is choose your favourite!
Look out for a new choice every Tuesday on Twitter via the hashtag # VPChooseDay and join in with the conversation. This post will be updated with an archive of the previous pairings and the collective decision on which was the "winner".
The only rules are to be nice to each other, give your honest opinion, and you can't choose both! I look forward to hearing more of your thoughts. See you on Tuesday...
Mik
Archive:
| Only one gets a photo mode; which do you choose?
| Winner: Horizon Zero Dawn
Lots of love for Spider-Man but the rich variety of Horizon was the most popular choice here.
| Character swap; choose the best photo opportunity!
| Winner: Atreus
Ellie didn't really get a look in, you'd all rather see Atreus wielding his bow in the real world like Hercules in New York.
| Character tethered or free to roam; choose the best photo mode camera type!
| Winner: Free Camera
Absolutely no contest, free camera was the overwhelming preference here. Makes you wonder why we are still seeing photo modes with restricted orbit camera implementations.
| Story-driven games with photo modes; how do you choose to approach them?
| Winner: Story First
By the narrowest of margins, you still try to put the story ahead of the photography, at lease on the first play through, but the irresistible lure of the photo mode is almost impossible to ignore.
005 | Ellie vs Abby
| Fight! Choose your favourite between these two girls!
| Winner: Abby
A hard choice and you're not ready to abandon Ellie just yet, but it looks like Abby is the more popular here.
006 | Still image vs Moving image
| As photo mode scenes are coming to life, choose your favourite presentation!
| Winner: Still image
There is no doubt that moving images can add an extra dimension, just not enough to outweigh the simpler presentation and outright quality of a static shot.
007 | Landscape vs Portrait
| What's your favourite image orientation, choose one!
| Winner: Portrait
Definitely a split decision with plenty of acknowledgment for the uses of both but on this day, it was a narrow victory for portrait orientation and its propensity for viewing on mobile devices.
| The next photo mode contest, choose which you most want to happen!!
| Winner: Ghost of Tsushima
The outright beauty and more varied content of Tsushima seems to capture more of your imagination, making it the popular choice here. Of course, both would be great...
009 | Logo vs No-go
| Game logos in photo modes, are they something you choose to use?
| Winner: Draw
No clear winner hear and you like to use logos in some shots while keeping others clean. What was clear is that the most popular logos are those that blend well with the image subject.
| If one could have a photo mode added, which would you choose?
| Winner: The Last Guardian
While the prospect of Horizon Zero Dawn's photo mode in a world like Killzone's was interesting, it seems the lure of photographing a boy and his giant dog-bird companion is too great. It's a win for Trico here.
| If you could choose, which media coverage would you rather see for your virtual photography?
| Winner: Printed Magazine
The prospect of seeing your work in print evidently retains a greater sense of prestige and permanence that made magazines a clear winner here, despite the potentially larger audience of a YouTube channel.
| A single consistent UI or unique features for each game, which implementation would you choose?
| Winner: System level photo mode
As much as everybody loves getting to grips with the unique aspects of each game's photo mode, there is an obvious desire to standardise things with a common control scheme. Perhaps an integrated photo mode with modular customisation could bring the best of both.
| Choose which CD Projekt Red's title you'd most like to have a photo mode on next-gen consoles?
| Winner: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
While Cyberpunk 2077 is hotly anticipated, it seems that it hasn't quite stolen the place of your existing sweetheart and The Witcher 3 remains the most popular. At least until you get your hands on Cyberpunk.
| How do you choose to represent your own virtual photography?
| Winner: A personal profile
An increasing number of you choose to use a dedicated account to share your virtual photography, but there is still a preference towards maintaining a personal image rather than a branded page.
| Will you be upgrading your console for VP and if so, which will you choose?
| Winner: PlayStation 5
With plenty of appetite for the next generation of consoles and the extra quality they will bring to virtual photography, it is the PS5 that takes the lion's share here, and in full disc-based form too. Digital only is still not the preferred option just yet.
| You can only photograph one version of Helheim, which depiction of it do you choose?
| Winner: Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
God of War's depiction of Helheim was a bit too desolate and loses out to Senua's much more involved journey to an atmospheric and intense version of the underworld.
| With full photo mode support in Ghost of Tsushima Legends co-op mode, will you choose to use it?
| Winner: I want to take shots
There is a definite desire to photograph all of the new cosmetic items and also to work together as groups of like-minded virtual photographers, when it comes to matchmaking though there is an understandable reluctance to encumber unknown players with taking time out for snaps.
| When choosing a costume, what do you prioritise?
| Winner: Cosmetic Appearance
Getting the best in-game abilities remains important for playing through games, but it is clear that you definitely prefer to look good while doing so. If a compromise has to be made, it's going to be style over substance, luckily though the better gear often looks great as well.
019 | Colour vs Black & White
| You can only use one style to photograph a whole game; which do you choose?
| Winner: ...
| When sharing your images, do you choose to add a watermark and why?
| Winner: No Watermark
There's a certain belief that watermarks help to identify stolen work but a similar resignation that they aren't particularly effective in preventing it. Other than more stylised overlays which can add to the presentation then, you prefer to see and share images without distracting watermarks.
021 | Pure Black vs Film Grain
| How do you prefer your shadows? Choose one...
| Winner: Pure black
Despite an undoubted appreciation for the use of film grain for a classic / retro look, it seems that most of you simply prefer the clean look of a deep digital black in your virtual photography.
| As the next console generation arrives, which will you choose to play Spider-Man Miles Morales on?
| Winner: PS4
A difficult one to judge a winner as most of you intend to play the new Spider-Man on PS5 but have decided to start off on PS4 for now. Thankfully the upgrade process is free so you can have the best of both.
| Which of these do you think would be most fun for a light-hearted photo mode? Choose one...
| Winner: Sackboy: A Big Adventure
A hollow victory; it seems this topic didn't hit the mark and there wasn't much interest in general, but vote goes Sackboy's way.
024 | Fauna vs Flora
| Animals or plants; when it comes to the game world, which do you choose to capture most...?
| Winner: ...
Subscribe to the fortnightly newsletter for all the latest features from TheFourthFocus.com
[ Tags: #Community | #VirtualPhotography | #VPChooseDay ]
