I'm surprised you didn't mention interior worlds. that's another pure photography game that's kind of like a horror photography game with more of a focus on the photography than horror
You know, that's the first photography game I saw ages ago. I tried finding what it was for this video and couldn't find anything, it was like it had vanished. New list: Now a top 7 - Interior Worlds comes in at number 4. Above Eastshade, and below Season: A Letter To The Future.
Dunno how I got recommended this but looking forward to seeing it through, reminds me of some older video game essay videos I used to love. Thanks for uploading, excited for more!
Just a photo game recommendation, Sludge Life Its a parkour spraypainting game with a big photography element. Very grungy and stylized while also being a little comical. Great characters, great game
I stand firmly by that statement. I was genuinely lost for words when I was first watching clips of that game. Dreadful, bizarre...but I couldn't stop watching it
Hey, I just wanted to say thank you for covering this subject. As someone who's been into gaming longer than I have been into photography, it's interesting to see a non gamer outlook on video game photography. I've always thought games were surprisingly beautiful, being filled with breathtaking environments, just waiting to be captured. Games like Lushfoil Photography Sim and Sludge Life (as well as plenty of other games I have yet to play) have inspired me to make my RUclips channel. I can't wait to see the next videos in this exploration, and I can't wait to conduct my own research on video game photography. Also, I was able to download the demo for Lushfoil well after it's initial release back in June, and I've even had a close friend of mine download it as well. I'd love to see a video on the demo if you're able to play it.
You're very welcome, it was a really interesting subject to look into. Literally a couple of days after this video went live I saw in the Lushfoil discord that the demo went live again. I've played the main location and recorded a video I'm just editing at the moment, hoping to get it out tonight or tomorrow!
It's not exactly the main focus of it, but Dark Cloud 2 (Dark Chronicle in some regions) has a photography mechanic that is supposed to be your crafting system in a way. You take pictures of multiple items, and then you can mix them and create something new. Some NPC's even pose for you when you take pictures. It's great.
Thank you! I did consider including Sludge Life, but from my research I couldn't tell if the photography was a core gameplay mechanic or just a side mechanic. Love the aesthetic of the game though.
theres this mod in minecraft, "Exposure", which adds a film camera with functioning shutter speed and focal length which can be further modified by attaching lens, flash, or colored filters. The captured film must then be processed in the crafting table and a new block called the lightroom to then print the film into pictures that you could display in the world. The mod smartly integrates itself into the existing minecraft sytems that having it on wouldnt ruin the vanilla feel of the game, truly recommend checking 👍
Great Video! I thought this would have 300k+ views not 1.8k. I think it definitely picked up when you got to 'The 6 Good Photography Games' as your personal interest and enthusiasm made the narration more compelling. There is probably some demand for the niche of 'Real photographer plays 'x' game' and with your editing style I think you could produce some great videos while also highlighting some photography skills. I am definitely interested in seeing you play some of the games you talked about and details on your thought process when taking photos. Like in a video game do you take photo's as if you were standing in that location in real life or does the process change due to different abstract visuals? For example (I don't know much about photography) - In real life you always account for the sun because you like photo's with a certain light, but in video games the sun doesn't move so you can take photo's at different angles. Sorry about the long comment, but this video made me think about how often games attempt to 'simulate' something and fail to do so. However photography is a real life skill that might have the ability, to adapt to games inability to adjust to real life; which interests me.
Thank you! Can only hope to be hitting those numbers one day! I'm going to be putting out a video soon playing the demo of Lushfoil, and I purchased Umurangi Generation to play through further down the line as well, so we'll see how those go down. You raise a good point/some good questions. I suppose I'll see if I can answer them in future videos. Thank you for the support!
Great video!! For your video on games that feature photography modes I recommend the Gran Turismo series. While it was in the game prior to the 5th installment, it’s what got me into photography as a hobby. There’s lots of free range both in race replays and photomode locations. What was somewhat unique about the 5th game was these small-medium sized areas where you could freely place the car and walk around to get your desired photo. There are also a variety of camera settings to get the look you desire. Having played the majority of the games since GT5, I would say GT7 has the most “realistic” camera functionality and also includes far more image customization than the other games. However, GT5 had a photomode that allowed a range of movement that the “Scapes” in GT7 don’t always allow.
Thank you! Good suggestion, I think I saw some (I can only imagine GT7) photos a little while ago that looked pretty convincing, at least on my phone screen. Definitely a serious I'll look into!
My favorite is games like Death Stranding where they heavily advertised the photo mode and have contests for it but the way the photo mode works is super weird because it *only* rotates around the player character and you can't have anything between the camera and the player. Photo modes need to be a free cam, even if it's in a limited area around the player like the Forza games. I would think that Afrika game realistically would be the best of the safari games if it was remade. Basically a hunting game but with a well-simulated camera instead. The fact it had actual Sony camera bodies and lenses, there's definitely room for an actual safari photo sim.
I've come across a few games with photo modes that actively share the photos (AC Valhalla for example), but not any that run/ran contests. Definitely something I'd like to see more, especially with games getting so good graphically now. Definitely agree about photo modes needing freedom of movement. No point being creatively restricted in a photo mode. I could see Afrika taking the top safari spot if it was remade/remastered. I used HD upscaled footage for it, so it didn't look too bad actually, but the original resolution doesn't do the photos any good. With the power of modern PCs/consoles I could see a game like that being great. I'd love a Hunter: Call of the Wild type game around wildlife/landscape/travel photography. Loads of animals and birds, finding rare species, tracking animals. Like a Nat Geo photography sim. I doubt it'll ever be made, but you never know.
@@FirbyPhotography I think modern games now just make use of the fact PCs can screenshot and consoles have the "share" button or whatever. Older games like Dirt 3 had direct upload to YT buttons, it's jut not really a needed feature anymore with screenshots. That's how Death Stranding handles it, though I feel like the people doing the photo contests are probably on PC using a paid free-cam mod. Also lushfoil has a timed demo you can try.
Look, I haven't watched the whole thing yet. Heck, I'm 3 minutes in and I am thrilled that you did this video! for over 200 episodes I had a Twitch stream podcast on the topic we called "Gametography". Thank you for bringing some attention to this art form. Some of us have been featured not only in podcasts and game sites, but in galleries and published books on the topic. Whatever your end findings are, let me know if you want to have even more "exposure" (sorry) to the art form. Getting a subscribe from this Event and in-game photographer.
That Gametography series sounds like it was a really cool concept. It'd be grand if you could share your knowledge actually. In the next parts of this series I think it'd be great to look at in game photographers and projects, and where this largely unknown art form has been featured. Thank you for the comment and the Sub!
@@FirbyPhotography You bet! I can't wait to hear your thoughts in the future. How would one send you a link to the online gallery for you to have a look? I don't want to self promote on your content.
I'm not into photography ( I have no idea how this even got recommended) but I must say I have had several times where I loaded up a vr game, turned around and audibly said "Wow" at the view I was given. You bet your ass I photographed that moment.
Some things, virtual or real, just awaken the need to capture and remember. My interest in video game photography was actually sparked by a video essay I watched a little while back by @Cresendex "Megalophobia in Games". Very good video, would highly recommend giving it a watch if you've not seen it. That VR game with the floating heads just made me think that maybe the unreal can be worth photographing
You know, I did a lot of research, many hours, for this video, and somehow had never come across Martha Is Dead until this comment. Definitely looks like a really well done, and well placed photography mechanic! Thank you for commenting, I'll be checking that game out!
Great video, I thought only using games where photography is a core mechanic would be limiting but I was surprised to see there's a lot more games than I thought to be covered.
Thank you! I thought the same before I started researching the genre, I didn't realise so many actually existed. And this video didn't even come close to uncovering the whole genre, there's quite a few comments adding other photography games I didn't even come across. A bit of a hidden gem kind of discovery
First off: What a cool topic to make a video about! I've had only a few touching points with photography (in) games. The Zelda games for example have had photography mechanics going all the way back to the N64 as well which I think are worth mentioning. Putting an unreleased game in a top list is a bit dodgy or at least risky in today's gaming landscape though. You never know if it will actually release or deliver, though it looks pretty fresh. One great puzzle game with photo mechanics that I highly recommend is Viewfinder. It let's you walk inside your photos and play around with perspective in mind bending ways. It's not a photo game by your metric, but it's a pretty good game in general.
Thank you! I think that's the second comment mentioning the Zelda games. Will have to look into that for part 2. You can actually play the demo for Lushfoil now on steam. It wasn't available when making the video, but is now playable again. I may check it out myself in a future video!
Haven't watched the video yet, but one of my favorite parts of playing Sea of Thieves is screenshotting moments and my friend and I send each other our screenshots. I've never considered this "video game photography" but I mean....why not? We're capturing the moment, and I've gotten some really sweet shots! Looking forward to the rest of this video.
That's cool that you and your friend essentially trade in-game photos - photography is one of the best forms of communication we have! Thank you for watching and for commenting!
I never really thought about it as video game "photography" we always just call it screenshots 😂 to that point, the only photography video game i played is Pokemon Snap, which was an awesome game and actually made me interested in photography to take it as an elective in High School, didnt go anywhere with it, tho.
I suppose it's the same thing but different names, if you're putting thought into the screenshots (to capture something that looks nice, or to share information/communicate something) it's basically in-game photography
For sure. There's a lot of games out there with incredible graphics or stand out aesthetics that I've seen a fair bit of in game photography from. RDR 2 (in part thanks to its photo mode, but also its great graphics) is a big one. Recently played AC Valhalla, that's not a bag game for it either.
@@FirbyPhotography RDR2 also has an insanely comprehensive AI system. I believe there's a mod to play as any animal in the game, without adding any features to the animals because they are already so detailed in their general activities. I haven't looked too much into it, though, so I could be misremembering from the video I watched.
Aye, I've heard and seen only good things. Been meaning to play it for a while but never got round to it. Really, I'm going to have to if I'm going to do part 2 of this series justice.
Thank you! That's actually a massive compliment, I've not tried making something like this before so it's good to know it's going down well. Glad you enjoyed the video!
For the future parts, where you look at games with photography mechanics I'd recommend to check out the ARK games. Both have a pretty kitted out photo-mode and especially the newer of the two (ARK: Survival Ascended) has some great graphics. Awesome video, definitely deserves some algorithm attention.
great watch. i enjoy photography games, but i've always had the most fun with photography in open-world games not explicitly meant for it. gushing a little here, but i've taken a boatload of photos in Forza Horizon games over the years and i think it lends itself extremely well to the hobby. sure, the whole _point_ of the games is collecting and racing cars, but the maps in the Horizon series are vast and beautiful, and you'll find yourself under different weather effects, times of day and unique situations such as flinging yourself off a ramp alongside a random player by sheer happenstance... all great for snapping photos. (i always felt like a bit of a tool when, from the other player's perspective, there's this cool moment emerging and then it's ruined by one car freezing in place & ghosting with IN PHOTO MODE showing up above their car...) there's a decent array of settings and filters, too. the motion blur effect is quite impressive and fun to play around with using shutter speed and stationary/tracking settings. could say similar things about a lot of open-world games admittedly, but i've never gotten into it as deeply as with Horizon.
I've always been impressed by Forza's graphics, not really played any of them though. I've heard good things about the photos mode, so I'll definitely have to check Forza out for part 2. I'm curious, what do you do with your Forza photos? Do you share them online? Or is there an in game photography sharing/viewing thing?
minecraft made me take more photos than any game. if a game has exploration where you see something new almost all the time id most likely take a ton of photos.
I fully understand that, the freedom to discover goes hand in hand with photography. I'm definitely going to look at Minecraft for part 3, but I'm not sure if I should keep it vanilla or use shaders. Maybe I'll try both.
I'm surprised you didn't mention interior worlds. that's another pure photography game that's kind of like a horror photography game with more of a focus on the photography than horror
You know, that's the first photography game I saw ages ago. I tried finding what it was for this video and couldn't find anything, it was like it had vanished.
New list:
Now a top 7 - Interior Worlds comes in at number 4. Above Eastshade, and below Season: A Letter To The Future.
Dunno how I got recommended this but looking forward to seeing it through, reminds me of some older video game essay videos I used to love. Thanks for uploading, excited for more!
Thank you! I really appreciate it 🙌🏻
Right? Was shocked to see only 300 views.
Just a photo game recommendation, Sludge Life
Its a parkour spraypainting game with a big photography element. Very grungy and stylized while also being a little comical. Great characters, great game
I've heard good things about Sludge Life. Firmly on my list to play!
"You'd have to be on some absolute *substances* to produce a game like this.... I mean that as as diss and as a compliment"
lmao
I stand firmly by that statement. I was genuinely lost for words when I was first watching clips of that game. Dreadful, bizarre...but I couldn't stop watching it
I somehow expected you to talk about photo mode in games. But that's still a journey that was very pleasant to follow.
Don't worry, I'll be covering exactly that in part 2!
Hey, I just wanted to say thank you for covering this subject. As someone who's been into gaming longer than I have been into photography, it's interesting to see a non gamer outlook on video game photography.
I've always thought games were surprisingly beautiful, being filled with breathtaking environments, just waiting to be captured. Games like Lushfoil Photography Sim and Sludge Life (as well as plenty of other games I have yet to play) have inspired me to make my RUclips channel. I can't wait to see the next videos in this exploration, and I can't wait to conduct my own research on video game photography.
Also, I was able to download the demo for Lushfoil well after it's initial release back in June, and I've even had a close friend of mine download it as well. I'd love to see a video on the demo if you're able to play it.
You're very welcome, it was a really interesting subject to look into.
Literally a couple of days after this video went live I saw in the Lushfoil discord that the demo went live again. I've played the main location and recorded a video I'm just editing at the moment, hoping to get it out tonight or tomorrow!
It's not exactly the main focus of it, but Dark Cloud 2 (Dark Chronicle in some regions) has a photography mechanic that is supposed to be your crafting system in a way. You take pictures of multiple items, and then you can mix them and create something new.
Some NPC's even pose for you when you take pictures. It's great.
Interesting mechanic. Not heard of that game, will have to look into it!
Excited to see more! I have spent hours in Sludge Life taking pics of the weird NPCs
Thank you! I did consider including Sludge Life, but from my research I couldn't tell if the photography was a core gameplay mechanic or just a side mechanic. Love the aesthetic of the game though.
I think using game mechanics and scenes to compose artful shots (outside of dedicated photography games) would be worth exploring
100% I'll be covering that in the next 2 parts of this series!
theres this mod in minecraft, "Exposure", which adds a film camera with functioning shutter speed and focal length which can be further modified by attaching lens, flash, or colored filters. The captured film must then be processed in the crafting table and a new block called the lightroom to then print the film into pictures that you could display in the world. The mod smartly integrates itself into the existing minecraft sytems that having it on wouldnt ruin the vanilla feel of the game, truly recommend checking 👍
Sounds like a shout. I wonder if it would work with shaders? Would be interesting to see the difference between vanilla and shaders.
@@FirbyPhotography it does work with shaders! i used seus and the view of underwater lightshaft over coral reefs is to drown for
Great Video! I thought this would have 300k+ views not 1.8k. I think it definitely picked up when you got to 'The 6 Good Photography Games' as your personal interest and enthusiasm made the narration more compelling.
There is probably some demand for the niche of 'Real photographer plays 'x' game' and with your editing style I think you could produce some great videos while also highlighting some photography skills.
I am definitely interested in seeing you play some of the games you talked about and details on your thought process when taking photos.
Like in a video game do you take photo's as if you were standing in that location in real life or does the process change due to different abstract visuals? For example (I don't know much about photography) - In real life you always account for the sun because you like photo's with a certain light, but in video games the sun doesn't move so you can take photo's at different angles.
Sorry about the long comment, but this video made me think about how often games attempt to 'simulate' something and fail to do so.
However photography is a real life skill that might have the ability, to adapt to games inability to adjust to real life; which interests me.
Thank you! Can only hope to be hitting those numbers one day!
I'm going to be putting out a video soon playing the demo of Lushfoil, and I purchased Umurangi Generation to play through further down the line as well, so we'll see how those go down.
You raise a good point/some good questions. I suppose I'll see if I can answer them in future videos.
Thank you for the support!
Great video!! For your video on games that feature photography modes I recommend the Gran Turismo series.
While it was in the game prior to the 5th installment, it’s what got me into photography as a hobby. There’s lots of free range both in race replays and photomode locations. What was somewhat unique about the 5th game was these small-medium sized areas where you could freely place the car and walk around to get your desired photo. There are also a variety of camera settings to get the look you desire.
Having played the majority of the games since GT5, I would say GT7 has the most “realistic” camera functionality and also includes far more image customization than the other games. However, GT5 had a photomode that allowed a range of movement that the “Scapes” in GT7 don’t always allow.
Thank you! Good suggestion, I think I saw some (I can only imagine GT7) photos a little while ago that looked pretty convincing, at least on my phone screen. Definitely a serious I'll look into!
My favorite is games like Death Stranding where they heavily advertised the photo mode and have contests for it but the way the photo mode works is super weird because it *only* rotates around the player character and you can't have anything between the camera and the player. Photo modes need to be a free cam, even if it's in a limited area around the player like the Forza games.
I would think that Afrika game realistically would be the best of the safari games if it was remade. Basically a hunting game but with a well-simulated camera instead. The fact it had actual Sony camera bodies and lenses, there's definitely room for an actual safari photo sim.
I've come across a few games with photo modes that actively share the photos (AC Valhalla for example), but not any that run/ran contests. Definitely something I'd like to see more, especially with games getting so good graphically now.
Definitely agree about photo modes needing freedom of movement. No point being creatively restricted in a photo mode.
I could see Afrika taking the top safari spot if it was remade/remastered. I used HD upscaled footage for it, so it didn't look too bad actually, but the original resolution doesn't do the photos any good. With the power of modern PCs/consoles I could see a game like that being great. I'd love a Hunter: Call of the Wild type game around wildlife/landscape/travel photography. Loads of animals and birds, finding rare species, tracking animals. Like a Nat Geo photography sim. I doubt it'll ever be made, but you never know.
@@FirbyPhotography I think modern games now just make use of the fact PCs can screenshot and consoles have the "share" button or whatever. Older games like Dirt 3 had direct upload to YT buttons, it's jut not really a needed feature anymore with screenshots. That's how Death Stranding handles it, though I feel like the people doing the photo contests are probably on PC using a paid free-cam mod.
Also lushfoil has a timed demo you can try.
Just posted a video playing the Lushfoil timed demo!
Look, I haven't watched the whole thing yet. Heck, I'm 3 minutes in and I am thrilled that you did this video! for over 200 episodes I had a Twitch stream podcast on the topic we called "Gametography". Thank you for bringing some attention to this art form. Some of us have been featured not only in podcasts and game sites, but in galleries and published books on the topic. Whatever your end findings are, let me know if you want to have even more "exposure" (sorry) to the art form. Getting a subscribe from this Event and in-game photographer.
That Gametography series sounds like it was a really cool concept. It'd be grand if you could share your knowledge actually. In the next parts of this series I think it'd be great to look at in game photographers and projects, and where this largely unknown art form has been featured. Thank you for the comment and the Sub!
@@FirbyPhotography You bet! I can't wait to hear your thoughts in the future. How would one send you a link to the online gallery for you to have a look? I don't want to self promote on your content.
I'm not into photography ( I have no idea how this even got recommended) but I must say I have had several times where I loaded up a vr game, turned around and audibly said "Wow" at the view I was given. You bet your ass I photographed that moment.
Some things, virtual or real, just awaken the need to capture and remember. My interest in video game photography was actually sparked by a video essay I watched a little while back by @Cresendex "Megalophobia in Games". Very good video, would highly recommend giving it a watch if you've not seen it. That VR game with the floating heads just made me think that maybe the unreal can be worth photographing
the horror game martha is dead probably has the best implementatino of the manual analog process and its not held back by the horrorgame genre.
You know, I did a lot of research, many hours, for this video, and somehow had never come across Martha Is Dead until this comment. Definitely looks like a really well done, and well placed photography mechanic! Thank you for commenting, I'll be checking that game out!
Great video, I thought only using games where photography is a core mechanic would be limiting but I was surprised to see there's a lot more games than I thought to be covered.
Thank you! I thought the same before I started researching the genre, I didn't realise so many actually existed. And this video didn't even come close to uncovering the whole genre, there's quite a few comments adding other photography games I didn't even come across. A bit of a hidden gem kind of discovery
First off: What a cool topic to make a video about! I've had only a few touching points with photography (in) games. The Zelda games for example have had photography mechanics going all the way back to the N64 as well which I think are worth mentioning. Putting an unreleased game in a top list is a bit dodgy or at least risky in today's gaming landscape though. You never know if it will actually release or deliver, though it looks pretty fresh.
One great puzzle game with photo mechanics that I highly recommend is Viewfinder. It let's you walk inside your photos and play around with perspective in mind bending ways. It's not a photo game by your metric, but it's a pretty good game in general.
Thank you! I think that's the second comment mentioning the Zelda games. Will have to look into that for part 2. You can actually play the demo for Lushfoil now on steam. It wasn't available when making the video, but is now playable again. I may check it out myself in a future video!
Haven't watched the video yet, but one of my favorite parts of playing Sea of Thieves is screenshotting moments and my friend and I send each other our screenshots. I've never considered this "video game photography" but I mean....why not? We're capturing the moment, and I've gotten some really sweet shots! Looking forward to the rest of this video.
That's cool that you and your friend essentially trade in-game photos - photography is one of the best forms of communication we have! Thank you for watching and for commenting!
I never really thought about it as video game "photography" we always just call it screenshots 😂 to that point, the only photography video game i played is Pokemon Snap, which was an awesome game and actually made me interested in photography to take it as an elective in High School, didnt go anywhere with it, tho.
I suppose it's the same thing but different names, if you're putting thought into the screenshots (to capture something that looks nice, or to share information/communicate something) it's basically in-game photography
@@FirbyPhotography that's what I was thinking, I know people often set up really nice shots in games like Skyrim when they heavily mod the graphics.
For sure. There's a lot of games out there with incredible graphics or stand out aesthetics that I've seen a fair bit of in game photography from. RDR 2 (in part thanks to its photo mode, but also its great graphics) is a big one. Recently played AC Valhalla, that's not a bag game for it either.
@@FirbyPhotography RDR2 also has an insanely comprehensive AI system. I believe there's a mod to play as any animal in the game, without adding any features to the animals because they are already so detailed in their general activities. I haven't looked too much into it, though, so I could be misremembering from the video I watched.
Aye, I've heard and seen only good things. Been meaning to play it for a while but never got round to it. Really, I'm going to have to if I'm going to do part 2 of this series justice.
watched while cleaning my room, very engaging even though i have no interest in this lol!!!
Well that's good. Certainly didn't think this was your kinda thing 😂 so I've a knack for video essays then?
@@FirbyPhotography definitely
I'm a very light photographer (It's more like a fun hobby over anything) but this topic is very interesting and I like your presentation style!
Thank you! That's actually a massive compliment, I've not tried making something like this before so it's good to know it's going down well. Glad you enjoyed the video!
@@FirbyPhotography happy to support!
For the future parts, where you look at games with photography mechanics I'd recommend to check out the ARK games. Both have a pretty kitted out photo-mode and especially the newer of the two (ARK: Survival Ascended) has some great graphics.
Awesome video, definitely deserves some algorithm attention.
Thank you! I'll add the Ark games to the list to research, I didn't even know they had a photo mode so cheers for that 🙌🏻
great video
Thank you!
great watch. i enjoy photography games, but i've always had the most fun with photography in open-world games not explicitly meant for it.
gushing a little here, but i've taken a boatload of photos in Forza Horizon games over the years and i think it lends itself extremely well to the hobby. sure, the whole _point_ of the games is collecting and racing cars, but the maps in the Horizon series are vast and beautiful, and you'll find yourself under different weather effects, times of day and unique situations such as flinging yourself off a ramp alongside a random player by sheer happenstance... all great for snapping photos. (i always felt like a bit of a tool when, from the other player's perspective, there's this cool moment emerging and then it's ruined by one car freezing in place & ghosting with IN PHOTO MODE showing up above their car...) there's a decent array of settings and filters, too. the motion blur effect is quite impressive and fun to play around with using shutter speed and stationary/tracking settings.
could say similar things about a lot of open-world games admittedly, but i've never gotten into it as deeply as with Horizon.
I've always been impressed by Forza's graphics, not really played any of them though. I've heard good things about the photos mode, so I'll definitely have to check Forza out for part 2.
I'm curious, what do you do with your Forza photos? Do you share them online? Or is there an in game photography sharing/viewing thing?
minecraft made me take more photos than any game. if a game has exploration where you see something new almost all the time id most likely take a ton of photos.
I fully understand that, the freedom to discover goes hand in hand with photography. I'm definitely going to look at Minecraft for part 3, but I'm not sure if I should keep it vanilla or use shaders. Maybe I'll try both.
👍
👍🏻