VP Interview: Svid.vp

Today's interview is with Yuri aka Svid.vp. In my opinion he is the most prolific and iconic photographer of Horizon Zero Dawn, but also is by no means a one trick pony, having proven his skill set in other games as well. During this interview we focused on his love of the game, what drives him and we touch upon difficulties he has had with the online theft of his work.

Yuri, what made you delve into the virtual photography hobby and what does the hobby mean to you?

Well I started my virtual photography adventure back in 2013 when Bioshock Infinite came on PC, so I started to learn all things and adapting some techniques from my real photography into the virtual world.
In 2014 due to lack of time I quit posting and made shots from time to time for myself as wallpapers but was quiet in social media like steam or twitter.
In 2017, a close person to me passed away and that person always enjoyed my shots and I started to post again, as a reminder for me that this person really admired and loved my pictures. Ever since I keep posting and thinking: does he like this up stairs?

Horizon Zero Dawn shot by Svid.vp

Now there is no escaping the fact that you are a huge fan of Horizon Zero Dawn. How did you come to be so connected with this game and why did it become such a personal passion?

A close friend introduced me to Horizon Zero Dawn back in July 2017 and I was pretty impressed with the game so decided to buy a PS4 Pro. Ever since I love and admire the game even more each day, discovering new things and opportunities for portraits/ landscaped and such.

Horizon Zero Dawn shot by Svid.vp

 My big weakness is of course, Aloy portraits which I really love and enjoy to take. In my opinion, Aloy is one of the most beautiful female characters in a game. I really admire her character and personality as well as her beauty.

Horizon Zero Dawn shot by Svid.vp

Out of all the subjects and scenes you photograph, which is your favourite and why?

There are a lot of styles out there but the most iconic for me is portraits.
Getting closeups, using depth of field and the environment in the world in your favour to create the ultimate portrait is always a joy. I really love taking the shadow versus light portraits that make the character really stand out to make the most out of it.

Horizon Zero Dawn shot by Svid.vp

Now being such a prolific and standout virtual photographer, you have drawn the attention of many. Sadly this means many of your shots have been taken and used by others. Can you tell us a little about this journey and how you dealt with it?

This is pretty complicated topic to discuss so i'll try to make it simple. Legally, I can't really do much about it as a virtual photographer. Involving lawyers and taking legal actions is time consuming and because in most cases, the action is international, there is additional costs for it.

The best and the easiest way to battle this situation is just to place a watermark on your screenshots on tricky places so they can't crop it. The problem is, it ruins the shot and sometimes can make it look ugly. I just place it on the corner and hope for the best. But I have to note the awesome vp community that cares about each other, report thieves and are supportive and for that I'm grateful.
People should be inspired from other's work, not stealing. Learning from each other rather than steal other's work and claim as your own.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider shot by Svid.vp

Now back onto a more positive question. How much would you say Horizon Zero Dawn has changed your life?

This is the game that actually made me start posting again, but this time even on Instagram and Twitter. Most of the time I used flickr but because it's the number 1 source for theft I prefer to use the others as Instagram's community and Twitter are much more friendly.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider  shot by Svid.vp

Thanks to this game I have also met some amazing people and partners and I'm thankful for.

The game also changed my point of view in regards to virtual photography and made me to pay attention to all details in game. Sometimes the smallest things can make a huge difference in terms of composition and the overall capture.

Horizon Zero Dawn shot by Svid.vp

Aside from Horizon Zero Dawn what other games do you like to take shots in and why?

Except Horizon Zero Dawn, I shoot on my PC in games like Tomb Raider, Metro series, Assassin's Creed Odyssey and games that have either Ansel by Nvidia or any 3rd party injectable camera (or mods for it) Keeping an open mind to test my skills in new games all the time.

Metro Exodus shot by Svid.vp

Finally the inevitable question: What are your thoughts on the rumoured sequel? What do you hope is contained within it and how could it beat the original in your eyes?

I'm really optimistic about the next game and I hope to see improvements like, bigger map, more weapons and outfits to fulfil my passion for Aloy closeups.

Horizon Zero Dawn shot by Svid.vp