VP Interview: Ghostly Fog Crawler

 

The world of virtual photography is as diverse as any art form. People take to it for different reasons and also have various ways of approaching the hobby. Today we have an interview with Ghostly Fog Crawler who was featured for both her Fallout 76 work here and her Red Dead Redemption Online shots here. 

Below we get a greater insight into the person behind the shots and discover what drives that creativity!

All shots on this page were taken by Ghostly Fog Crawler for more of her wonderful work check out her page here.

Fallout 76

What got you into Virtual Photography and why does it mean so much to you?

I was not into virtual photography as my page was starting off as a story platform. Later on I took more photos rather than wrote. I was told the Fallout 76 is an ugly game so I decided to prove them wrong. Now I have found an amazing amount of stunning scenes in other games too, which has got me to expand my page into other games too.

Most of your shots come from online games with a lack of photo mode. How do you get past that obstacle and embrace the medium of virtual photography?

I take screenshots with no visible hud if no photo mode, or if there is a cinematic mode. They usually provide nice angles for shots. I end up using these sometimes even there would be a photo mode! Again it requires me to explore the world with friends or alone, and the situation I feel would be great for a photo happens along the way.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Online

Out of all the games you have played and shot. Which mean the most to you and why?

Fallout 76 most likely on this account means most, as my page was built around the characters in it. The game is really much fun with friends and the community amazes me daily with stunning shots.

Later came other more aesthetic games like Red Dead Redemption 2 (the Online version), and then also the Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint with amazing photo mode and scenery, which I do adore a lot.

Ghost Recon: Breakpoint

It is clear that you have a love for Fallout 76, How has the journey as a photographer and a gamer treated you in the post-apocalyptic world?

Very nicely. I get all my ideas for my photos as we quest or mess around with friends. Luckily I am also surrounded with people with similar interests, and they allow me to just suddenly 'hop' off from the main event and go taking photos.

Currently the actual virtual photography has become more and more stressful, so I'll be going back to my story telling. It was fun while it lasted, but I need to enjoy this hobby rather than start feeling anxiety over every post I make.

What draws you into creating your own characters and narratives within the worlds you play in and out of all of your original characters, who is your favourite?

I love writing stories, starting the Fallout 76 story page was something I had never done, as previous stories I had written were not in English, but in Finnish as the MMORPG I played contained a massive amount of my countrymen. (1200 people in the guild I was in). So also this 'new' way of finding a way to play with words in this foreign language, has been a challenge, and a joy to do. 

I fail often, and am grateful to some of the people in the community to point them out, allowing my grammar to grow in the right direction, and motivating me to write more. I enjoy bringing my characters to life and getting many messages of inspiring people to start writing their own stories also warms my heart tremendously.

My all time favourite character is - who else - than Aster. I also had worked the longest with my Enclavist Julia, and fell for my Communist sisters Lilith and Svetlana. But still Aster holds a special place in my heart and therefore she is the most commonly written character of my stories. In the PDF book I am working on, all my characters will be working together/against each other, around Aster's story, who is starring it. We'll see how that works out.

Are there any other games that you would like to explore or any that you are looking forward to the release of?

I am currently playing Borderlands 3, continuing my Forza Horizon enthusiasm in the 4th game, Ghost Recon, and soon diving into Sea of Thieves too as some of my friends are playing it. 

The only release date I have been keeping my eye out is for Diablo IV. I will have to actually most likely take a time off from Instagram as it comes out, and just feast on the new chapter of the legendary tales.

Being an avid virtual photographer who doesn't use a photo mode often, do you have any advice for those who are reluctant to explore without that kind of setting?

Many games nowadays have the actual photo mode, of some sort, but the ones that have not, usually the HUD is hideable, which allows you to take clean screenshots of even action moments, views, sunsets, starry skies only the sky's the limit!

Playing on consoles sometimes the HUD is not completely hidden, so skills in cropping and having high quality photos is sometimes needed in games where photo mode is not a thing. Also patience and exploring the possibilities of the game is always good for the skills on virtual photography, even when using the photo mode.

I play through all platforms Fallout 76 and Red Dead Redemption 2. So what I have learned is that on PC (as my PC is getting old) and I have no 4k screen on it yet.The photos taken on PC require a lot eye for lighting and backgrounds to make the character or item to pop out even remotely clear. As I do not mod any other than Minecraft from my games on PC, I have to really work for the photos. Sometimes I might get lost for hours on trying to get exactly the photo I want even on my PS4 and XBox One, which requires my friends to have a lot of patience when it comes to taking photos with me, and I am blessed to have such friends. I just can not take a pose and snap a photo. I mean I can, but it usually ends up something I don't feel good about. 

So whatever platforms you're playing I am sure the photos you come up with are amazing! The Fallout Community has phenomenal, actual virtual photographers, who most likely could give tips on editing and apps to use, as I don't use anything else than my phone's photo gallery edits to mainly crop if ever needed.

Read Dead Redemption Online: Ghosty Fog Crawler

 

Last week I featured the work of Ghostly Fog Crawler and I thought it would be good to do another showcase before an upcoming VP interview. Here we have her Read Dead Online photography. A truly beautiful work of art, the game allows virtual photographers to capture a real period of history. 

Ghostly Fog Crawler showcases a range of beautifully serene shots with her character Rozella-Ann and horse, moseying across the landscape. Each shot showing the bond between the pair as they venture through the world together.

The lighting and positioning is wonderful for an online game lacking a photo mode. Hopefully one day we will see the Rockstar Editor land for RDR2.  Until that day we have the delights of accounts like Ghostly Fog Crawler to keep us topped up with the beauty of the virtual western world. 

To see more of their work check out Ghostly Fog Crawler here on Instagram.

Red Dead Redemption 2: Bittersweet Wonderful

Recently I discovered the work of Bittersweet Wonderful over on Instagram. Their work is stunning. Using depth of field and both the foreground and background to their advantage, this talented virtual photographer goes a step beyond the norm.

The use of particle effects and reflections is inspiring and extends the emotional range of the piece. 

Whether its colour or black and white the shots are consistently emotive and reflect the games setting perfectly. For more of their work, check out their page here.

Red Dead Redemption 2: Emerald Rancher

The Emerald Rancher's work really evokes all of the feelings in the Red Dead Redemption series. The atmosphere is captured perfectly as well as the pace of life.

Raw emotion and long moseying journeys are both shot perfectly, allowing the observer to connect with that moment in time.

Whether it be the stagnant swamps, snowy mountains or the exchange of bullets every shot has a story. For more of her work click here.

Red Dead Redemption 2: Gaming Turtle

Gaming Turtle is one of those virtual photographers that goes from strength to strength. Over the time I have followed her she has refined her look and tastes in what she shoots and developed her own style. 

Her latest nature photography in Red Dead Redemption 2 drew my attention and led to this showcase. 

Despite not having a high spec PC or a newer console, she manages to work wonders with a standard PS4 in bringing the scenes of focus to life. 

For more of her work check out her profile here. 

What is Virtual Photography?

Assassins Creed Origins by Myself

Virtual Photography is a modern movement that has attracted both avid photographers, digital artists and gamers all over the globe. Seen by some as a casual hobby and others as an art form, the community has seen a huge increase of members within the year. 

With real photography, to become a pro you have to have money to buy the hardware, a decent camera, equipment and a photo editing suite with a computer good enough to run it. The photographer can then travel to destinations, work with models and wait for the perfect light level and weather condition to take the perfect shot. Of course this will not be the same for every photographer and like any art form, every photographer is different in their methods, aims, ideas and inspiration.  Virtual photography requires none of the above, a virtual photographer can start their journey with a games console or PC and one game that has a built-in photo mode. Most of these games have a few filters, photo editing options and the ability to freeze the game and travel around a scene. 

Star Wars: The Fallen Order by Leonardo Zuno

Personally I am an introvert, I dislike being around people and have a lot of issues being outdoors for long periods of time. For me, Virtual Photography has been a hobby for two solid years. Long have I dreamed that I could take photographs of rich landscapes, beautiful people and scenes of raw emotion. Now within a few seconds I can turn on my PS4 Pro or my PC and be away in a world playing God.  Time freezes at any moment I choose, I can pan around people without worrying about personal space and I can take as long as I like as I am not paying anyone by the hour to be there.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider by Juan Jose Barra

Many games such as Horizon Zero Dawn and many Ubisoft titles have the ability to also change the time of day and weather. This allows photographers, both novice and master, to get the perfect lighting that they desire for any given shot. Cutting down on waiting for the right time of day to pass in game and relying on that moment. Even without such modes people strive to attain the best shots they can. The Red Dead Redemption 2 online community is a fantastic example of this. With no online photo mode players have to rely on each other to work as in game photographers. Due to this the game has developed a huge community of photographers that have embraced not only the game and its mechanics but also the role play aspect of being in an expansive western world. 

Red Dead Redemption 2 by Ana Kandrose

Having been active in the community for a year I have met and communicated with many people across Instagram. I have met people from all walks of life from the ages of 17 all the way up to 63. The majority are kind-hearted and driven by what they do. Like anywhere on the internet there will be those that are not so positive. It is easily the most positive online community I have ever been a part of. One recurring theme is that I am not alone. Many, but not all of the virtual photography community have some barrier in life, be it social anxiety, a lack in self confidence or a more prominent physical or mental disability. Of course there are plenty of individuals that have none of the above, but for me knowing there are others out there that have found joy doing something I also love, makes the experience even more enriching. 

A shot from The Witcher 3 by Wolfwithashield. The game has no photomode on the PS4 or Xbox

Virtual photography is more than just a hobby for most of us, it is a way to express ourselves, like any artist. It is more than simply fan art of the games we love and enjoy, but a journey that we have been on. Anyone that spends even a few brief minutes looking at the collection of virtual photography images out there, will see that a lot of photographers have developed their own distinct style and have connected with a wide variety of games. Some stick to those titles that are beautiful, already have a great built in photo mode and are on a higher end console and PC, while others explore different titles, find PC modes or use software like Ansel, to allow non photo mode games to suddenly be explored in new ways.  A lot of virtual photographers pride themselves on their editing techniques. I personally use a handful of apps on my iPhone, whereas others use far more advanced software and dedicate a lot of time getting that perfectly tuned edit. 

The likelihood is that if you are reading this article, you are already a part of this amazing movement, but if by the off-chance you are not, I implore you to check out the amazing shift in gaming. Take some time out of your day to look at this passionate art form that draws so many into its vibrant waves and enjoy where the journey takes you.