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.

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey - Atom X

 

I featured Atom X some time ago in a showcase for his comic-book Fallout 76 shots. You'll be pleased to know now he has made a return to the blog. Recently featured on Ubisoft Quebec's Fan of the Month today I feature his photography from Assassin's Creed: Odyssey.

Each holds a dream-like quality, a soft focus giving it them mystical, distant and heroic feel. Not only does this portray the epic nature of the game, but also the nice costume change of Alexios old, blindfolded and grey haired, gives the impression of the hero long after his quest has ended. 

Perhaps giving us an impression on what could have become of the hero had the fates been different. 

For more of his stunning work check out his Instagram page here.

Marvel's Avengers: The Undead Pixel

 

When the Marvel's Avengers teaser came out to those that had pre-ordered it, I was eager to see virtual photographer's shots. The game looked lacking graphically and judging from peoples work, in comparison to their normal shots, it seemed the game really was not up to standard when compared with most modern games.

I downloaded the demo when it was free to play for everyone on seeing the work of The Undead Pixel. He made the game look amazing, proving how photo mode is a brilliant marketing platform for any company (I'm looking at you Capcom). 

As you can see from his selection of portraiture selected here that he took from the game, it looks astounding. The colours, the light and shadow even the ambience is strong. Each shot is coated in an atmosphere of emotion. 

Having now played the demo I can say with the up most confidence that this is down to the skills of the photographer. The game doesn't look great, the photo mode was very poor and there were large sections where photos could not be taken. 

With this in mind I implore you to check out the work and gallery of The Undead Pixel. He puts as much effort into the rest of his photography as he does these. You will not be disappointed. Check out his gallery here.

Normally I would only use four photos on the showcase, but due to how awkward the game is and the lack of amazing photography out there of the game, I felt it only just to upload a few extra. These are a stunning example of what happens when you push yourself beyond taking a shot in a game and go that step further to attaining your vision. 

Fallout 76: Ghostly Fog Crawler

Ghostly Fog Crawler is easily one of my favourite Fallout photographers. Fallout 76 was not well received but despite this it has a solid fan base that embrace it with all their heart. 

In her work we can see just how much Ghostly Fog Crawler adores the world and the characters that she has created. 

Each shot brings with it both the grit of the post apocalyptic setting but also juxtaposes this with bright and vibrant colours, giving it a powerful comic book feel.

A lot of virtual photographers shoot the fallout worlds drab and depressing or the opposite and make it totally madcap and silly. Both of course are cool, but what makes Ghostly Fog Crawler stand out is that she turns it into a vibrant and slick world that I would want to be a part of.  

For more of their work check out the Instagram profile here.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - Jet Black Gaming

Jet_black_gaming excels at portraiture. Across their virtual photography gallery you see not only a whole host of photo mode content games, but also an array of amazing characters shot in many different locations, atmospheres and poses. 

Today's feature focuses on Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and like many of his followers, I would have to say that Jet Black's shots of Chloe really are the best out there. From treasure hunter to cover model, we see Chloe in a variety of provocative poses drenched in water. For more of Jet Black's work check out their page here.

Ghost of Tsushima - VP Vibrancy

Ghost of Tsushima was released on Friday and what a game it is. Not being able to afford games on release at the moment, I was lucky enough to have Enthusiast Gamer let me share play his for an hour on the games release. I watched him immerse for a while before having a turn myself and then I watched him conquer some Mongol outposts and progress in the story. 

The game achieves all it sets out to do. Visually stunning it through me straight into the world of a Kurosawa movie, stoic, violent and beautiful. It took my breath away.  

While the photo mode is astounding and very well developed and the games visuals are pretty much perfect, what sold me even more was the combat. Fluid, cinematic and rewarding you have to play it to really get a feel for it. Just in a mere three hours experience, I could not recommend the game highly enough.

The Last of Us Part 2: Lunargames

The Last of Us Part 2 has moved many. Most seem to adore it, some hate it but I think anything creative that causes a mix of opinion is good. It means boundaries are being pushed and perhaps expectations changed. 

The beauty of art and creativity is it is a different experience for everyone. Despite seeing many showcases of The Last of Us, here Lunargames shows us the game through her own eyes. 

Lunar's use of colour and setting is consistent across all of her virtual photography. Bold and beautiful, her work pops and is pleasing to the eye.She has a wonderful range of games across her profile and will try her hand shooting any game with or without a photo mode. Like all true creatives this challenge promotes growth in her skill set and she is flourishing.

For more of Lunargames' work check out her profile here.

The Last of Us: Captured Games

Rounding up the end of The Last of Us showcase, we have the work of Captured Games.  

As these shots show, they are well adapted to portrait photography. Across their profile you can see portraits of the protagonists from a variety of photo mode games. 

Well shot, emotive and dramatic, each shot tells a story and often reveals a lot about a character just at a glance. While a lot of virtual photographers shoot exclusively portraits, Captured Games keeps it varied and fresh, mixing up the game, angle and setting of each shot.

Captured Games is well worth a follow, especially if you are into the beauty of PS4 exclusives. Check out their page here.

Battlefield V: p0nsy_gc

p0nsy may only have been active on Instagram in his VP account since April but within that short space of time he has shown that he is as diverse as he is enthusiastic. 

His ability to capture wonderful shots even from games without a photo mode such as Battlefield V, immediately perked my interest. Not only does p0nsy do this well, but is proof that you do not need a solid photo mode to be creative and take pictures within a game you love and adore. 

The mood, energy and colour captured are brilliant and I implore you to give him a follow. If like me perhaps you wear thin of the constant barrage of certain photo mode games eating up your feed, p0nsy's work makes for a welcome and beautiful change of pace.

To see more of his work, check out his page here.

The Last of Us: Bombeardcaps

The Last of Us by Bombeardcaps

Today we have a showcase from Bombeardcaps. Virtual photography aside, one thing I adore about their profile is the organisation. Playing one game and posting their last played, allows us to have a visual journey of not only a single game but also their experience with it. 

The Last of Us by Bombeardcaps

The majority of good virtual photography, much like real world photography tells a story, and it is here on Bombeard's profile we see it. Each shot in its own right is full of emotion and depth, but side by side with the others it allows the viewer to see the photographers progression throughout the game's journey.

The Last of Us by Bombeardcaps

Currently they are uploading Assassin's Creed Origins, but the The Last of Us Part 2 is being played. I implore you to check out more of their work here and in time, there will be much more of The Last of Us 2 to follow on from these wonderful shots. 

The Last of Us by Bombeardcaps

The Last of Us Part 2 by Leonardoxangel

The Last of Us Part 2 by Leonardoxangel

Leo has been featured on this blog prior to this showcase and was interviewed about his virtual photography a few months ago. Now he is back with his Last of Us 2 photography.

The Last of Us Part 2 by Leonardoxangel

Having fallen for the framing and cinematic option in Deathstranding, Leonardoxangel showcases his new found passion with these shots from the Last of Us 2.

The Last of Us Part 2 by Leonardoxangel

I think you will agree that he has come on leaps and bounds from his older work. Like any good creative he has proven that with a constant pursuit of his hobby and being adventurous, improvement comes naturally. 

The Last of Us Part 2 by Leonardoxangel

What started out as a page mainly of elegant portrait pictures has now developed into a far more ambitious and cinematic spectacle. I love seeing creativity develop and the creatives go into new territories that they previously did not explore. For more of his fantastic work check out his profile here.