Gaming
Games
GAMING: Here's everything you need to know about in-game photography?
Many people might not realise in-game photography has become a popular hobby (and job) for aspiring photographers and videographers who have a love for gaming.
Chris 'CHRISinSESSION' Taljaard is an in-game photographer and videographer. Many people might not realise in-game photography has become a popular hobby (and job) for aspiring photographers and videographers who have a love for gaming. When you see those beautiful “screenshots” from the games you love, they’ve been taken while playing the game.
CHRISinSESSION is a South African born in-game photographer and videographer originally hailing from the Eastern Cape, though he has spent the last three years in South East Asia. He has always been an avid gamer who loves titles such as Horizon Zero Dawn, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag, Formula 1, God of War, Dirt Rally 2.0 and Gran Turismo. He originally started shooting video games in 2010 with Battlefield Bad Company 2. When he began he mainly focused on cinematics because of his background in real life videography and photography.
In-game photography
© Chris 'CHRISinSESSION' Taljaard
His personal favourite piece of his work is a Horizon Zero Dawn showcase video. He calls it his love letter to the world of Horizon Zero Dawn:
So what exactly is an in-game photographer? Many people might believe you simply hit that screengrab button on your controller and you can throw the title in front of your name. However, CHRISinSESSION explains that it is a bit more complex than that:
Horizon Zero Dawn
© Chris 'CHRISinSESSION' Taljaard
“While we do press the “screenshot button”, before that there are a few choices we make in terms of setting up the shot, composition and mood.
Here’s an example:
In Formula 1, I’d normally start making those choices long before I start the race itself. What type of shot do I want? A wide scenic or something with motion blur that creates a sensation of speed? Which track will I be racing on and will it work with the type of shot I would like to shoot? Which car do I use? What time of day setting do I want to use (if not supported within the photo mode itself)? Which corner or section of the selected track do I want to use?
Once I finally make it into the photo mode itself, my main focus is always composition. This always happens first and will take centre stage. Composition on its own can keep you busy for quite some time, as it does in real life actually. I’ll ask questions like what type of framing will I use? Will I try to invoke more emotion by adding a slight tilt to the camera?
F1 in-game photography
© Chris 'CHRISinSESSION' Taljaard
Lastly, I’d look at adjusting the lighting where possible and tweaking the degree of motion blur, depending on what type of shot I’m going for. Throughout this process I’ll end up shooting quite a few images. It’s not always that easy to roll back to a previous setup and you might end up missing the shot that is actually going to make it through the final cut. I’ve found that, as with real life, you always get better results when preplanning something. It’s not always possible but some degree of planning helps if you’re looking to shoot something specific.
I think many people don’t realise how much time and effort goes into pressing the “screenshot button”. Like with any artform, it takes a lot of time, dedication and patience. At the same time you have to actually enjoy it.”
While CHRISinSESSION’s goal is to eventually turn his in-game photography into a full time gig, for now he works select regular paid freelance gigs. So you can make money from this particular talent. Many studios and smaller Indie studios offer up work for skilled in-game photographers. When it comes to gear CHRISinSESSION says you don’t need much, but that it does depend on the games and image quality you want to output at the end:
Flight Simulator
© Chris 'CHRISinSESSION' Taljaard
“In most cases if the game has a decent enough photo mode you can get away with shooting it on a base console. However, if you would like to start outputting your images in higher resolutions or make some alterations in game via third party programmes, you’ll have to start looking at a more high end gaming rig paired with a proper screen - so you can appreciate the graphics and see what you’re doing.”
All the shots you see from photographers like CHRISinSESSION are mostly taken while he is playing the exact same version of the game you’re playing at home. Though he says does make use of third party tools on PC games where possible: “They mostly give us access to features not available in the in-game photo mode or features lacking. The tools give us a bit more freedom in terms of camera movement and range.”
For anyone wanting to give in-game photography and videography a try, CHRISinSESSION has some useful tips to help get you started:
“Keep shooting and have fun while doing it, because it will show in your shots. Also experiment with different games and see what genre suits you… spoiler: it’s normally the games you actually like playing!”
