Appreciating Virtual Photography in Racing Games

Happy World Photography day! In case you are wondering what this is all about, the event was created to dedicate a day towards the appreciation of the art of photography and hold discussions around the topic. Here, I am going to be looking at photography in games. With video games providing us with ever-increasing resolutions and image quality, games are aesthetically more beautiful than ever and more people are capturing awe-inspiring moments and sharing them online. As a result, game developers are creating dedicated photomodes which often feature tools to make adjustments like you would on a real-world professional camera such as shutter speed, Depth of Field, light exposure and more. Some are even going the extra mile; here are four noteworthy examples.

The Crew 2

With a shrunken version of the USA map to explore by land, sea and sky, The Crew 2 stands as the market leader of scale and variety in the arcade racing sector. It also holds the throne with its plethora of photo mode settings for you to play around with. Beyond camera settings, options include adjusting time of day, weather conditions, visible characters, vehicles in the scene and more. Even if you miss the perfect frame you had a few seconds ago, the game has an instant replay function for you to rewind time and capture that perfect moment.

OnRush

I'll be honest; I've lost count of how many times I've referred to OnRush on the blog but in most cases, it's been about praising the underrated title so it's not really a bad thing. This time, I'm praising its photomode capabilities. Like The Crew 2, OnRush also allows the player to adjust time of day and weather settings. Most of the features have made their way over from the exceptional feature set in DriveClub. It also helps the attention to detail is kept to a high standard when you zoom all the way in, so you can expect gorgeous close-ups.

Forza Horizon 4

The Forza Franchise has been one of the first racing games to feature a fully-fledged photomode, allowing players to create stunning photos from the game for many years. The latest instalment of the game brought some new features including options for panning modes, bokeh shape, visible drivers and the ability to turn the lights on and off. If Forza Horizon 4 did not already look beautiful enough, the game is set to be enhanced (again) for the Series X so expect to see even more impressive snapshots from this game in the near future!

Wreckfest

Wreckfest goes to show that you do not need a photomode with all the bells and whistles to create iconic photos. It has some of the basics such as Depth of Field and zoom features, but given the amount of action that happens from all of the destruction, most of the moments you want to capture barely need any post-processing effects to inspire emotion. Check out the example below; the chaos is just majestic!

Having photomodes appearing in a growing number of games I play has made me interested in capturing photos, both virtually and in real life. Who knows, maybe other people will use photomodes as their first step into pursuing actual photography as a hobby, or even a profession! 

Side note: If you like the pictures featured in this entry, check out my Instagram account for more!