The winners of the Virtual Photography Awards 2025 have been introduced, and this yr’s standout footage embody narrative-driven portraiture and otherworldly dreamscapes.
The competitors acknowledges essentially the most artistic stills captured throughout online game play utilizing in-game images know-how. This yr noticed over 3,200 entries throughout seven completely different classes.
Hary G from the US scooped the general Virtual Photographer of the Year award, in addition to profitable the Storytelling and Open classes.
His assortment of tasteful photographs was captured throughout three video video games: Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring and Ghost of Tsushima.
Of Hary’s seven profitable photographs, essentially the most eye-catching for me is the one of many cat inside a automotive witnessing an assassination occurring simply outdoors, which the viewer can see mirrored within the automotive window.
The twin narrative of this scene grounds you within the story instantly however leaves so many questions unanswered.
Commenting on this profitable picture, Hary mentioned: “Reflections and shadows can be a more subtle way to tell a story, leaving the ending open to whatever the viewer thinks of.”
Other notable profitable photographs embody a gritty, chilly and life-like shot of an individual whispering to a different, taken by Hajer Haj (Saudi Arabia) within the recreation Horizon Forbidden West.
The method the picture is cropped removes all context, which is what makes it so fascinating to me.
Haj claimed first place within the People class with this shot, commenting: “That sense of uncertainty is what gives the image its meaning.”
The Virtual Photography Awards had been established in 2020 by Mik Bromley, a UK-based photographer and seize artist who additionally runs The Fourth Focus, a web-based hub for contemporary artwork and online game images.
Now in its fifth yr, the competitors judges entries in keeping with real-life images ideas akin to composition, lighting, and emotional connection.
Judges mentioned that this yr’s “meticulously crafted” profitable photographs created visually evocative tales throughout a variety of eventualities which stand out on a artistic and technical degree.
What I discover further spectacular is the presence of thoughts the artist needed to acknowledge such poignant moments in the course of the hecticness of online game play.
It’s one factor to take your digital camera on a scenic stroll with on a regular basis on this planet, it’s one other to identify a gripping composition throughout a Red Dead Redemption gunfight.
Last yr’s winner of the Virtual Photographer of the Year Award was Jonathan (Republic of Khakassia) with an summary black-and-white architectural sequence. And in 2023, Taka San from Japan gained together with his gorgeous Avatar portraits.
The 2025 class winners copped a listing of video video games so as to add to their assortment together with a $100 / £100 gaming present card.
Overall Virtual Photographer of the Year 2025 winner Hary G took house the class winner prizes in addition to limited-edition gaming gear.
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