My name is Redrock and I’m a Forza photographer and content creator. I’ve been doing photography in Forza games since around 2016, but have only been taking it more seriously for the last year or so. By “taking it more seriously” I mean applying real photography skills and concepts to the games photo mode and learning how to edit the photos in Lightroom and Photoshop. There is still a ton to learn, but I think I’ve come a long way in a year, and I’d like to share some of that journey with you.
We’re going to start off with some unedited shots. I don’t have share codes for all of them, as I don’t always save them to my in-game gallery. I’ll then be updating this thread with some sets that have been edited in Lightroom.
I’d love to hear your feedback, thoughts or questions enjoy!
loving the Formula Drift set but some CC if I may.
I feel that the shots are way too zoomed out - personally I’d only take 30% of a set at most this zoomed out to capture the atmosphere as well.
You’re composition is also a little bland, with the cars always being in the direct centre of frame except the SLS shot which feels much more unique. I would suggest looking into the rule of thirds and applying that to your forzatography.
the editing is very nice however, and really makes the images pop, and the zoomed out composition really works for the first BMW FD shot just really conveying the serenity of the mountain roads.
On the topic of zoomed out shots, its just currently the style I lean towards because I love the feeling it creates. I’m a big fan of minimalism and empty space in photography, so I’ve mostly been exploring that in FH5. I will however explore using thirds more, as I do feel I don’t do that enough and the times I have it creates really great photos, like this:
I think I generally gravitate towards centering things, because I’ve mostly been shooting for a 4x5 crop for Instagram, so there isn’t much horizontal space. But you can post 16:9 shots on there and maybe I’ll try that more
I’ll offer an opposing opinion to Breno’s, I quite like zoomed out shots. For the M2 set, the first one with the centered car works great, although I do think for the second shot some rule of thirds would help quite a bit. The color palette in the shots is top notch tho. And I really like the LEGO Bugatti, it nails the minimalism you’re talking about.
Work’s been hectic, but back with some more shots!
I’ll start off with my #BIGCITYLIGHTS shots. I’ve been experimenting with 4:3 crops (well actually, I played the game at a 4:3 resolution), as I’ve been really into 4:3 movies. It offers a totally different perspective and feeling. The smaller area can really emphasize empty space (got some examples coming up).
I like the editing style of the city set, the touch of blue makes it a bit more interesting than stark black and white. #5 and #7 are my favorites, mostly because I think they have the best backgrounds.
I love the far out zoom of the second set, the third is good but I wish you’d placed the car a bit left of frame, although you are also editing for other formats so I understand the centering.
Thanks for the feedback always appreciated. I had tried placing the car to left/right of frame but it somehow felt off to me. I think with smaller aspect ratios, having stuff centered feels better to me, but I’m definitely going to explore it more. I feel like it is still applying a rule of thirds, because it’s in the bottom third of the shot.
Its been a while since my last post, but a lot has happened!
We’ve had really bad flooding where I live, multiple houses washed away etc (I’m good though ), that has prevented me from pursuing my Forza Photography passion (along with a busy work schedule)
However, since last I posted, myself and a friend have been hard at work creating something that we think can benefit the Photography Community.
Its a website/evolving set of resources for Forza Photographers and Racers. You can submit Event Lab maps, check out recommended photo locations, get some tips in the Photography Guide if you’re new to the process or explore racing tracks and upgrade tips
Most of the content can be contributed to by the community and we’re hoping to expand upon that idea in a number of areas.
Alongside all that, I released a new video exploring some maps I captured these shots on
Not super happy with where the game is, performance has been tough to work around and there are still issues like the photo mode bug, but… I like this shot. I’ve been expeimenting with editing directly in HDR, due to Photoshop/Lightroom now supporting that. So this is a 16-bit png that has a much wider color space than regular screenshots since the source is the .jxr image that the Xbox game bar app saves.
Also… can’t seem to get the replay/photomode to go into 21:9 not sure if that is a bug or just not a supported thing…
NOTE: if the image looks washed out, open it in fullscreen. Its because it has HDR metadata that previews of the image don’t seem to process/tonemap.
enjoy!
always appreciated. I had tried placing the car to left/right of frame but it somehow felt off to me. I think with smaller aspect ratios, having stuff centered feels better to me, but I’m definitely going to explore it more. I feel like it is still applying a rule of thirds, because it’s in the bottom third of the shot.
not sure if that is a bug or just not a supported thing…
