I want to see your screenshots. They can be funny, cool, awesome, epic, or just from gameplay.
Oh, did I mention there will be prizes! Each month, shots I like will get awards. Emblems, skins, armor sets and the like.
I will also use this as a mentoring program on how to use FX, lighting, armor choices, and map backdrop and design.
Location selection and how to set up forges and customs to get that perfect shot.
So, please feel free to ask questions, can be anything at all!
I look forward to seeing great shots and I will post a few as well.
Also, I will be bringing in some fantastic screenshot artists to help out as well.
You’ve got some pretty nice shots in there already. I hope these tips are helpful:
a. Try to keep the whole subject in the frame, without cropping too much of them. Things like a waist-up shot are fine; things like the very top of their head being off-frame are not.
Picking things from your Share, this image stands out as an example of what to do, and this image contains a (minor) example of what not to do.
This isn’t an ironclad guideline. This image breaks it but still looks pretty good.
b. Relying on the rule of thirds can be helpful. More generally, try to leave a decent amount of space between the subject and the edge of the frame, proportional to the aspect ratio of the image. (Read: more space from the left and right edges than from the top and bottom edges, generally.)
Looking at your File Share, this is an image that could benefit greatly from the rule of thirds. In your head, split the image into three columns. Had the Spartan been centered over the line dividing the left and middle columns, they would’ve been aligned pretty much perfectly.
c. Often, but not always, it’s best to have more space in front of a subject than behind them. Judging by several of your screenshots (like this one), you seem to have naturally gravitated toward this guideline.
d. The little details are always nice… For example, I like how the Railgun and shot trail in this image almost perfectly line up with opposite corners of the image. It’s a nice subtlety.
As David said, the one of the railgun is a great shot. You are on the right path as far as I can see.
A few pointers:
If you are using three point perspective, you want to make sure your Zenith is or Inverted Vanishing point 3 is inline with your spartan in the middle, this can be tricky sometimes due to the limitations of the camera. You can also use two point perspective with the spartan on either side of the photo. Both are generally used in drawing but with the media we are using it works. Practice with landscapes and structures to begin with capturing a corner of a building as the focal point in the foreground.
Work with some of the Special FX in the Gadgets section of forge.
Colorblind for black and white
Nova for bright vivid color
Juicy for really deep color spectrum
Next gen for a darker shading effect
Now you can layer these to get different combo effects.
Be careful not to get to crazy or you tend to lose the background or the spartan.
Also try the lights in the same gadgets section. Do your best to try and hide the light without losing it. Here are some other things you can use to get some cool effects.
I used Daybreak as far as the map goes. In Forge, I will generally spend a few moments deleting all of the spawns, respawns, obejectives, and things that could get in the way of the shot. Then I will move through the map and drop respawn points where I plan to take shots.If I plan for an explosion I will set vehicles, landmines, grenades, and other effects on the map in forge. But sometimes I will just take them in forge, because it allows a bit more on the fly adjustments. Save the map then move into Customs. Switch colors of spartans to solid colors. For the assassination shots, I did this one.
This took about twenty minutes to capture. Looking back I should have added a white light on the right to bring out the right side of the spartan a little more, but…
When taking shots by yourself, you need to plan accordingly when using nades or explosions. Judging distance not to get your shields busted can be nerve racking sometimes!
Daybreak
Nova
Plasma Grenade
Hazop Forest
Green Team
Sniper/AR Prime
Capturing solid black/white backgrounds is tough. Solid black backgrounds are tougher, surely you can use impact as your palette, but it shows higher skill when you use a bright map to get a colored spartan on a black background, IMHO anyways.
But this shots has more white so, here is how you do it.
Layer your FX and chuck out a nade, using the right tigger you want it explode as slowly as possible. When you have reached the apex of explosion, settle yourself in said explosion and zoom in then zoom out, then very slowly move forward. The outcome is this:
In the future, back out and zoom in to where you are capturing more of the body without losing the shading on the head. May I suggest using colorblind, the black and white would have give more depth and brings out shading otherwise unseen.
Over the course of time I will concentrate on some things like:
Armor selection - what are easiest to hardest helms to capture.
Armor colors - how to use your colors vs. predetermined ones.
Depth and Illusions effects - Composition Photography
Centered Shots - 3PPS
Off-Centered Shots - 2PPS
Map Selection
Using Objective Items - Grifballs, Flags, Etc…
Using FXs, Lighting, Kill Boundry, Armor Effects and other fun stuff.
Forging a Map vs. Stock Maps.
Solo vs. Team Shots.
When to zoom, when not to zoom.
