Can virtual photography really be considered photography?

[Sam82]

Very interested to hear you thoughts on this.

Incase you not aware of what virtual photography is, it is where you capture images inside a virtual world (video games, CGI etc).

An example of virtual photography is by and artist called Pastel White, who has coined the term Photography 5.1, which as you will see demands the creation of many bits of equipments needed to do the shoot but in the digital realm, making it an almost like for like reflection of the physical world.

Some of there works are below:

Images have been removed. Users may link to but not embed photos for which they do not have copyright.

I saw a video of this as well on instagram.

 

[Soocom1]

IMO, its photography because its capturing an image.
Fake or not, virtual or not, if its capturing an image..
its photography.

 

[Sam82]

IMO, its photography because its capturing an image.
Fake or not, virtual or not, if its capturing an image..
its photography.

I like your clear definition, but it still seems strange to me to call this photography. Would that make painting photography?

 

[petrochemist]

IMO, its photography because its capturing an image.
Fake or not, virtual or not, if its capturing an image..
its photography.

By your definition drawing & painting are also photography - so your definition is flawed.

There are several digital arts that are not photography - ray tracing, vector graphics drawing, & digital painting all fall into this class IMO along with 'virtual photography' from the sounds of it.

 

[compur]

You can capture images with Silly Putty but it ain't photography.

 

[Soocom1]

No no no...
Definition of PHOTOGRAPHY

: the art or process of producing images by the action of radiant energy and especially light on a sensitive surface (such as film or an optical sensor)

Capturing an image by the above is the contect.
Painting and drawing is not "capturing" but copying an image through the use of applicable medium to a surface to create shapes.

Capturing means that the light waves (photons) are recorded from something emitting them.
Virtual images are still light emitted. and if captured is by definition under photography.

 

[limr]

Reading their definition, 'virtual photography' is creating an image that basically looks like a real photograph but is entirely made from scratch using digital software.

So let me see if I got this straight: I sit down at a computer and create a scene which would fool someone into thinking it's a photograph of a real scene, but which I've actually created on a computer.

Is that a photograph? I say no. It's graphic art/design, but not a photograph just because it mimics photography.

 

[snowbear]

So let me see if I got this straight: I sit down at a computer and create a scene which would fool someone into thinking it's a photograph of a real scene, but which I've actually created on a computer.

Are you including the bad composition and poor focus I see a lot on fb?

I, too, will say no. It is a visual art, but not photography. Now if I take a shot of the screen with the Nikon, that would be photography.

 

[weepete]

Well it's a bit of a grey area. I'd consider in game shots of play photography, though I've yet to see any good examples. I don't consider photorealistic modeling photography, it's in it's own category .

 

[dxqcanada]

...no, what they call Photography 5.1 is not a photograph ... reads like circular reasoning.

 

[Original katomi]

I thought the original photography was to draw with light.
Ie photo graphs
Found this on the web
The word "photography" is a combination of the Greek root words "photo-," meaning "light," and "-graphia," meaning "writing" or "drawing." Thus, "photography" literally means "writing or drawing with light."

If we have ebooks, e coffee rooms why not V or VR photography

 

[petrochemist]

I thought the original photography was to draw with light.
Ie photo graphs
Found this on the web
The word "photography" is a combination of the Greek root words "photo-," meaning "light," and "-graphia," meaning "writing" or "drawing." Thus, "photography" literally means "writing or drawing with light."

If we have ebooks, e coffee rooms why not V or VR photography

Storing photographs in digital format would be the photographic equivalent of e-books. This is something that's been done since about the 1970s long before digital cameras came out & simplified the process.

The 'virtual photography' you are referring to appears to be removing the light from the initial capture, having it computer generated instead. A very different matter.

 

[Derrel]

Pastel White trying to make CGI Imaging into something he or she defines as photography 5.1...interesting.

 

[zombiesniper]

They way I see it. This will not affect what most of us would consider photography.......for now.

As with everything, evolution is inevitable so I see no issue with it. It is a very niche form of photography but I would still call it such.

Just wait. VERY soon you will see cameras specifically designed that only capture video and the user just chooses the frames they want still images from.
Is it photography? Yes
Do I like it? Don't care either way.
Will I use it. Nope.

 

[Derrel]

snip>Just wait. VERY soon you will see cameras specifically designed that only capture video and the user just chooses the frames they want still images from.
Is it photography? Yes
Do I like it? Don't care either way.
Will I use it. Nope.

I think we already have similar technology on the market right now.

A few years ago there was a magazine cover that was done by pulling a video still. It looked quite good.