10 13 July 2019 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS COLUMN ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER MAGA ZINE OR TI MEDIA LIMITED
Mirrorless cameras should come with
a gaming mode. No, seriously, it could
make you a better photographerView point
Jon Bentley
T
he relationship between video
gaming and photography has
been smouldering away for
years. Many games include
photo modes where you can capture
what’s happening on screen, adjusting the
framing and exposure of your snapshots.
Some games encourage you to play the
role of photographer. Back in 1999 the
classic Pokémon Snap involved taking
pictures of elusive creatures that were
rated according to their pose and size in
the frame. Afrika, dating from 2008, is
another notable example. You’re hired
to shoot pictures of wild animals and
can choose from a variety of Sony
cameras and lenses, and select exposure
settings while the PlayStation controller
measures shake, rewarding you for a
steady hand. In the forthcoming Snap
Hunt, inspired by the Bigfoot conspiracy
culture, four players compete, using
1970s fi lm SLRs, to get photos of a
dangerous mythological creature in a
North American national park.
There are many more fi rst-person
point-and-shoots but the whole
experience is far removed from actual
photography and unlikely to hone your
real-world skills. Driving games are very
different. They’re so realistic that Formula
One drivers use them as a vital part of
their practice regime. Part of their success
is down to the steering wheels, pedals and
wraparound monitors that take the place
of the standard game controllers, and
make the experience so realistic.For video games to be more like actual
photography, game controllers need to
be more like real cameras. Nintendo is
leading the way with its super-popular
Switch. One of Labo’s so-called
customisation kits you can now buy for it
includes a camera-shaped cardboard box
(see below). Pop your Switch handheld
console inside and you can zoom in and
out and fi re the shutter. But it’s really just
a toy with very basic games. Which
begs the question: why use a cardboard
camera when you could control a more
sophisticated game with a real one?
Imagine hooking your mirrorless
camera up to your computer, through a
cradle of some sort, which incorporated
motion sensors and controls you’d use to
navigate around a virtual world. The game
would replicate various photographic
challenges – from street and sports
photography to landscapes and even
portraiture. When you see something you
want to photograph you bring the camera
up to your eye, or switch to the camera’s
screen, and shoot your pictures using the
camera’s normal controls. The camera’s
software would be linked to the game
so that the EVF would have an accurate
representation of the game’s virtual
world rather than the optical image
coming through the lens. AI could
possibly be used to judge the quality of
your shots. Add a compelling narrative
and you’d be able to enjoy hours
of entertainment perfecting
photographic skills you could transfer
to the real world; a photo contest
where everyone’s a winner.Do you have something you’d like to get off your chest?Send us your thoughts in around
500 words to the address on page 12 and win a year’s digital subscription to AP, worth £79.Jon Bentley is a TV producer and presenter best known
for Top Gear and Channel 5’s The Gadget Show© COURTESY OF NASA© OLLIE TAYLORCONTENT FOR NEXT WEEK’S ISSUE MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGEJohn Wade takes a look at
the fascinating evolution of
cameras for space missionsFirst
camera
on the
moon
In next week’s issue
On sale Tuesday 16 July
A still from the upcoming game Snap HuntThe Labo camera
customisation kitCelebrating 50 years of
the moon landing
Shoot the moon
Don’t be afraid to include the moon in
landscapes. Ollie Taylor shows you howOne small step for cameras
From Apollo 11 to today, we fi nd out
photography’s role in documenting spaceEarthrise by William Anders
Tracy Calder looks at the most famous
photograph brought back by Apollo 8