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In this section, you’ll find 21 entries that are interviews I gave about my virtual photography or my work with game studios, along with every publication I’ve been featured in. There are 3 categories : “INTERVIEW” that includes written or live ones, “ARTICLE” for online outlets’ articles and “BOOK PUBLICATIONS” including official game Artbooks, physical magazines or books where my work was published.
ARTICLE
Aim, pull the trigger and - click! In the search engine of artists whose terrain is video games
Interview by WIRED Czech Republic & Slovakia
October 05 2024
"Virtual photography is much less restrictive and cheaper than that in the physical world," thinks the Frenchman Helme, who works from Osaka, Japan under the pseudonym Shinobi. "You don't need a drone to take a photo from a height in a video game, and you don't need an expensive camera or studio lights to get a sharp shot with good light. All you need is one photo mode to do everything with.”
ARTICLE
Meet the Photo-Mode Consultant Focused on Upgrading Your Screenshot Tools
Interview by Henry Stenhouse compiled in an article for Restart, the new gaming website powered by Walmart.
July 17 2024
(…) Photo modes have therefore become increasingly common in major releases, but they remain a relatively new phenomenon. And like the medium they inhabit, they’re still evolving. Which features make the cut and how fine a control is granted over that in-game lens changes from release to release. Too little freedom breeds frustration, but too much and players may intentionally or inadvertently break the game itself.
One man looking to fine-tune that balance is Ludovic “Shinobi” Helme. As one of the most prominent online virtual photographers – those dedicated to producing high-quality and artistic in-game screenshots – his stunning captures have drawn the attention of players and developers alike. As a result, he’s become possibly the world’s first and only photo-mode consultant.
INTERVIEW
They Make Games
Interview for They Make Games a blog dedicated to game developpers and gaming personalities.
May 30 2024
What advice would you give to developers for making a functional photo mode?
Well, call me, or at least watch my videos on YouTube which explain a lot of things haha! And more seriously, ask yourself the right questions: which photo modes are loved by photographers, and why? How can we improve them and make them our own in our game? And above all, do a lot more tests, or entrust experienced virtual photographers who will be able to identify the problems in 1 minute. When you use a photo mode throughout your day, you have to do minor actions 100 times and if this action requires 4 clicks instead of just one, a developer could easily miss it.
ARTICLE
The VP Awards winners showcase articles (Jan-April 2024)
I’ve been lucky enough to win one of the categories (Environment) in The Virtual Photography Awards 2023 and to see some outlets putting up articles gathering winners and runners-up
This year's winners were selected from over 2,750 entries from all over the globe, across 6 thematic categories. Virtual photography also improves accessibility, enabling those not able to get out and photograph an opportunity to still practice the medium in a new and exciting way.
“I loved to create this shot because it combines absolutely all my obsessions,” Helme says. “Symmetry, color theory, composition, framing and movement. It's one of these shots that I knew from the start that it'd be one of my favorites for a long time. I actually worked on it for a couple of days to get as close as possible to the original vision. So, this shot also taught me perseverance and I'm obviously very proud that it won this award!”
“The incredible images below comprise the rest of the category winners and runners-up from the Virtual Photography Awards 2023. Seeing this gallery has me tempted to jump back into virtual photography, as I used to spend hours doing this at university. Trust me, it's really fun and addictive. You'll get lost looking for details in the virtual worlds, and these digital game spaces are full of photographic potential.”
La virtual photography è cresciuta negli ultimi anni anche grazie alle progressive implementazioni di modalità apposite, le photo mode, all’interno dei grandi videogiochi e alla diffusione di mod (modifiche realizzate dalla comunità) che raffinano gli strumenti disponibili per scattare in questi mondi virtuali
Given the proliferation of photo modes, the resulting images, and these awards, it seems like a competitive landscape. Helme acknowledged this feeling, yet says not to focus too much of your attention there—especially when you’re just starting out. “The only goal you should go after is your own enjoyment, obviously, but also, if you engage yourself in the community, try to bring something to the table instead of just focusing on your own growth. That way only you'll feel satiated,” Helme explained.
INTERVIEW
PIXELFOCUS podcast. (February 2024)
I was a guest at the Virtual Photography focused podcast to speak about state of community, evolution, through my experience as a part of it for a few years.
BOOK PUBLICATION
WORKSIGHT (January 2024)
Worksight is a media produced by KOKUYO Yokoku Research Institute and blkswn publishers, about the theme "Autonomous Collaborative Society”. Issue number 22 is exploring how games are essential in contemporary society, by listing 26 A-Z keywords. I’m honoured to see 3 of my shots in the V (for Virtual Photography) entry.
BOOK PUBLICATION
EDGE magazine (Christmas 2023)
Edge, the multi-format video game magazine based in the UK published one of my Lords of the Fallen shots for their article about the technical aspect of game engines. As someone who grew up in the 80’s-90’s I was fed by the video game press, having my work featured in one of that quality is mind-blowing.
INTERVIEW
DEATH STRANDING PORTER SPOTLIGHT - SEPTEMBER 2023 - SHINOBI
Interview by @505Games for their series of shout-outs to Death Stranding fans.
Sept 30, 2023
“(…) it’s time to celebrate another amazing Porter in the DEATH STRANDING community. This month’s #DSPorterSpotlight puts the spotlight on someone who is no stranger in the 505 Games community, a super talented virtual photographer called Shinobi.
Are there any particular photo mode features in DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT that you enjoy using the most?
Definitely the poses. Especially the feature that allows Sam to turn toward the camera. The way it's split in two parts, head and body, is a really nice touch and helps fine tune the position you want to give him.”
BOOK PUBLICATION
Steelrising official Artbook. (2023)
Written by Marine Macq and published by Editions Pix’n Love, this official artbook from the acclaimed souls-like from French studio Spiders, features 5 pages illustrated by my virtual photographs. This is a tremendous honor that they’ve been chosen by Art Director Cyril Tahmassebi to be shown alongside the fantastic team’s artworks.
INTERVIEW
Virtual Photography Archives
An exercice hosted by @TheFourthFocus where virtual photographers dive into their own archives to find specific shots that illustrate their progress. A very interesting reflexion on our own practice.
Sept 27, 2023
“It makes me also very happy to see that I never felt "bad" or dissatisfied with my shots. I proudly shared stuff I wouldn't even press Print Screen on today. I just did the best I could at the time and learned little by little. I think it's key to enjoy the hobby, and keep moving forward almost effortlessly. Of course, comparison makes it painful now, but it can only mean that my shots will get better and better in the near future. Excited to do the trip!”
INTERVIEW
505 Games France Twitch live.
I was kindly invited by 505 Games France to demonstrate and introduce Virtual Photography on a live twitch using external camera tools on Miasma Chronicles.
INTERVIEW
“Ask the VP” episode 1
Live interview by @ThePhotoMode on Twitter Space and Youtube, with questions from the community and listeners
March 4 2023
PC Tools or Console PM, which is better? @shinobi_space believes there are pros and cons to both and he personally "needs a bit if both" in his life. To Find out more check out Episode 1 of Ask the VP right here or on Youtube here.
Listen to the full interview
ARTICLE
Photo mode expert feels let down by 2022 behemoths like Elden Ring
interview compiled in an article for The Loadout website
December 26 2022
“The virtual photography community did impressively expand again, and with that, the overall quality of productions we can find went up,” says Ludovic ‘Shinobi’ Helme, a virtual photography enthusiast that has consulted with multiple studios, such as Arkane and Dragonis Games, about building photo modes. “It is truly jaw-dropping. People get better at photography, and games get more beautiful every day… a perfect synergy.”
Read the full article on The Loadout
INTERVIEW
Extra-Life 2022 VVPC: Shinobi Space
interview for charity stream for Children Miracle Hospital, by @BadGamerElite
November 5 2022
INTERVIEW
“Do you have any advice for those just starting out or thinking of getting into virtual photography?
Don’t ever think that this satisfaction will come from growing a number of followers on social. It’s nice to have a wide audience, sure ! But more importantly, try to be that guy who made one shot that maybe 100 people saw and remembered, before being that guy doing tons of likes on shots that everyone already forgot.”
Read the full interview on ThePhotoMode website
ARTICLE
How Virtual Photography is taking video game screenshots to new levels.
Compilation of 4 different photographers’ interviews for HyperX Gaming by Henry Stenhouse @Fernoface
June 10 2022
“Having an influence at the very core of the process of creating a photo mode, so the community can always enjoy better tools, and studios can push their limits or just learn and understand what Virtual Photographers need, is an absolute blast.”
Shinobi has gone on to collaborate with multiple other developers, including Arkane on their recently added Deathloop photo mode and with Ares Dragonis on their horror adventure game The Shore.
Read the interview on HyperX gaming website.
INTERVIEW
DEATHLOOP Game Upgrade 3, by Paolo Mantoan
May 13 2022
I had the pleasure of interviewing @shinobi_space who has been a consultant and advice on the implementation. A great chat from an expert and supporter of Virtual Photography.
Q: How did the opportunity to collaborate on a photo mode with Arkane Lyon came up ?
A: At the time, I think I was shooting and posting pictures of Dishonored 2, a previous game from the studio, on Twitter. Some of the developers, and people at Bethesda (the publisher of Dishonored and DEATHLOOP) were always very supportive of my work. I also played DEATHLOOP at launch and loved the game, and…
BOOK PUBLICATION
Mortal Shell Artbook. (2021)
In this very limited edition of the game’s artbook, winners of the first photo mode contest were featured alongside the amazing artworks from Cold Symmetry and from the artist Ash Thorpe. I was not allowed to enter the contest, seeing that I had worked on the photo mode myself, but as a kindness to me, they chose one of my shots to illustrate the photo mode contest winners chapter in the artbook.
INTERVIEW
Still Mortal, by The Fourth Focus.
Oct 12, 2021
There are certainly a few familiar faces knocking around in the virtual photography community these days, and so many of you will likely need no introduction to my latest interview guest. One of the usual suspects, Shinobi_space.
A teacher of French language in Japan, the multilingual Shinobi is also fluent in creativity, regularly sharing his capture art on Twitter and streaming on Twitch. More than that though, he has also recently had influential input into photo mode design and development, so let's find out more about this ninja of virtual photography...
INTERVIEW
What makes a good Photo Mode?
a special episode of “Oh, Snap!” in the shape of a round table where we exchange about what makes a good photo mode with Mik (@TheFourthFocus) and Rùben (@DotPone)
Jun 5, 2021
INTERVIEW
OH, SNAP!
a show on Youtube by Rúben AKA DotPone. Aug 25 2020
part 1 (15 minutes)
part 2 (16 minutes)
part 3 (20 minutes)