After we took a week off due to the Phantom Liberty info dump last weekend, we are back with our next community interview. This time from VP Ayghan who hails from France. We dig deep into his past, his thoughts on the VP scene and what he'd like to see for the 2077 franchise going forward;

First can you tell us a little about yourself, where you grew up and what attracted or inspired you to get into this art form ?
Hi ! I’m Ayghan, I’m from France and I work as a community manager in the video game field. I've always loved open worlds and contemplative games so I started taking captures to keep them as memories, but as time went by, it became a great escape and a way to highlight the sublime work of the developers. Now I spend so much time in photo modes that it takes a loooong time to finish a game x)

How did you learn this form of digital art ?
By practicing a lot and by drawing inspiration from other work. There are lots of incredible Virtual Photographers offering a variety of fantastic shots from various game. Participating in challenges or themed hashtags also helps a lot.

What drew you to cyberpunk 2077 or/and the cyberpunk genre as a whole ?
Stories about advanced technologies, AI, hacking, that explore moral, societal, and philosophical issues.  Matrix and Blade Runner are among my favorite franchises, so Cyberpunk 2077 quickly became my favorite game.

What in your view is the best aspect of the cyberpunk genre CDPR got right with 2077 and what do you feel they missed the mark on ?
CD Projekt did an excellent job of depicting this dystopian future and Night City, its violence, corruption, whether through the environment or the characters. It's packed with details everywhere. The game's only flaw is the lack of possible interaction outside a mission. Just hanging out with others characters or dealing with random events for exemple, that would've been awesome !

What message, to you, does the cyberpunk genre imply or relay as a viewer, fan of that aesthetic ?
How individuality can question authority, rebel against injustices, and forge your own path against a world dominated by technology and established powers.

What photo/GFX tools that are not in 2077 would you like to see in the sequel Project Orion ?
An advanced character pose function, like AMM (Appearance Menu Mod). And a good lighting system, especially for character shots.

What drew you to the 2077 game specifically ? What keeps driving you to keep making content for it ?
I've been interested in the game since CDPR dropped their mind-blowing trailer in 2013. And after doing a first playthrough which I loved every second, I really started to get interested in the universe and drowned myself in the lore, sucking up tons of information about the history of Night City, the politics, the corporations, etc. I find it fascinating and it makes you realize that the game only scratches the surface of it. And the more I play, the more I fall in love with the universe and the more I take pictures. Night City is stunning and, in my opinion, the most technically accomplished city in a video game. The work done by the developers is incredible.

What about the 2077 characters specifically got your interest ? All time favorite NPC in 2077 and why ?
Their human side and how they fit perfectly into the world. Each character is very well written. I’m still thinking about the Peralez today… Their storyline is flawless. But my all time favorite character is V , although he’s not an NPC. It's actually super interesting to experiencing it from his point of view and see how he grow and evolve. V's relationships with other characters and the tough decisions he has to make are what make his journey intriguing and memorable.

If you have to pick one, team Judy or Kerry ? Why ?
Team Kerry but I love both ! I have a slight preference for Judy's quests and background but Kerry's got that extra something.

If you have to pick one, team Panam or River ? Why ?
Although their two questlines were quite different, both were captivating. When it comes to the character itself, Panam would be my choice. I like her temperament and the evolution of her relationship with V.

What tools do you use to make your art ? How long does it take to go from idea to posting a pic ? What's the process ?
I mainly use 3 tools : first Reshade, to enhance the visual quality. There are many presets available but my favorite is Night City Plus HDR Reshade. Then the in-game photo mode with the mod Photo Mode Unlocker that removes most restrictions. And Nvidia GeForce to take the best-quality captures possible. Then I edit them a little, especially to adjust brightness and contrast. I rarely set off with an idea in mind and I don’t know anything about photography so I generally take pictures on the spot while playing.

How long have you been doing this art form ?
I started virtual photography about 10 years ago with Forza Horizon and GTA V but I really got into it in 2018 when I started sharing my captures on twitter, then it became a real hobby. At that time, photo modes were really starting to become more popular. Nowadays, it's so cool to see more and more people get into it. Virtual photography have come a long way and it just keep growing impressively.

Where do you see the virtual photo art form 5 years from now ? Will we be able to easily tell it from actual photos by then and if so does that concern you ?
I believe it'll keep evolving for the best, slowly but surely. More and more people are getting into VP, whether on an occasional or more regular basis. Less and less games are being released without a photo mode feature. There’s more official competitions and IRL exhibitions organized.  Video games will continue to evolve graphically for sure but it will remain quite distinct from real photography because virtual photographers have the advantage of being able to capture unique worlds and characters that don't exist in reality.

What trends in the VP space do you foresee becoming big in the field ? What trends, aspects of VP do you hope gets left behind in the past ?
Lately this passion has been spreading out in different ways, via podcasts, interviews, youtube channels and even dedicated platforms. I love the creativity and positivity that comes out of the VP community, it’s fantastic.

Although photo modes aren't a priority for studios, virtual photography showcases their games in some unique ways and for free. It's a real benefit so it would be awesome if more studios took into account player feedback regarding photo modes. Certain features are really essential and sometimes still lacking. There aren't many other negative aspects that really stand out but the use of AI art and tagging it as Virtual Photography when it isn't. And photo thieves, but fortunately they are rare (at least in my case), and are quickly spotted and reported by the community.

What are your thoughts about AI art, cyberpunk or otherwise? Is it really 'art' in your view or just several 'stolen' images mushed together ? What is your take ?
I found AI art incredible and it’s evolving impressively, but it's not magic - these AIs have necessarily been learned from a base of human artists. As long as they are not completely independent or do not have 100% consent from the artists from whom they’ve learned, I’ll always consider it as stealing.

Fav couple (not necessarily official couple) you have done or would like to do VP for and why ?
I don't take photos of couples, but why not give it a try one day :D

Do you think these are skills you'd like to make a career of on some level or you prefer it as a hobby ?
I don't think I have the skills to make a career out of it, I just hope that it’ll remains a hobby for the longest time.

I've seen a lot of memes from artists that imply if you do vanilla art you will hardly get any notice, but if you do spicy art you'll get tons of attention. Do you feel those memes are accurate for better or worse ? What are your thoughts on that ?
I don’t know if it’s accurate but people consume what they want. The difference of attention does not matter much. Moreover, it's a trend that doesn't just apply to this particular game.

Fav 3 mods you use in the game and why do they make this list ?
1. Apperance Menu Mod, a must-have for taking photos of any character and create any kind of scene
2. HD Reworked Project, which was released a few weeks ago and made by Halk Hogan, the same author as the Reworked project for The Witcher 3 (and now part of the official next gen update). His work is phenomenal and it makes all the difference in close-up or environment shots
3. External Radio, to be able to listen to my own playlists while driving

And my most controversial question... Which of the following labels would you assign to whom (one each) ? ;)

Evelyn : Indifferent
Goro : FWB
Johnny : Kill (for V’s sake only :D)
Judy : Casual Friend
Kerry : Marry
Panam : BFF
River : Hate

And finally what are the socials people can find you, and do you do commissions ?
Twitter is my main social media, but I've also been on Flickr for years. There's less interaction, but the upload quality is better. So feel free to go ahead and grab any pic you like from here. I don’t do commissions but I've already made VP requests for free, it can be a good challenge and help me get out of my comfort zone.

Twitter : https://twitter.com/Ayghan

Flickr : https://www.flickr.com/photos/132049420@N07/

Any final words to the readers ?
If you're interested in getting into virtual photography, don't put too much pressure on yourself by taking photos, do it for fun, as long as you're satisfied with your work that's the most important thing.

Thank you for reading ! And thanks so much Gothic Wizard for this interview opportunity, it was fun !