Chatting with virtual photographers is always a joy. There’s always something new to take away from the conversations and the range of talents across board is mesmerising. This chat with Brokenvegetable is not different.
From telling us of his humble beginnings as a gamer/virtual photographer to finding his feet through Forza Motorsport 2, then getting inspired by other VPers, to inspiring other VP artists, meeting with game devs and signing his photos, Brokenvegetable has enjoyed virtual photography!
We know you are eager to get to the chat, so enjoy!
What is your earliest memory of virtual photography?
I didn’t start with photo mode until Forza Motorsport 2, but before that, I would screenshot games mostly during cutscenes. I always knew I would want a photo mode, I just wasn’t sure it would ever be created at that time. Early on, I would screenshot games such as Diablo, Command & Conquer, Nox, Decent, and Fallout. I grew up with these games at least the ones on PC. I couldn’t screenshot my consoles. But the minute I could I did. At first, I wasn’t very good, so I started off slow with 50 -100 shots a game, as I played more back then. Until Forza Motorsport 4, then I came into myself and began to snap more shots than play the actual game.
BrokenVegetable is quite an unusual username. How did you come by it and what's your real name?
My real name is… something I leave for people to figure out. It’s not terribly hard to uncover. However, I do enjoy a good hunt. Brokenvegetable was a name I created when I needed a new AOL screen name. I was mashing two words together at random to make a compound word that would be good to use. Not sure why I started to think about fruit and vegetables.
Haha!
I began playing around with carrots, salad, cucumber, broccoli, potato…I guess then I need a verb-type word to go with some sort of food and I almost instantly thought about broken. Not sure how or why that was what I locked onto. After I thought of broken it was just a matter of what food to put after it. I couldn’t decide on a specific thing, so I went with types and vegetables just felt right for me. Hence, Brokenvegetable.
Your Picashot bio says “I would rather take photos in game than play the game” and that's such an interesting take on VP. What percentage of time would you say you dedicate to capturing in-game photos as opposed to playing the game?
I would say that I play only 1/3 of the time in game vs 2/3 of my time taking photos. I tend to get about 6 shots an hour unless I get a good session, or I am taking the same shot but just with different settings.
I just passed 2,500 photos on Forza Horizon 5. I also did that in Forza Horizon 3 and in Forza Motorsport 5 and 7. Forza Horizon 4 I took over 5,000. Aside from taking photos in other games as well. I have around 20 games installed currently and all but two have photo mode, I own more than 100 games with photomode. If I had more time I would own more games with photo mode.
Wow! So, what platforms do you play on? PC or Console?
I play on everything, I have two laptops, one desktop, Xbox Series X, PS5, Nintendo Switch Lite, NES, SNES, Gensis. I also have a custom arcade box that is just like one you would find in an arcade that I handmade. It houses my fighting stick emulator with thousands of games on it. Most of those are old arcade games.
Let's talk about your style. You are mostly known for your intricate and beautiful shots of cars on Picashot. Did you start out knowing you wanted to take mostly car photos?
It wasn’t that I wanted to do mostly car photos. That was just the game that allowed me to start my virtual photography love. But I do love cars, so it made it easy for me to enjoy shooting them. I do more than shoot cars, but I tend not to share more of those than the cars. I also stream Forza Horizon 5 and other past Forza games, so my time was just naturally taken by that game. It wasn’t intentional and I am just as comfortable in every game. I adapt well to any photo mode. I have done stuff with very little options and stuff with tons of options. Doesn’t matter to me I can make any game look good with any photo mode I am given.
What is the process like when taking car photos?
The process for me can be super easy and I’d get a shot in under ten seconds. On the other hand, it can take me one hour to find one shot. I guess it depends on my mood and the feel of the subject in the game. Even when I shoot cars, some cars are easy to shoot, and I could shoot them all day long. Other cars are harder to shoot, maybe angles are not helpful or the car just doesn’t seem to line up right for a shot.
The first thing I will always do is take ten or so shots to warm up. I also waste tons of shots I set because it just doesn’t seem to be going the way I want. That can also lead to much better shots later. I tend to look at things differently if the first shots don’t work out.
Are there any differences in your process when you take non-car photos?
No, my process is always the same no matter what my subject is. I tend to do my photography the same across all games and photo modes. It’s my constant. I know the subjects and photo modes will change over the games. So, I keep my process the same.
Which game out of all the Forza franchises is your favorite?
I am all about graphics, so Forza Horizon 5 currently is the most advanced for graphics. That’s the one I enjoy the most. I would say the new Forza Motorsport, however, the graphics are very lacklustre and the game doesn’t feel like the next-gen game. I am waiting for another simulation game to move me forward there. Forza Motorsport 7 has better graphics than the new one does.
Do you have any favorite virtual photos that you've taken? If so, what makes them special to you?
“Acid”
This one I took in FH5 in an EventLab called “3 Body Problem.” It has some excellent lighting in it. I took advantage of it to produce this shot which is the start screen for one of my laptops. I also did a B&W version of this shot but I like the color in this one better. Took me a little bit to find this shot, but once I did I knew it would be a favorite of mine.
“Flower”
I took this in Forbidden West, I had been looking for these at the start of the game. So when I found my first one I took a bunch of shots of it and this one always stood out to me. I love the distant background. I think this was the second or third shot I took of this flower. It didn’t take me very long to figure out the shots I wanted from this.
“Fire”
This shot I took in Borderlands 3 for the photocomp they held when they introduced the photo mode. I was one of 10 people selected as winners out of thousands of other people across all their social media accounts. I also went to Pax East the following year and got voice actors and devs to sign my copy of this photo. So it holds a special place to me.
Aww, that is so lovely!
Are your photos inspired by anything/people i.e game devs or virtual photographers?
I am always inspired by everything I see. Other virtual photographers, their work. I mean I will watch someone play a game and just be like, “I need to shoot that location or character.” I think that everyone is always inspired by other people. It’s why I tend to forgo awards or recognition nowadays letting someone else take it, being inspired is enough for me as a reward and knowing I could inspire someone else is also very encouraging. If someone wins a comp or an award based off of inspiration I gave them. THAT’S the real win! For me it’s all about inspiration.
In what ways has virtual photography enhanced your gaming experience?
Photo mode has given me the ability to look beyond what is right in front of me. It has taught me to look at my surroundings in games to appreciate all the work that goes into games. I now spend so much time looking at small details in games, I often find myself spending way too much time looking at items on tables and on bookshelves rather than forward progress in the game. I guess it helped me see the smaller things in life.
What’s your favorite thing to do apart from taking game photos/gaming?
Besides games, I love to roleplay, paint mini-figures (Warhammer), play MTG… I am always focused on some aspect of gaming, to be honest. I do however go outside and love to landscape, I am always in the middle of a project at the house. I also love to cook and bake, right now I am working on perfecting homemade mac and cheese. I can also make killer mint chocolate brownies from scratch.
To be honest I am a jack of all trades. I have done a lot in my life and enjoy a lot of different things. I guess it depends on my mood as to what I am into. I like to keep my options open and am always willing to try new things.
If you were to change or enhance one thing in Gran Turismo 7, what would it be?
For Gran Turismo 7 if I could change one thing it would be to have better on track lighting. I find the track lighting to be somewhat lacking as far as the car models go. I LOVE scapes! I just wish maybe the track features would be more realistic. But I understand loading time on that would be crazy. So, I deal with what I have. I find GT7 has maybe the most in-depth photo mode around. So, I mean if you spend the time in it you can get better results that maybe I get on track. I just would need to put more time into it.
Is there a particular game you want to play but haven't been able to?
Baldurs Gate 3 and they are about to add photo mode!!! So, that game quickly got much higher on my list of games I need to play. Also, Hogwarts, since they added photo mode there I really want to go around the world and snap some shots.
I tend to only play games with photomode in them now. One game that I was very happy to have a photo mode in was Tekken 8… INSTA-BUY!
You can only play one forever. Which one will it be? — Fortnite, Falconeer, Dirt 5 or Demon's Souls?
If I can choose the remake it would be Demon Souls, That game has a pretty good photo mode and has incredible graphics to it. I need to go back to that game and snap more shots in it. If only I could stop time and just play all the games I need to play without having to be bothered with sleeping and doing adult things. CURSE ADULT THINGS!!!!!!
Hehehe!
Can you share a gaming/virtual photography experience that had an emotional impact on you?
I am always impacted by people that tell me they were inspired by my photography. I guess in that way I love the attention I would get. Someone telling me that I gave them the inspiration to create something of their own makes me really happy. I have never been someone who cares about people taking my photos or stealing my settings. I don’t care about stuff like that. The stuff I create I know is mine. I don’t need other people to tell me if it is or is not. I know I can go and create tons more stuff just like what I have already created. All I want is to inspire. I don’t have a normal outlook on this as many others do care if their stuff is stolen or taken. I am just glad that someone likes it enough to want it. I would give it to them freely. Just ask.
Do you have a favorite quote from a game?
Anything Claptrap says, literally name a line he has said and that’s it. As far as things in games, that tops my list of quotes. That whole series is just full of great lines. Tiny Tina has some amazing lines as well. AND …. Don’t forget the gun that calls you the “B” word every time you shoot it. Fun Fact: I have the voice actress sign a copy of the in-game photo I took of that gun. We had a great talk about when she voiced the lines for the gun. That was awesome!
Thanks for sharing. Moving on…
When did you first learn about Picashot?
I heard about the app on Twitter, I was talking to a friend and they mentioned they heard a rumor that Jenna Ortega had the app on her phone. I guess that helped spark my interest in the app. But quickly after getting onto it, I realized how awesome the app was. I don’t tend to follow what celebrities do, however this one was about virtual photography so I had to check it out. I have not been as active lately on the app, I need to change that. I have a lot of photos to upload!
Well, we are waiting for you to share them!
What’s your favorite Picashot feature?
I don’t think I have a favorite feature, to be honest. I love the look and feel of the app a lot, that’s really what draws me to Picashot. It’s simple to use and it’s very plug-and-play. Making something easy to use nowadays without getting it too bogged down with extra options or things like that is hard to do. But there is a fun functionality about the app, and I love it!
Are there any features you'd like to see on Picashot?
I would love to see a connection-type cross-post. Two different virtual photographers that each upload a single photo but post it together. Kinda like a shared posting. So, each virtual photographer’s friends on the app would see both photos and maybe discover a new virtual photographer. Maybe the logistics there won’t work. But it would be cool to see something like that.
Any advice for aspiring virtual photographers who want to emulate your kind of style?
As far as in Forza Horizon 5, if they want to watch my streams on Twitch (Brokenvegetable), that’s the best way to see just how I get the shots I do. Most of the time if I know someone who wants to see how I get a shot in a game I will take note of that and the next time I am in that game I will screenshot my settings.
But honestly, settings are only a small part of how I do what I do. The rest of it is having the eye to see something before I take it. I make sure to know that when I take the shot and I will take a shot that I feel is worth taking. If you have the eye to see shots. Everything else can be learned. You can’t be taught to see that shot. You must figure that out on your own. That’s where the style comes from.
Amazing! This has been such an insightful chat! Thank you, Brokenvegetable! We can’t wait to see the shots you plan to share on Picashot!
Follow BrokenVegetable on Picashot!
