Lara’s Studio: Nik

January Edition 2023

Happy New Year everyone welcome to 2023 and the first edition of the year of Lara’s Studio! It’s amazing how fast time goes by when you’re having a lot of fun! A start of a new year and a new talent to dawn the Halls of Okh Eshivar!

So on with the show, and let’s get to know our featured, spotlight artist Nik a bit better…

Biography

Hello everyone! My name’s Nik, and I’m a virtual photographer with a strong emphasis on all things Lara Croft and Tomb Raider.

Before I start talking more about myself and my VP journey, I’d like to begin by thanking Emma for not only asking me to be featured in this spotlight but for bringing it on in the first place and shining a light on the many talented virtual photographers within the Tomb Raider community. So: Thank you, Emma!

My virtual photography journey began in February 2021 when the official TR25 celebrations started. Lara and Tomb Raider have been a huge part of my life ever since I can remember, so I wanted to participate in the celebration of this milestone somehow. Initially, I wasn’t sure how to since I didn’t think I had anything interesting to offer.

I’m not much of an artist, and I can’t play an instrument or create custom levels with TRLE…I am, however, good at playing the games, so I figured I’d change up my yearly schedule of replaying them and follow along with the monthly celebrations while capturing my progress with screenshots. That’s how I ended up playing one level every day, taking screenshots and posting them on Twitter.

I had always appreciated the beauty the Tomb Raider games offer, but having them replayed as often as I have, playing them in recent years was more me following a routine than anything else. This much slower approach I took, playing only one level each day, allowed me to take my time exploring the levels again and finding new appreciation for the artistic direction and design.

This led to me viewing games as a whole differently. Developers put so much love and effort into their games to visualize their ideas and give players the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world they built, that rushing through them only for the sake of having played and finished them, is not enough for me anymore.

I thoroughly enjoy taking my time and exploring these beautiful virtual worlds, taking pictures of stunning vistas and gorgeous character models.

I’ve been slowly expanding my portfolio with more and more games, and I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me next, because I’ve not only found a new hobby that I love dearly, but also gained many fantastic and supportive friends along the way, and I couldn’t be happier about that.

Thank you, Nik! That was a lovely biography. Now let’s take a look at the fabulous work of Nik!

Gallery

Such a great eye for lighting, perspective, emphasis in the color range per shot and so much more. Looking through these fabulous virtual photography shots I find them mesmerizing and it keeps your attention continuously awesome work!

Another fine place to find this virtual photographer is picashot here’s the link be sure to check that side out as well as of course the Twitter site!