Check out the photos below! Neither has been edited. Use the interactive quiz challenges you to analyse the technical differences between two photographic approaches to our "Virtually Real" brief. By critiquing these examples, you will learn to identify the specific compositional choices that transform an ordinary space into a truly immersive, uncanny simulation.
Aldi Gungahlin, Taif (2026)
Aldi Gungahlin, Taif (2026)
Now that you have deconstructed the exemplars, complete the following application task in your visual diaries or digital portfolios before starting your own practical tests.
Create a targeted production list of at least three highly creative practical techniques you will deliberately deploy to warp reality. Instead of just picking a good location, think about how you can physically manipulate the space or the camera lens itself.
Use the experimental starting points below to spark your ideas:
Breathing heavily onto your camera lens right before pressing the shutter creates a temporary, organic fade. This beautifully mimics a low-resolution digital rendering or a corrupted video stream without using software.
Wrap clear plastic kitchen wrap over your lens and lightly smear hand cream around the outer edges. This keeps the centre clinically sharp while physically warping the perimeter into a simulated haze.
Hold a patterned privacy glass sample or a clear plastic CD case directly in front of your lens. This catches ambient light to introduce sharp, geometric refractions that digitally slice up your composition.
Shine a smartphone torch wrapped in coloured cellophane (cyan, harsh yellow, or sickly green) into the edge of your lens from just outside the frame. This aggressive flare washes out organic real-world details.
Place a tiny object (like a miniature chair) centimetres from a wide-angle lens. Position it so it looms massively over a vast, empty corridor, tricking the brain into questioning the environment's true scale.
Hide a compact LED light source flat on the floor behind a pillar, pointing straight up at the ceiling. This forces shadows to stretch eerily upward, signaling that the physics of the space are broken.