Why Roblox?

• Tons of games to choose from 

• To support indie developers

• Some games are actually beautiful

• --I have a macbook and cant run any actual good games--

Photos I’m planning to take:

• Environmental shots

• Aesthetic scenery

• Calm, mood-based lighting

Roblox Games I'll Use:

• Various indie devs worlds (hidden gems)

Specs:

• Macbook Air M2

Not super powerful, but runs Roblox smoothly enough.

Challenges:

• No photo mode in Roblox

• Can’t adjust depth of field, lighting, etc. in-game

• Limited FOV when moving around

• Some scenes might look pixelated or flat

How I plan to work around that:

• Use first-person view or strategic camera angles

• Screenshot using PrtSc or Snipping Tool

• May do light cropping or brightness edits (but only if it really improves the final image)

"Orbital"

I was reminded of the movie "Arrival" when I took this shot. It was a forest scene with golden hour lighting, and in the middle of it all -- this strange floating orb. It instantly became THE subject. I wanted to emulate an eerie sci-fi vibe, also like the Monoliths in Space Odyssey.

Thought Process:

I lowered the camera angle and used the tall grass as my foreground. I wanted to make the orb look like it was discovered. . The lighting was super important here, so I waited for the exact moment the sunlight peeked through the trees behind the orb.

Composition:

Rule of Thirds – The orb isn’t dead center.

Rhythmic Elements – Repeated lines of the trees.

Principles:

Contrast – visual contrast between the smooth, man-made orb and the rough, organic trees and grass. 

Harmony and Balance – the colors (warm golds and muted browns/greens) and lighting tie everything together, so nothing feels out of place.

Unity – All the elements work together to create a calm but curious atmosphere. 

"Expedition Zone"

This was taken in a rainy forest setting with artificial lights scattered around. The vibe felt like an expedition site, like something from a horror or mystery game. 

Thought Process:

My focus here was lighting and atmosphere. I didn’t place the subject dead center; instead, I tried to capture the way the environment was lit up unevenly for the mix of shadows and highlights.

Composition:

Overlapping – The ferns and lights in the foreground vs. rocks and background trees.

Diagonal Elements – Some of the light beams and tree angles are slightly diagonal.

Principles:

Emphasis – on the light beams and illuminated tree trunks.. They stand out because of how dark and misty the rest of the forest is.

Contrast – strong contrast between light and shadow..

Harmony and Balance

Unity – It tells one story: possibly a mysterious, dangerous forest but with human presence (with lights). 

“Rome's Ruins”

This was taken in a map that gave off ancient rome vibes (lost civilization). 

Thought Process:

This map was actually recommended by a friend. (it was also the last world I've taken). So by this point I was already tired. To just make things simple, I waited for the sunlight to hit just right so it looked like it was spilling through a hidden canyon (it reminded me of the movie "The Croods". I framed the shot using the stone pillars and palm trees to create a sort of window effect. 

Composition:

Rule of Thirds 

Implied Diagonal

Principles:

Harmony and Balance –  Nothing feels out of place.

Unity – All the elements contribute to the same atmosphere.

"Pirate Giant"

I stumbled upon this map featuring a massive cliff carved with a monster-like skull. It instantly reminded me of "Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy" movie, where the pirates lived in a massive skull island. 

Thought Process:

 I really wanted the entire composition to feel like a visual path, so by starting at the left, following the shoreline to the tree, to the skull, and ending at the carved cliff.

Composition:

Leading Lines – The shadow from the cliff lead to the skull down to the tree.

Rule of Thirds 

Diagonal Elements – The cliff edge and slopes of the hill introduce diagonal lines add visual interest

Principles:

Contrast – Between the natural elements (trees, beach, plants) and the skull's unnatural, carved appearance. 

Harmony and Balance – The elements all blend smoothly. Even though the skull is huge, it feels like part of the cliff, not just pasted on.

Unity

“Portal”

The torii gate in this showcase by Enliven (again, shoutout to them for their wonderful creations) caught my attention right away. It stood so still and strong in the middle of the bamboo forest, like some sort of portal or entrance.

Thought Process:

I wanted the torii gate to be the emphasis when you look at this photo. That's why I took it from the shadows.

Composition:

Leading Lines – The shadow from the cliff lead to the skull down to the tree.

Rule of Thirds 

Diagonal Elements – The cliff edge and slopes of the hill introduce diagonal lines add visual interest

Principles:

Emphasis – The torii gate is the focal point.

Contrast – There’s contrast between the gate and the background.

Harmony and Balance – The image also feels visually balanced.

Unity – Everything in this scene works together.

My Thoughts

I honestly didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I've never done something like this in Roblox. I'm usually just playing obby games and Dress to Impress. Unexpectedly, searching for the hidden gems (of worlds) was the most fun for me.

It was definitely not boring. While I only chose Roblox because my laptop can run it, it was also a game with many beautiful creations. Which you can highlight with proper storytelling.

One of the biggest things I learned from this project is how composition plays a huge role in storytelling. Yes, the worlds are absolutely jaw-DROPPING gorgeous. But even without any characters or dialogue, I realized you can still “say” something through your framing, light, and space. 

I also looked at the worlds in the developer's perspective. To be able to create such wonderful worlds means the developer or designer had to have a creative mind.

Also, I didn't use any editing apps like Photoroom or Lightroom to keep it "natural"? I wanted to challenge myself and show the digital beauty of Roblox. Settings were on MAXIMUM. Laptop hot, and here we are!

Overall, this activity made me appreciate photography more, both digital and real-world. It taught me to slow down and really look at a scene in a game. To notice what elements are working together and what story I’m trying to tell. I didn’t expect to come away with a deeper understanding of visual storytelling, but I honestly did.

 Hopefully the photos speak for itself.

Also my thoughts but in another column

There are definitely some pros and cons to doing photography inside a game compared to real-world photography. 

A major pro is that you have complete control over your environment. There’s no real-world pressure like weather (I can't go outside without sweating), expensive gear (I'm broke), or people walking into your frame (thanks a lot, social anxiety).

However, one big downside is that you’re also limited to the game’s mechanics. Roblox doesn’t have a built-in photo mode, so I couldn’t adjust things like depth of field, FOV, or ISO. 

Also, Roblox is pretty straight-forward. As I've mentioned in the intro, most people think that it is only a kid's game, with just a bunch of blocks placed together. But Roblox has a lot of independent and small developers that make showcases and worlds that look OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD, and I wanted to show their creations.

Another challenge I ran into was the lack of human subjects. Since I was doing this alone and Roblox games don’t always support pausing or posing avatars, it wasn’t really possible to include people in my photos. 

While this would be a disadvantage, it actually pushed me to focus more on environmental storytelling. I ended up using objects, lighting, and scenery to create emotion and mood.

But overall, glad that I could workaround my difficulties, and take satisfying photos. Hopefully, I showed how Roblox can be a haven for creatives.