Photography is, in and of itself, one of the most impressive and beautiful forms of art on the planet. My opinion on the matter is driven partially by my utter lack of ability to actually arrange a good shot to save my life and partially due to the fact that capturing life in a still-frame is simply beautiful in its own right. Distilling the kinetic and exhilarating aspects of nature into a single frame blows my mind, but thousands of people around the world have that skill and they exercise it each and every day. That’s magical to me.
And that’s at the core of Magic Hour, a recent VR experience from Wolf In Motion for HTC Vive on Steam.
“It can be photography simulation purely for teaching,” the early access description on Steam says. “It can also be pure experimentation of a dream camera and, why not, a new photographic practise (VR photography). Early Access will allow us to gather feedback and see which direction is the most interesting for our audience.”
In some ways, it makes me think of both Pokemon Snap and the Picto Box from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. In other ways, this software shows potential as a real learning tool.
“Wherever you are, your creative drive and your need to capture memories stay the same,” said Guillaume Couche, founding partner at Wolf in Motion, in a prepared statement. “We believe it is only a matter of time before we see photographic behavior patterns of the physical world becoming common in the virtual ones. VR is not merely another consumption mean but an exciting platform from which new creative experiences will emerge.”
With the power of VR, you don’t just become immersed in a new world around you, but you gain full control of that world as well. In real life, the shots you get and the angles you take aren’t entirely up to you as the weather, the placement of the sun, and nature around all help determine the conditions and framing of each shot. Throw in the variables of different equipment and budgets and it’s easy to see why photography as both a hobby and a profession is often anything but accessible.
With Magic Hour, you get a fully controllable camera including the aperture, shutter speed, exposure and focal length, multiple modes, and more. Right now in Early Access, you’re presented with an idyllic hand-crafted island complete with birds, starlight, lanterns, and a mysterious lighthouse. Many more areas, items, and features, are certainly planned, including multi-user support.
“The arrival of consumer VR has unlocked exciting new opportunities in training and education,” said Charlie Fuller, founding partner at Wolf in Motion. “Magic Hour is one of the first of such products, letting players experiment with a manual control camera before they’ve ever held a real one in their hands.”
The feature list is small right now in comparison to what’s planned, but that’s to be expected with inexpensive Early Access projects. You can check Magic Hour our for yourself on Steam with official HTC Vive support for $4.99.
