In-Game Photography: Davide di Tria Captures Virtual Worlds

Davide di Tria, a Milan-based photographer and visual artist, practices in-game photography, using video game environments as the basis for photographic works. He began in March 2020 during the lockdown, after observing images created within games on Instagram. In July 2020, he joined the Neoludica artistic collective, exhibiting at Rome Videogames Lab and Milan Games Week. Di Tria does not use mods, relying solely on in-game photo modes without altering colors, contrasts, or applying filters; post-processing is done in Photoshop. He presents a series from Forza Horizon 5 titled 'Viva Mexico! A Vocho diary,' featuring the 1963 Volkswagen Beetle, an iconic car symbolizing freedom and travel. The project imagines a youthful road trip through Mexican deserts, capturing a sense of liberation. Di Tria contrasts traditional photography, which requires significant time, investment, and teamwork, with the immediacy of in-game photography, where changing cars, finding locations, and waiting for optimal lighting are much faster. Despite technical differences, he aims to tell a story in both real and virtual photography. Di Tria has worked in professional photography since 2005, specializing in commercial and editorial work for industrial product, furniture, and automotive design. He teaches post-production at Istituto Italiano di Fotografia in Milan and at Foto Scuola Lecce, and graphic visualization at IED Milan's Interior Design master's program.