Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 as a Photography Tool

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, developed by Asobo Studio and Xbox Game Studios, was released in August for Windows (with a later Xbox console release). The simulator uses Bing Maps data interpreted by AI, real-time weather from Swiss service Meteoblue, and official air traffic to recreate the entire planet's topography, physics, and aircraft operation. Its dynamic clouds, wind, sunlight, and free camera mode allow users to capture aerial photographs of real or imagined landscapes without traveling. Photographer and writer Eric Adams called it "the most powerful photographic tool ever created" for planning compositions. The clouds evoke abstract paintings like Georgia O'Keeffe's Sky Above Clouds series (1960s) and the sculptural clouds of Mantegna, Titian's Assunta, and 17th-century Dutch and Flemish art. Users can chase real weather events, such as Hurricane Laura in late August, though it appeared as a violent storm.