Motorsport photography is a difficult and expensive art to master... So what's our answer to this dilemma? Sim racing of course! Here are some of our top picks for sims to brush up on your camera skills.
Before we get stuck into the article, just a quick background on my experience with motorsport photography. I am a freelance motorsport photographer who has covered everything from the BTCC to banger racing. Whilst I have only been able to take my photography professionally in the last year, I have been taking photos and messing with cameras since I was in secondary school six years ago.
That being said, driving is the main attraction in sim racing, of course - but certainly not the only one. Taking screenshots is a passion of numerous sim racers, and many modern titles come with a photo mode included. How capable are they, however?
ACC in all its graphical glory. Image: Kunos Simulazioni
When taking photos, you want to utilise the maximum from ACC's incredible graphics. If your PC allows you to, set the resolution scale to 200%. Be aware, that driving with this setting so high could cause frame drops on lower-powered PCs, but it is possible to save graphics presets in ACC. That way, switching between a screenshot and a racing preset is a breeze.
Once you have chosen your car and track combination and are out on track, clicking the mouse scroll button brings up the ‘Cinema HUD’. Crucial settings like the field of view (FOV) are available under the ‘Controls’ tab. The lower values do a fantastic job of simulating a real-life telephoto lens, the most commonly used lens to shoot motorsport.
The downside of the software? No direct motion blur or shutter speed alteration. To create the 'Blurred' background effect, set everything up in the 'Cinema HUD' menu in replay mode (you can enter free cam mode via the F7 key), then hit play and capture the car straight away as it starts to move with your settings applied. Not ideal, but it looks the part once you have nailed the technique.
Image: BeamNG
BeamNG.drive has a lot of options, but they do not react like they would on a real camera. For example, you can adjust the aperture but the impact it has on the image is not similar to how adjusting the aperture on a real camera would be. The 'Camera speed' appears to have no impact outside of the free-roam camera. The inability to adjust the shutter speed realistically limits the photo mode considerably.
However, it is not all doom and gloom. BeamNG's beautiful graphics and physics engine always lend themselves well to good photos. Some of the best examples of properly utilising the photo mode will be on MD Gourley's OverTake account, make sure to check it out and try it out for yourself!
Ferrari 250 GTO, Oulton Park
The settings are not particularly mind-blowing. However, this title is considerably older than others on this list. Good quality photos are more than possible though: This shot of this classic Ferrari at a 60s-inspired Oulton Park you see above was set up and taken in less than five minutes.
AC's photo mode will not win any awards, but it is a fantastic place to start if you have a colourful collection of mods for the title you want to show off.
Brazilian Stock Cars, Jerez
The downfall of this otherwise fantastic piece of software is the slow and unresponsive camera positioning and limited camera angles available. You can adjust each camera to how you want it, but unfortunately it all l just feels clunky and a bit restrictive, as even the drone camera collides with cars and objects.
Despite the camera problems, AMS2 has a plethora of groups across Facebook, Discord and many other platforms for photography and racing snaps as well. A good community is always worth investing in over giving up on a title because of a few technical issues.
FH5 Photo Mode. Image Credit: Playground Games
The shutter speed, subject focus, aperture size and vignette strength shape can all be adjusted and played with to suit your style of image. Separate sliders are present for brightness, contrast and saturation.
Motion blur is handled in a very beginner-friendly way. In real car and motorsport photography, photographers are always chasing the perfect balance between motion blur and subject sharpness. FH5 does half of the work for you and holds your hand for the rest of it. 10/10 for beginners!
GT7 Scapes vs Real Life. Image: tbu_ on Reddit.com
The effect of the shutter speed, aperture and exposure are all included with lens effects like chromatic aberration and vignette — a popular addition to the tool. The photo mode in GT7 is truly in a class of its own when it comes to first-party content. The complexity is just right for the average user, but complex enough to scratch that itch of a true photographer.
GT7's scapes are entirely different to a regular photo mode in other sim racing titles. You place your car exactly how you want it in a set environment. This can help bring a creative vision for your photos to the forefront by giving you a 'Best-case scenario' setting!
Let us know which sim you love to take photos in the most on X @OverTake_gg or down in the comments below!
Before we get stuck into the article, just a quick background on my experience with motorsport photography. I am a freelance motorsport photographer who has covered everything from the BTCC to banger racing. Whilst I have only been able to take my photography professionally in the last year, I have been taking photos and messing with cameras since I was in secondary school six years ago.
That being said, driving is the main attraction in sim racing, of course - but certainly not the only one. Taking screenshots is a passion of numerous sim racers, and many modern titles come with a photo mode included. How capable are they, however?
Assetto Corsa Competizione
One of the best-looking sim racing titles on the market currently, Assetto Corsa Competizione has one of the best photo modes on offer. It is a complex beast, but not impossible to tame!ACC in all its graphical glory. Image: Kunos Simulazioni
When taking photos, you want to utilise the maximum from ACC's incredible graphics. If your PC allows you to, set the resolution scale to 200%. Be aware, that driving with this setting so high could cause frame drops on lower-powered PCs, but it is possible to save graphics presets in ACC. That way, switching between a screenshot and a racing preset is a breeze.
Once you have chosen your car and track combination and are out on track, clicking the mouse scroll button brings up the ‘Cinema HUD’. Crucial settings like the field of view (FOV) are available under the ‘Controls’ tab. The lower values do a fantastic job of simulating a real-life telephoto lens, the most commonly used lens to shoot motorsport.
The downside of the software? No direct motion blur or shutter speed alteration. To create the 'Blurred' background effect, set everything up in the 'Cinema HUD' menu in replay mode (you can enter free cam mode via the F7 key), then hit play and capture the car straight away as it starts to move with your settings applied. Not ideal, but it looks the part once you have nailed the technique.
BeamNG.drive
If you have any experience with BeamNG, you know that the photo mode has gone through multiple iterations and versions. Here on OverTake, we have covered how to take seriously sensational screenshots in BeamNG, but what is taking realistic photos like?Image: BeamNG
BeamNG.drive has a lot of options, but they do not react like they would on a real camera. For example, you can adjust the aperture but the impact it has on the image is not similar to how adjusting the aperture on a real camera would be. The 'Camera speed' appears to have no impact outside of the free-roam camera. The inability to adjust the shutter speed realistically limits the photo mode considerably.
However, it is not all doom and gloom. BeamNG's beautiful graphics and physics engine always lend themselves well to good photos. Some of the best examples of properly utilising the photo mode will be on MD Gourley's OverTake account, make sure to check it out and try it out for yourself!
Assetto Corsa
Assetto Corsa is best known in 2024 for its incredible versatility when it comes to mods. However, we will be focusing on the photo mode available in the base game.Ferrari 250 GTO, Oulton Park
The settings are not particularly mind-blowing. However, this title is considerably older than others on this list. Good quality photos are more than possible though: This shot of this classic Ferrari at a 60s-inspired Oulton Park you see above was set up and taken in less than five minutes.
AC's photo mode will not win any awards, but it is a fantastic place to start if you have a colourful collection of mods for the title you want to show off.
Automobilista 2
Automobillista 2 is a surprisingly good sim to practise your photography in. The aperture, shutter speed and focus distance are brilliantly detailed and presented exactly as they would be on a DSLR camera. The settings all impact the images correctly, albeit not 100% consistently.Brazilian Stock Cars, Jerez
The downfall of this otherwise fantastic piece of software is the slow and unresponsive camera positioning and limited camera angles available. You can adjust each camera to how you want it, but unfortunately it all l just feels clunky and a bit restrictive, as even the drone camera collides with cars and objects.
Despite the camera problems, AMS2 has a plethora of groups across Facebook, Discord and many other platforms for photography and racing snaps as well. A good community is always worth investing in over giving up on a title because of a few technical issues.
Forza Horizon 5
Strikingly similar to Forza Horizon 4, the photo mode in Forza Horizon 5 is a simple-to-use tool with user-friendly UI and sliders. This style of photo mode is perfectly suited for an arcade racing title such as FH5, and there is a die-hard photography community behind the game. If you want to learn to shoot a specific type of photo, there will most likely be a tutorial or guide for it.FH5 Photo Mode. Image Credit: Playground Games
The shutter speed, subject focus, aperture size and vignette strength shape can all be adjusted and played with to suit your style of image. Separate sliders are present for brightness, contrast and saturation.
Motion blur is handled in a very beginner-friendly way. In real car and motorsport photography, photographers are always chasing the perfect balance between motion blur and subject sharpness. FH5 does half of the work for you and holds your hand for the rest of it. 10/10 for beginners!
Gran Turismo 7
Since GT Sport debuted the groundbreaking 'Scapes' mode in 2017, the Gran Turismo series has been at the forefront of sim racing photography and photo modes. Gran Turismo 7 took what Polyphony did with GTSport and raised the bar to an entirely different level.GT7 Scapes vs Real Life. Image: tbu_ on Reddit.com
The effect of the shutter speed, aperture and exposure are all included with lens effects like chromatic aberration and vignette — a popular addition to the tool. The photo mode in GT7 is truly in a class of its own when it comes to first-party content. The complexity is just right for the average user, but complex enough to scratch that itch of a true photographer.
GT7's scapes are entirely different to a regular photo mode in other sim racing titles. You place your car exactly how you want it in a set environment. This can help bring a creative vision for your photos to the forefront by giving you a 'Best-case scenario' setting!
Let us know which sim you love to take photos in the most on X @OverTake_gg or down in the comments below!
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