Hello everyone. I've never been one to talk much about myself, mainly because I'm not a celebrity, unfortunately, but perhaps I can share something interesting about something we all have in common: a passion for gaming.

I've been passionate about video games since I was a child. I believe many gamers, like me, started with consoles. My first was a PS4, although I didn't play many games on it. The only memorable ones were God of War 1 and 2. Nowadays, I'm an enthusiast of Greek and Norse mythology, thanks to Kratos. God of War remains one of my favorite franchises to this day. Another game that left its mark on me on the PS4 was Devil May Cry. At the time, I even tried to imitate Dante and dyed my hair white. My mom nearly killed me for it, but I learned my lesson: we shouldn't go around imitating characters who kill demons.

That was my start as a gamer on the PS4. Despite always being a nerd who loves movies, comics, and music, I didn't become addicted to video games until I discovered the best invention of all: the PC. I was 5 or 6 years old when my father bought our first PC. That undoubtedly became my greatest passion; I became fascinated by computers, so much so that I now work in IT, basically becoming a complete nerd without a girlfriend. However, games in Brazil have always been very expensive, so I settled for online games: CS: GO, League of Legends, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and several emulators, including the PS1. That's when I discovered the original Resident Evil games, which quickly became my favorite horror franchise. I think I spent more time playing these games than studying or dating.

But as with everything in life, online games eventually become boring. So I started playing single-player games, and that's where another passion of mine emerged (I have many passions, sorry!): RPGs. My first was Oblivion. They say you never forget your first time, hehe. Even though it was an outdated game for its time, it was love at first sight for me, but I never cared much about graphics. I spent hours in that universe, and thanks to that game, I started learning English to better understand the story. Which didn't help at all because I'm terrible at English, as you can see... Later on, I discovered Fallout, Fable, and my all-time favorite game: Mass Effect. This game is so special to me that I've been waiting for years to play the 'Legendary Edition', but I'm afraid it might ruin my love for this saga. But one day I'll play it and try to capture some screenshots of this incredible franchise. Mass Effect came into my life when I was obsessed with Star Wars and wanted to be an astronaut, unfortunately, I didn't follow that dream because I realized I'm afraid of heights haha.

I've briefly summarized my experiences with video games. I'm not very old; I just turned 18, so I don't have many experiences to share with you. But what led me to take screenshots? I've always liked photography, even though I can't take cool photos (a shame), but that never stopped me from editing photos. So when I started playing on Steam, I often saw people taking beautiful screenshots and thought I could try it too. I took some, and surprisingly, people liked them. I kept trying to improve. My first screenshot was from a game I love and has quickly become my second favorite, Baldur's Gate 3.

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3072481351

I remember being very proud of that screenshot; I even used it as wallpaper for a while. After that, I became addicted to taking screenshots. Best of all, I met many people here who also love doing it. Steam is undoubtedly the best gaming community. Despite its clumsy interface, the people here are amazing and very talented. I don't follow rules for taking photos, the only thing I always standardize is the resolutions. I usually take photos in 4K, generally using the resolution 3840x2160 in games. However, to make the photo look better, I upscale it to 8K using NVIDIA Ansel. So, for posting on Steam, if they are portraits, I use 2592x3240, and if they are panoramas, I generally use 3125x4000. If I could give you a tip, it would be to always maintain a resolution. It's easier to post later and it stays consistent on your profile since Steam has a 10MB upload limit. I love taking pictures of landscapes. Horizon Zero Dawn is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful games I've ever seen. I enjoyed every minute I spent in that world, and I think those are my best captures.

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3137880648

I don't usually use Reshade much for taking photos, but I rely heavily on some camera 'tricks'. Some games have photography programs outside the game. This guide helped me a lot and might help you too.

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=682947327

For games that use the Unreal Engine, I use the Universal Unreal Engine, which is excellent for increasing resolution up to 8k. Other photography 'tricks' I use include Otis_Inf and Cheat Engine, which are also fantastic and essential for any screenshot enthusiast. One of the reasons I love taking screenshots is that it allows you to enjoy games even more. For example, Hellblade. I had already played it on the PS4, but I really fell in love with this game when I played it on Steam and took screenshots. Senua has become one of my favorite characters, both in games and movies. I even have a cat named Senua. One day, I'll post a photo of her here.

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3136578680

Anyway, taking screenshots enhances your gaming experience, as it did for me in Hellblade and other games. I suggest everyone try it. I guarantee you'll enjoy games more. Another thing I love to capture in photos are portraits. Characters are one of the main reasons I love a game, along with the story, so I always try to capture unique moments of important characters. Here are some examples: in Star Wars, Merrin only knew that red world of Dathomir, so I tried to capture a photo of her where she was happy and smiling, something she never did on Dathomir.

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3129918978

In Baldur's Gate, I tried to capture the detail in the eyes of my favorite characters. As they say, eyes are the windows to the soul.

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3119515579

Baldur's Gate was an incredible game in every aspect; each character is unique, which makes us love each one of them, but my favorite is undoubtedly Lae'zel. Maybe I have a thing for tough women who beat me up, but this character is amazing, and I love photographing her.

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3140277831

Death Stranding, another game with amazing characters. I played it for the first time during the pandemic. This game showed me the importance of building connections. When I played it again, I enjoyed it much more because of the screenshots I took in moments like this...

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3196321483

You're probably tired of reading. I hope I didn't bore you with this terrible English; maybe one day I'll take language lessons. Thank you very much for your support always. Let's all continue to maintain this incredible community, may the force be with you all <3 V. Skywalker