There’s a moment early on in Lushfoil Photography Sim, somewhere between adjusting my aperture and waiting for the fog to roll in, when I felt the kind of stillness I usually only find in the real world, camera in hand, alone in the landscape. It was dusk in a digital world, and the only thing I could hear was the ambient soundtrack rising softly through the trees.
Recently released on Steam, Xbox, and PS5, Lushfoil Photography Sim offers players the chance to explore beautifully rendered natural locations from around the world, all from the perspective of a roaming photographer, and it does so with a surprising amount of authenticity. You’re not chasing high scores or dodging enemies, just light, composition, and mood.
The in-game camera gives you full manual control, with settings like aperture, exposure, ISO, white balance, manual focus, and even film simulations/ LUTs to creatively shape the scene; although unfortunately, there is no black-and-white option – perhaps a future update.
You can switch between different camera models, adjust environmental elements like fog, rain, or sunlight, and even discover hidden tools like a drone or a rowboat to capture from new perspectives. In a genre full of fast-paced action, Lushfoil moves at a different rhythm. Deliberate, reflective, and deeply immersive.
It’s a joy for anyone who loves photography, and especially for those of us who get lost in the details of framing and focus. I spent hours here, tweaking settings, walking slowly through virtual forests and coastlines, just to see how the light shifted across the landscape. It's almost meditative.
That said, Lushfoil isn’t a replacement for the real thing. There’s a physical, sensory magic to being out in the field with a camera, the wind on your face, the weight of your gear, and the unpredictable joy of being in nature that no simulation, no matter how advanced, can quite capture.
But where this game shines is in accessibility. Not everyone can hike up a mountain or wait by a riverside for hours to get the perfect shot. Whether due to physical limitations, time constraints, or geographic location, many people are cut off from those moments of photographic connection. Lushfoil opens virtual doors. It offers a way into creativity, photography, and nature itself, even if only virtually.
For those of us who photograph to slow down, to look closely, and to find beauty in the small details, Lushfoil Photography Sim might be the most peaceful evening you can spend in front of a screen.
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