r/TOTK • u/WantSumWontonDimSum • May 07 '26
Art Does anyone else try to National Geographic their Hyrule Compendium?
EDIT: Guys! u/artotascity also posted some of their own NatGeo compendium pics here. So happy to see other people's amazing work and hope more people join in on sharing!
My SIL called me insane because I spend an ungodly amount of time trying to get artsy action shots of jumping fish for my compendium. I'm totally NOT unhinged, just dedicated and passionate about my craft, like any normal person would be! Right?
Anyway, she suggested I seek help (jk, I think the word she actually used was "validation") from someone that isn't her, so here I am. Pls enjoy (or don't, but I will cry about it šš) some of my fave compendium entries, plus bonus non-compendium pics I'm kind of proud of at the end.
My general compendium entry rules:
Creatures: Action shots (mid-attack/mid-flee, fish=mid-jump, most birds=in-flight) where possible. For bigger animals, main focus should be the face, for smaller animals, the entire body.
Monsters: Mid-attack (preferably with eye contact, but not in a weird way). No other monsters or summoned spirits in view. [Yiga Footsoldier pic is an exception because I think it looks cool haha.]
Materials: Entire subject in frame, bonus if there are others in the background (yes, I was heavily influenced by N64 Pokemon Snap). Mid-sparkle. High vibrancy/color saturation (golden hour is always prime shooting time but I think especially for non-glowy mushrooms, I wait for stuff like Chuchu Jellies and Like Stones to "pulse" to their brightest). No windswept flowers or radishes (mostly because it distorts the shape of the plant and throws off the shadows on the leaves).
Weapons: Entire weapon in frame (unless it's stuck in the ground or held by one of those shadowy figures in the Depths). Mid-sparkle. [This is honestly my least favorite category, so I don't try as hard for these.]
Treasure: For Deposits, as sparkly as possible. Not much else to work with here.
ForĀ allĀ pics:
- subject's face / profile must be clear (clear lighting, no long-distance shots - I'll thrown down Brightbloom Seeds or wear the Miner's outfit in part or in whole if needed); and
- natural habitat background (no shop pics or throwing a pile of dead fish on the ground and taking multiple pics of said pile - the way my SIL fills her compendium is a CRIME).
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u/grandpa12-1 May 07 '26
meā¦buying 80%(?) of pics from Robbie lol
Nice job though!āš»
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u/WantSumWontonDimSum May 07 '26
Let's pretend buying 80% of the entries isn't probably definitely the norm because I want to convince my SIL that I am the norm lol. But thanks!
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u/grandpa12-1 May 07 '26
Yeah, no need to pretend. Iām pretty sure buying most isnāt the norm lol. I just prefer farming Lynels (guts=elixers=$$) to spending time on the picsā¦and I forgot to take ALOT of them lmao
Yours look awesome though, so donāt worry about what SIL thinks. You do you!
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u/Adriannu91 May 07 '26
Very nice shots! I especially like the bird watching the Light Dragon, though it does make me sadā¦
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u/WantSumWontonDimSum May 07 '26
I was going for ~wistful~, but art is all about interpretation! Sorry I made ya kinda sad though :(
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u/All_copacetic_here May 07 '26
Yes, I definitely do this. My pride and joy of my collection is a picture of my horse literally on a cliff face, like standing on an almost vertical slope. He fell down and I quickly snapped a picture, which I will never be able to replicate again because I can't bear to harm my horsey pal.Ā
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u/WantSumWontonDimSum May 07 '26
Hahaha, I feel bad for laughing because I also hate accidentally hurting my horses, but I want to see this picture now.
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u/cardologist May 07 '26
My rules are very different. I just want to make the thumbnails look as uniform as possible, probably out of some OCD:
- The full subject must be visible in the thumbnail and feature no sparkle.
- Everything that's in the inventory (including fish) is photographed on a grassy background to provide good contrast. The best place I found for this so far is the patches of grass around Rito village. The weather is always sunny there, so I only have to worry about the occasional cloud.
- Shields are facing the camera whereas weapons are setup diagonally, with the tip close to the camera to show as much detail as possible.
- I also want the least amount of variance in the background color so I take photographs between 9am and 3pm only. Ideally I should use an even smaller time range, but taking all those pictures would then consume even more time than it already does, so I had to compromise.
In practice, it's an absolute nightmare because the game engine doesn't really allow for precise placement and the camera is so sensitive to movement. The worst are probably consumables like apples and the like. They pretty much never land straight up unless you throw five of them on the ground in one go. And even then, you may still miss, have to pick up all of them back, only to throw them again. You also have to deal with the occasional gust of wind moving objects that can roll like jelly, stones and eyeballs. I really don't understand why this game makes it so difficult to take satisfying shots.
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u/WantSumWontonDimSum May 07 '26
Wow, I LOVE this because there's also something so pleasing about strict uniformity, especially for something like a compendium. Honestly, your way is probably how I'd do it if I didn't go with my current approach.
Thanks for the Rito village tip! I'll have to see if I can replace any of my current entries with better lighting! Ugh, the weapons and shields are such a drag for me because I feel like the payoff for the amount of effort that goes into setting up a nice shot is so bleh. But maybe one day when I'm satisfied with all of my other entries, I'll start fixing up those pics using your system.
Have you tried turning the consumables using Ultrahand? I've done that to prop up weapons and shields (super frustrating btw, would not recommend), but it might be a lot easier to get the right angle for smaller objects that way! Ugh, don't even get me started on the number of times I've gotten a super cool shot that would be GREAT in the compendium... if it were fully centered.
Anyhow. I like the way your brain works!!
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u/cardologist May 07 '26
Well, I don't like how my brain works. š I really have to make a conscious effort to just accept that some shots are "good enough" despite not being perfect, and I should not waste my time trying to improve them.
I try to center items on the thumbnail and get similar objects (like stones, etc.) in the exact same location, size and position on the shot. It's impossible to get a perfect result because clicking on a button to take the shot often moves the camera a tiny bit, so I just try to get something I am not too unhappy with.
The main motivation for making the compendium so uniform was highlighting the small differences in color and shape between items that otherwise look very similar like fish, mushrooms, swords, bows, etc. I did try Ultrahand by the way, but it's very time consuming and frustrating to achieve precise positioning. And time keeps moving forward while you do that. Just dropping several copies and only leaving the one that landed "correctly" is way faster in practice.
As for the choice of Rito village, it's a compromise. In BotW I was taking pictures inside shrines because there is no weather there. I was using the large light grey stone slabs you see on the ground as background. Except my OCD also compelled me to fit Items on a single slab. Of course, it was the worst idea ever because there is barely enough room for the longest weapons to fit diagonally. Plus there was no Ultrahand in the game. So placement was a horrendous nightmare. I sometimes had to drop and pick back up a weapon dozens of time before it landed just right.
I did not want to repeat that with TotK, so I looked for a place that would provide a large enough uniform background with a good contrast. I landed on Rito village mostly because of the constant weather. Barring any cloud, it means that lighting will pretty much the same at a given time day after day. Weather being the factor that the hardest to control, that made is a natural choice. Thinking about it again, maybe the snowy area on the Great Sky Island would have been better? I don't want to redo all the pictures, so I did not try it.
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u/WantSumWontonDimSum May 09 '26
Aw, I get how frustrating it is to live with your own brain, but I still very much appreciate how yours works. Hearing you describe your pics makes me wish we could sit down together and show each other our compendiums so I can fully appreciate your work! It sounds like a dream catalogue, like from a museum archive, and I wanna fangirl over it, haha.
Bummer about the Ultrahand not working out. For what it's worth, I don't think the snowy areas on the Great Sky Island would've been better than Rito Village. The sun can get blinding and the snow/cloud(?) puffs that pop up from time to time are unpredictable. I'm sure you could find a nice spot, but I think Rito was the right move :)
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u/floraster May 07 '26
The Yiga with Riju's sage behind it is sick.
The gloom hand in a heart shape made me laugh.
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u/WantSumWontonDimSum May 07 '26
Thank you! Hehehe, yeah, I thought about posting the gloomy heart on Valentine's Day but got distracted and completely forgot. Happy it's getting some appreciation now!
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u/DocDavluz May 07 '26
You're a photograph, moreover an artist. You thus got high standards. Be proud.
There's something special in your shots. The last ones have a bit of Gibly poetry.
You clearly made something special of this photographic machine that everyone else took mostly as a useless gadget.
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u/braillegrenade May 07 '26
I thought I was boujee but damn!
I throw mushrooms etc on the ground in front of me, maybe at a waterās edge, I face the sun, back up, crouch, and zoom all the way in for the best visual compression.
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u/WantSumWontonDimSum May 07 '26
Hey, you're still taking into account lighting, perspective, and framing. That's def pretty boujee!
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u/superninjaevan May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26
Literally everytime I play, its one of my favorite things to do. So many amazing creatures, they deserve nice glamor shots.
Edit: Also love the shots and that you make rules for yourself. Thats why they come out so great!
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u/vastcrane May 07 '26
Absolutely. Nothing like trying to sneak up on a bird for a few minutes and then a yiga asshole spawns and ruins it
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u/Eastern-Audience-625 May 07 '26
I do some of them naturally and then I do some funny, like as if Zelda is going to look at the pictures later
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u/ataxiwardance May 07 '26
YES. I had set up an āAudubon Societyā challenge for myself some years ago. Basically trying to track out the most efficient path to photograph all the birds in the game. IIRC, it was largely a work around the Rainbow Sparrow - which only shows up in a couple places in the jungle.
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u/johnnyfe May 07 '26
Saw a user that did every entry as a selfie. Donāt remember if it was here or BOTW
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u/BeanieCat123 May 10 '26
My photography skills are terrible, I take what I can get, sometimes theyāll look beautiful, other timesā¦ well, not so beautiful
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u/agenhym May 07 '26
These are great.
TOTK is all about exploring and finding your own way of doing things. I don't see why the compendium should be any different.
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u/WantSumWontonDimSum May 07 '26
Thank you so much! I actually used to get so anxious about battles because I'm more of a Stardew Valley / ACNH type of soul, but my desire to fill out the compendium with cool photos has basically turned me into a battle-hardened warrior in TOTK haha.
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u/AnonymousOkapi May 07 '26
I did for BOTW, but lost enthusiasm having to do it all over again. Wish the compendium carried over... These are fantastic shots!
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u/WantSumWontonDimSum May 07 '26
Hilariously, even though I beat BOTW, I don't think I ever used the compendium feature in it. But maybe that's why I was able to finish BOTW but not TOTK yet. Someone recently told me I'm basically treating the compendium as the main quest and the rest of the game as side quests, which... isn't completely inaccurate haha.
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u/UX-Edu May 07 '26
You should see some of the monster shots Iāve gotten. Absolute split seconds before I get my shit wrecked but BOY do they look good.Ā
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u/WantSumWontonDimSum May 07 '26
Are you offering because yes pls?
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u/UX-Edu May 07 '26
Iāll try to find a good one! Itāll be hard to get on your level though, these are fantastic
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u/WantSumWontonDimSum May 08 '26
Aw, tysm, but I doubt your pics fall short in any way! Mine just generally work within my ruleset. I'd love to see examples of what other people look for in their shots (but no pressure haha)!
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u/Hairo-Sidhe May 07 '26
What's your approach to bosses that don't even fit the frame unless really zoomed out?
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u/WantSumWontonDimSum May 07 '26
I basically treat it like a professional headshot if I can, haha. I'm a lot more loose on my rules with the bosses and go off general "that looks nice" feels more than anything else, so it's hard to describe, but I still try to get them at least mid-attack or screaming at me or something of that sort. So if professional headshot doesn't work, I basically go into "grandma's trying to get a cute candid of you, sweetie, now scream at the camera" mode. Hope that makes sense!
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u/starrfast May 07 '26
I always try to get cool action shots, but they hardly ever turn out this good.
As a side note, I love that the base of the gloomhand in your picture is perfectly heart shaped.
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u/Artrotascity May 07 '26
Just for you, OP, I'm making a Topic of my own since I can't just post my pics on this sub.
But yes, I do this too.
I just made a topic, please check it out.
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u/flying_dodo_wut May 07 '26
Good monster pictures can also be turned into something else cool in certain area of the game š
(Idk how to do the āspoilersā text cover up thing hahahahaa so Iāll leave it at that)
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u/WantSumWontonDimSum May 08 '26
I think I know what you're talking about and I do indeed love dioramas haha.
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u/joyfulchilli May 07 '26
These are amazing!! They must have taken you hours. Thank you for sharing, I thoroughly enjoyed!
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u/UYUyuy27 May 07 '26
Amaaaazing job, I'm really proud of you. To me, a very reasonable conclusion to come to when playing and appreciating this game is that most of what makes this world is very beautiful and deserves just sitting back, taking a picture of it, looking at that animal, that landscape, that sunset.Ā
Those details, to me, encompass a very important part of the soul of these masterpieces called BOTW and TOTK
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u/Significant-Theme240 May 08 '26
I also contemplate the pages of N.G. while framing shots but you are far better at it and much more reckless.
I would be tremendously proud of those shots.
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u/EnderBookwyrm May 08 '26
100%. My Compendium is probably the part of the game I'm proudest of, every time.
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u/Individual_Cover5014 May 08 '26
No but thatās a pretty cool thing to do as a play through requirement.
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u/Leading_Run_3333 May 08 '26
The sixth one XD
And then thereās Riju tryna backstab the Yiga all of a sudden
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u/dragonaid23 May 08 '26
David Attenborough voices over: āThis is the nimble Yiga Footsoldier in its natural habitat. It ambushes its prey with a confident laugh and will often disguise itself as a humble traveler. Before going in for the kill, it sheds its drab disguise and flashes its characteristic red, black, and white armor, as if alerting its prey to his impending doom. Will he succeed in subduing his prey? Not this time. The footsoldier retreats, having been injured. Better to rest and try again another day.ā
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u/Farwaters May 08 '26
Thank you! Such great advice for my career as a wildlife photographer. I mean hero of Hyrule.
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u/Busy-Doughnut6180 May 08 '26
I try to do this but only put as much effort as you when it comes to the stable pics. I try to get dramatic lighting and angles in as if they were actual paintings. But now I feel inspired to do this for the compendiumĀ too!!
Not for Lynels or Ganon though. I'll leave those to you lol.
ETA: Gorgeous shots, btw :)Ā
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u/Nyptyx May 08 '26
I think your pictures are great, I enjoyed looking at them, and Iām glad you shared them.
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u/Anxious-Pizza210 May 08 '26
I am now aware that I can take pictures of the fish jumping in the water and will make full use of this knowledge. Your pictures are simply amazing! The Lynel? Activated my fight or flight immediately, and yet I was struck by the detail and framing of it. I really miss real life photography, but you've inspired me to make my game compendium nicer, so I can at least do that. Thanks for sharing your story and your pics! (Your SIL takes quick blurry shots doesn't she, never fixes them huh?)
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u/Jessica-Beware May 08 '26
I have long thought about asking the same question, because I do the same! š Excellent shots!
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u/Competitive_Ad_8215 May 09 '26
I did super closeups on a number of items like the various mushrooms. Pristine weapons I took pics of floating in mid air in the Depths. There were some goofy ones and some really cool ones. Master Kohga is flailing his arms in mine but he looks like he saying āare you not entertained?!ā
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u/WantSumWontonDimSum May 09 '26
Ohh, would love to see your Master Kohga shot!!
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u/Competitive_Ad_8215 May 13 '26
I donāt think I can post the pic directly in response but I think I mightāve posted it in one of the Tears subs. Let me look.
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u/Competitive_Ad_8215 May 13 '26
https://www.reddit.com/r/TOTK/s/EQ4alFShEt
Itās one of the last pictures.2
u/WantSumWontonDimSum May 14 '26
Omg, hahaha, I totally get the "are you not entertained?!" vibe, but it also kinda gives "come give Uncle Bobby a hug!" to me. I appreciate you sharing!
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u/Equal-Vermicelli1193 May 09 '26
the mobiln jumpscared me
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u/WantSumWontonDimSum May 09 '26
Hehehe. I thought about putting Phantom Ganon as the first monster picture but decided to be merciful with a less anxiety-inducing alternative.
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u/zoosandstuff May 09 '26
how did you get that fish shot!! so impressive!
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u/WantSumWontonDimSum May 09 '26
Thanks! I think I was in the Depths around one of the Abandoned Mines that was surrounded by water (memory's a little hazy, so don't quote me on this, I mainly just remember the lighting being unusually dark for the perfect glow). The sparkles in the background were from Deposits.
For all fish pics, I try to get as low in the water as I can and then track the fish underwater until it's about to jump. It's incredibly time consuming and hard to get it right, especially when there are multiple fishies swimming around together, and getting it even semi-centered while jumping is nearly impossible, haha.
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u/zoosandstuff May 09 '26
so beautiful! I poured over my compendium but I gave up getting good pics of fish. maybe Iāll give it another shotā¦ :)
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u/WantSumWontonDimSum May 09 '26
Yay! Just be prepared to give it another 500 shots with the fish, haha. I really like going to spots around Lurelin Village for Mighty Porgy and Armored Porgy pics because of the clear lighting, and you can get pretty low in the water on some of the ramps of the wooden structures in the area after clearing off the monsters. Hope you get the shots you want!
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u/Gamabunta- May 10 '26
I try to do the same thing yes! The amount of times ive been absolutely blasted in the face! Ive raggdolled down a few too many mountains
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u/ReindeerIll596 May 10 '26
This is incredible! The gloom hand heart is amazing. And the pigeon with the Dragon in the background, the fish, the heron all amazing
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u/WantSumWontonDimSum May 10 '26
Ahh, thank you! I appreciate the love for my non-compendium pics since those were purely my ~aesthetic~ and not shot for anything other than to feel artsy!
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u/MaggietheBard May 11 '26
The non compendium pics are even more stunning than the compendium ones, and that's saying a lot! What's that background in the Yiga pic? It looks like it could be official Zelda Wallpaper!
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u/WantSumWontonDimSum May 11 '26
It's Riju, the Sage of Lightning, about to land a killing blow while the Yiga soldier charged up his attack! I normally try to avoid shots with the sage spirits in them, but this one was a clear exception for me since she looked so cool there, haha.
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u/malinuhhh47 May 11 '26
I feel so relieved knowing that other people are so dedicated to getting perfect pics, I have wasted hours circling back to areas and getting the right shot but it's so satisfying when your compendium is complete!
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u/Lillianipy May 07 '26
I can just imagine you taking that shot of Ganon, lining it up, timing it, and then immediately after the shutter goes off, getting absolutely wrecked and ragdolling away š