photographic realism

The former president was painted by Robert McCurdy, an artist who specializes in photographic realism, making images in which the subjects are standing alone against a white background, illuminated by harsh lighting.

Mr. Pinkney worked primarily in watercolor and pencil, a combination that, in his hands, produced almost photographic realism while still allowing for imaginative flourishes.

The latest fixation—one that’s been pushed hard by the gaming community as well—is ray tracing, a method for lighting video games that’s being heralded as the next step in photographic realism.

Ms. Stevens is in the process of mastering a loose, somewhat photographic realism that may reflect an admiration for the paintings of Edward Hopper and Eric Fischl.

Visual effects designer Kevin Haug and VFX supervisors David Stump and Jeremy Ball focused on photographic realism to develop the look and feel of Starz’s “American Gods” with director David Slade.