Taking Pictures of Pokémon

The announcement of New Pokémon Snap the other day has led me to think about how Pokémon is oriented to people taking pictures of and/or with them. Pokémon is a virtual creation by real people, but their actual setting is (mostly) realistic rather than virtual (in contrast to certain other things). In that world, it is expected that there would be photographers who specialize in taking pictures of Pokémon, and there are, if the anime is of any indication. Meanwhile, for real people like I myself and others, they can at least simulate their ways through the ways Pokémon photography are implemented.

At the most basic level, it is easy to implement photography directly within the games. Pokémon Snap is the most obvious case, and it made for a fine game, though it was rarely heard from until now with New Pokémon Snap being slated. Those who have played the seventh-generation games will also recognize the Rotom Camera, which at certain places can be used to take pictures of "live" Pokémon at that location in a similar manner. These don't really speak to the realism of the real world, but they are realistic enough for the games of concern, for the consideration that they can happen as such.

For photography involving the real world, it would be easy to include certain frames involving Pokémon in action that can then be applied while taking real photos. In the case of taking pictures on a non-AR enabled phone, taking Pokémon pictures in Pokémon Go essentially acts like this, but with slightly more interactivity. But the images can also be processed to indicate certain Pokémon in them as with the Dynamax Camera, a promotional tool for the eighth-generation games that involved finding Dynamax Pokémon in real settings. Though basic, the solutions prove to be effective.

Having mentioned Pokémon Go, the best solution it offers is of course Go Snapshot with AR enabled, which becomes the best and most realistic method for taking pictures of and at times with them. It's already pretty advanced with what it can do with multiple angles and different settings, and it is planned to become more advanced with Reality Blending that makes the camera aware of objects in the setting, likely to also be assisted by the scanning of areas around PokéStops. Those who can make use of these features have the opportunity to make Pokémon photography more realistic than ever before.

The return (or some people may call it a "rebirth") of Pokémon Snap indicates one thing about Pokémon fans, in that some of them are passionate enough to make even pictures and photography be included, especially if they have seen it in the anime. Fortunately, that game and other games and/or tools make it easy for one to achieve just that. The realism of Pokémon in its own universe is not to be doubted, especially for the taking of pictures; it's a good thing to know that some of that realism can be carried over to the actual real world in order to truly possess photographic masterpieces with some wonderful creatures.

One year ago: LINE Pokémon Emoji

Two years ago: The Super Incubator

Three years ago: The Badge Arcade Hit Its Limits