Pokemon GO is filled with a variety of features that players can use as they play through the game. For the New Pokemon Snap Celebration event, players will be using the snapshot feature for both timed research and field research tasks.
Although Pokemon GO is an augmented reality or AR game, not many players actually use the game's AR features. Snapshots however can be best utilized if players have their AR turned on. Pictures can still be taken without AR, but there are a lot of ways to have fun with it when Pokemon are put into the real world.
The snapshot feature can be used on both players' own Pokemon as well as wild Pokemon. In order to complete this new events tasks however, players will need to photograph wild Pokemon only with them needing to photograph specific ones with certain tasks.
To take snapshots of wild Pokemon, players must first enter the encounter normally. They can then enter snapshot mode by touching the camera button at the very top of the encounter. If AR is turned off, the wild Pokemon will remain in the standard background that is normally in non-AR encounters. This will make the snapshot easy to take, but those who want to take photos of Pokemon in the real world will need to take a few more steps.
The first thing players should do before taking Pokemon snapshots with AR is to make sure that they are in a place with flat ground and good lighting. Flat ground and flat surfaces allow for more places where Pokemon can be placed in the augmented reality view and the lighting makes it easier for the camera to pick up on the space itself. After players make sure they have these, they are in a good place to begin taking snapshots.
In order to activate AR mode, players will need to touch the AR switch at the top right of the encounter screen. They will then need to slowly look around with their phone camera in order to scan the ground. Once players see yellow footprints on the ground, they will be able to place the wild Pokemon there. From there they can take photos of the Pokemon in the real world as well as capture it in AR. Players however should note that some have reported AR mode to be more draining on phone batteries. Those traveling far from home for their sessions should keep an eye on this.
Pokemon GO is available on Android and iOS.