Photography



Photography is one of three new skills for The Sims 3 World Adventures expansion pack.

Sims who take up the Photography skill gain access to an album of themed photo collections, encouraging the player to take photographs of various events, objects, people and places using a camera. Without a camera, Sims cannot learn the Photography skill. Rare photos are needed to complete the collection, and completing the more difficult collections is no easy task.

Child Sims and older are capable of learning this skill. Sims can still take snapshots with their cellphones in The Sims 3 and all its expansions, however this will not influence their Photography skill. Photographs appear as distinct objects that Sims can display around their homes.

Many premade Sims in the World Adventures sub-neighborhoods - Al Simhara, Champs Les Sims, and Shang Simla - begin the game with a ChannonTec Outlaw SE camera in their inventories and a very high Photography skill. Players can exploit this to get a free camera by befriending these Sims and getting them to move in. Sims can reproduce a photo in a painting, if a Sim has a high painting skill.

Cameras
There are three types of camera:

SnapTastic Filmsy-Cam - §250
 * Can only take small portraits and panoramas. Produces low quality photos. Cheap to operate.

ChannonTec Outlaw SE - §850
 * Takes small portraits and medium landscapes. Produces medium quality photos. A good camera for beginners.

Hikon QX40di Gladiator - §3,250
 * Exclusive to Egypt. Takes high-quality pictures, and can use all filters and sizes. An excellent camera.

Their respective prices reflect their abilities.

All cameras are accessible for both newbies and experts.

Camera mechanics
What sort of photos a Sim can take depend on two major factors. The first is the quality of their camera, and the second is their skill level. Sims with low skill levels will not have access to some of the features found on high-end cameras. On the other hand, cheaper cameras simply do not have features like the ability to zoom in and out. Images are stored in a menu accessible from the camera object in a Sim's inventory, and can be sold, deleted, or moved into the Sims main inventory for keeping and displaying. Each time a Sim takes a photo it costs money depending on the filter and size used. Players must counteract this cost by taking photos that are worth more.

Cameras recognise objects, Sims, events, and places in the game, and will only properly reward Sims for capturing an object once in any day, so it pays to make the first attempt count as often it won't be profitable to have a second try. Rare places, Sims and objects serve to make more profitable photographs. Guarantee getting plenty of money by photographing landmarks like The Dragon's Maw or hybrids like the Ghost-Mummy. Sims can name all their photographs.

Camera interface


Each time the player clicks on a camera in a Sim's inventory and select 'Take Photo' the camera interface will appear. It is relatively intuitive.

Press C to take a photograph. If the game is paused the photo will not appear in the camera until it is unpaused.

Press I to cycle through the available sizes of photo.

Press F to cycle through the available photo filters.

Press X/Z to zoom out or in on the subject.

If any of these options is greyed out, it means either the camera is not capable of them, or the Sim's skill is still too low.

Photo sizes
There are four sizes of photographs that relate to the Photography skill, with one size that does not.


 * Cellphone Snapshots
 * Cellphone snapshots are actually larger and nicer than small portraits, but they do not contribute to the Photography skill. They all have medium wooden frames.


 * Small Portrait
 * Small portraits are very tiny and portrait-oriented, and show relatively little detail of their subjects. All small portraits have a turquoise frame. This photo can sit on surfaces.


 * Medium Landscape
 * Medium landscapes are reasonably sized, show a bit more detail, and are quite nice on display. They all have a dark brown frame. This photo can only be wall-mounted. They are slightly smaller than a floor tile in width.


 * Large Portrait
 * Large portrait photos are very impressively sized, good for displaying legacy members. They can fit a lot of detail, and are reasonably expensive under the right conditions. They all have a silver frame. This photo can only be wall-mounted.


 * Panorama
 * Panorama photos are the largest and most profitable. They all have a wooden frame, and can fit broad regions or wide compositions as they are exactly three floor tiles in width.

Photo filters
There are four filters that will affect the price of the resultant photos, but the better ones also make photos cost more to produce. These are, in order of expense:


 * Color
 * Black and White
 * Sepiatone
 * Classic Vignette

Color and Black and White



Sepiatone and Classic Vignette



Posing Sims
Using the 'Ask Sim to Pose' interaction on any Sim will result in them standing still, and cycling through a variety of poses such as peace signs and placing their hands upon their hips. There is currently no way to get Sims to do a plain, maintained pose of any kind.

Challenges

 * Photog
 * Capture 75 unique subjects and photographs will all have a higher base worth.


 * Architectural eye
 * Capture 10 unique landmarks and all landmark photos will be worth more.


 * Human form expert
 * Capture 50 unique Sims and you'll be able to improve your Sim's relationships with other Sims just by taking photos of them


 * Paparazzi
 * Capture 60 unique Sims that are strangers and photos of strangers will be worth more.


 * Shutter nut
 * Complete 5 photo collections and all photos after that cost nothing to take.