Photo subjects that can't be captured

[Iseran]

I'm trying to complete some photo collections.  But I'm having trouble taking a photo of certain subjects, even though the subject would seem to be right there in front of my Sim.  That is, the subject of the photo isn't listed as the one I need for the collection.

Elusive Subjects:

- Sunflowers (neither the garden plants in Build Mode nor the vase of sunflowers seems to work, they just show up as Flowers)
- Community Theater (the Theater in Sunset Valley just shows as Places Around Town)
- Dropa Stones Collection - this is a harder one.  I have completed the collection and I have all 6 different stones set up, but the photo shows as just Relics.  However, I did sell a duplicate Dropa Stone awhile ago.  I'm afraid it may matter which instance of a particular Collectible Relic I use in a photo?

Can anyone offer advice?  Are there any other elusive photo subjects we can share tips on? 

I can say that I have found that sometimes a certain part of a subject must be in the photo for it to "count", and it's not always the obvious part.  Sometimes the subject is listed as something that isn't even visible in the picture.  This may be my problem with the Theater above - maybe I need to include, say, a certain spot on the sidewalk in the photo?  With things that can be moved in Build Mode, such as garden plants, it does help to isolate the subject from other potential subjects.

[seekhunt]

well for your list to start with. in france i took a picture of a sunflower with out problems.
it was in the garden with the "secret garden" adventure, + there is alot of them so you might get a lucky shot there.

as for the theater i have the same problem. and done all kinds of position to see if (as you say) we need to hit a specific spot but no luck.

AND 3. to make the list bigger: the "shower on a can" or whats the name. have also been talked alot and well i cant seem to get a picture of that either.

school in sunset walley also have problems because its listed in 2 catagory's cant remember witch one. architect i think and some other. BUT never the less in china theres a "sim fu school" or whats the name again ;-) BUT you can take picture of that one and it will count for the other school.

[Iseran]

Thanks, seekhunt!  My Sim is in France now, I'll look for the Sunflower as you suggest.

I forgot to mention, I'm also having trouble with the Shower in a Can. 

[wheatberry]

For sunflower, the first shot might be flower, give it a second try, you will get sunflower picture.

[seekhunt]

nice gonna try that when i get home... from china  

and it works :-D i have a photo of the theater :-D

[Pam]

The issue with the theater may be a bug.  There have been lots of reports that people are unable to get that theater shot.

For the Shower in a Can, you need to take a picture of someone using it.  I got it by having two of my Sims together, had one use it, and the other took the picture.  It's a little tricky with the timing, pausing, and clicking, but it can definitely be done.

[Bubby_K]

I couldn't take a picture of a mummy until it was "not too far away"

Too far, the camera didn't discover anything, even through extreme zooming...

Not too far away, the camera discovers mummy 

And when the mummy is up in my face, the "mummy" note at the bottom disappeared, I had to quickly focus in and out and move it to the side a little before the camera found it, but of course it just blinked on and off like crazy...


Another oddness is that some things have more than one camera shot subject

I was watching a sim, and the subject kept switching from "my main squeeze" to "supercop" every 2 seconds


I do like the fact that you can ask a sim to pose for a shot 

My beach house is decorated with sims doing two-handed peace gestures


Oh, oh!!! And um, has anyone ever seen a sim take a photo?

And I mean another sim with a camera in their inventory and maxed out camera skill, not the ones under your control

[Pam]

One tip that may help in getting those shots that move so quickly...  use Pause. 

[Iseran]

Last night I was finally able to capture the Sunflowers photo using the ones from Build mode (rather than the vase from Buy mode).   Thanks to everyone for your help!

I got the shot at my vacation home in France -- it's the small one in the village with a white and blue fence around a front garden, and there are sunflowers in the garden.  But it was very tricky to get the shot framed just right.  I tried several times and finally succeeded with the bunch of sunflowers at the corner of the house nearest the river.

Funny, I have the same sunflowers outside my home in Sunset Valley (the small house facing the beach with a side garden -- this sim is single and a gardener).  But I couldn't get the photo there no matter what I tried. 

Still working on the Theater, Dropa Stones, and shower in a can.

[igzigpuff]

The photography in the game is weird, when I think I have a shot of something it says it something else  ...so I finally would just pause the game until I got the shot of what I trying to get even if what comes into focus isn't what it says it is...but this doesn't always work either.   I kinda gave up on photography since it was annoying to me much! 

[seekhunt]

Hehe, and then capture 60 people you don't know.  

After all this time and playing, like I know every one in the city. Hehe. So I have only 11 persons so far. :-S
So, yes, that skill is a little too hard, I think.

[Swede1992]

I'm not so much into the photography skill, but in Pam's earlier post she apparently said:

For the Shower in a Can, you need to take a picture of someone using it.  I got it by having two of my Sims together, had one use it, and the other took the picture.  It's a little tricky with the timing, pausing, and clicking, but it can definitely be done.

So I would say that you maybe would need another sim in your household to pose for that picture.

[Pam]

The Shower in a Can picture is obtained by photographing a Sim actually using it.