Hello,

This may seem a bit silly, but I can't for the life of me find the photography skill anywhere, on any sim!

Firstly I had a married couple go to Egypt. The wife bought a camera and took lots of snapshots, yet I can't find any photography skill in her menu anywhere. I kept getting notifications about different photography collections (such as Home Sweet Home), and how I only have so many pics to take in such-and-such collection before it's complete.

So then I thought, maybe I need to buy a book to initially learn the skill? But I can't even find any photography books! Not ones that have a skill bar that I can tell.

I also had a message about checking the photography skill journal, but there is no journal in the place where the journals are for the other skills.

Thanks for any help :D

I seem to remember that the photography skill did not pop up in my skill journal until I had the sim read the Photography book (only available in Egypt, I think). I had the sims read the book pretty early, so there's no guarantee that this is the only way to get the skill to show up.

There is only one skill book for photography btw.

Photography works just like all the other skills. A skill doesn't show up on your skills page until you've gained a level in the skill. You can get the level by taking a lot of pictures, or by reading the book. There's only one book, and you can only get it in Egypt. Same for other WA skills: martial arts in China, nectar making in France (though nectar making has three books).

Thanks for that! My sim had taken hundreds of pictures and it was driving me batty, as I read online that after taking so many, the skill pops up.

I tried leaving the game, went back in, repeated with another sim and it only took them around 10-20 shots and the skill came up! It still doesn't work for the original sim though.

And awesome! I'll go find that book - perhaps it'll jog my original sim into getting the skill to work.

Maybe it depends on other traits. Perhaps if she's a technophobe and hates art it will hold her back in photography.

I am having trouble getting the theatre to show up as an "around town" photo. It only shows up as a "place in town". Anyone have an ideas on how to get the theatre shot correctly?
Also, While I am begging for advice. Which flower do I use for the "white rose" photo?
I do not have any flowers in my buy or build mode that say white rose. I took a picture of the semi rose but alas that is not the right one.
The only bright side to all the photo attempts, I now have a lvl 10 skill. lol

I have found that too. Some subjects seem impossible to capture as they are not getting captioned when you try to photo them.

In many forums people mention this problem. It's almost like the triggers are set, so you have to put a tremendous amount of effort into it. I've tried for hours to capture the "Theatre", the "Dropa Stone Set" and "Food & Nectar". Those would make 5 of my albums complete. Even "Photographer's Eye" sim, with skill level 10, has no luck with these things.
Seems like the last photo to complete an album give you the most trouble.



The Semi Roses did work for me. I have one on my lot and had to drag it to an area, where 3x3 tiles were empty. That way nothing else interfered with my picture.
Anyway, I hope you will succeed!

Maybe it's an idea to share photograthy tips. I'm staring to make a decent living off of it with the WA quests. I'm very curious what workes and doesn't work for others.

I have my qualms about the photography skill too.

First, how are Riverview Sims supposed to take a picture of the beach? Nice one EA! That makes it impossible for them to complete a collection...

Second, it seems to me that the community buildings made especially for Riverview have not had WA photography features added.

Several buildings are not recognized as such, the spa for instance. Great again, EA.

And for more general issues, my Sims' wife was already at the top of the military career when I installed WA. The game ONLY recognizes her as a great military, so that my Sim cannot take a picture of "his spouse".

Dumb again, if a subject could fit several descriptions, we should have the choice betwen those several collection options. I haven't installed the latest patch, but I don't see these issues listed as solved!

Thanks for the tips.

I got the Food & Nectar" one. I put a bottle of nectar I made on the dining room table with a plate of eggs rolls. It worked like a charm. I am a sort of OCD. So in order to make ever attempt to get the photo collections, I had to copy my sim to Sunset Valley and take pictures of the beach there. The upside is the spa worked while I was there. Then I just recopyed her and moved her back into the riverview.

On a side note I thought that maybe the theatre was labeled wrong as what type of communty lot it was. So I went to edit town mode. Turns out you can not even name a lot a theatre lot. That might have something to do with it.

For the beach photo you might want to try to make a sudo beach lot. All the camera wanted for a shot was one of those umberllas that lay on the ground.

I will try to make a beach in riverview and let you know how it turns out.

Hi,

I think the lot must be categorized as a beach for it to work!

I have the same problems with the theatre, the game doesn't recognize it as such when it comes to photography! The Dropa Stones collection isn't being recognized either!

For the beach, that's an unfortunate oversight from EA, they could have built one in Egypt so Riverview sims would enjoy that too!

Ah, it must be the egg rolls that do the trick, lol! I'll have to give that one a try.
This photography thing is also giving me OCD. Been all over Sunset Valley, taking pictures of stuff I don't have. Inviting myself in, just to see if they've got gadgets galore, or dinner for four.
My favorite one is bugging mummies, just to get a snapshot. It really pays off. Yesterday I got 15,500 simoleans, because the "Board of Tourism and Falafal" needed yet another mummy picture.

Anyway, I'm planning to put the theatre on an empty lot and set it as "Visitors Allowed". Maybe that will work.

I just figured out the secret to "shower in a can" photo.
You have to take a picture of someone using it.
I bought my child with me to china and had her use the can and got the photo.

I had to put the white rose on a park area to get the shot. But it works yeahhh. lol

The beach photo needs to be a beach lot with sand. so maybe we can just make a beach lot in egypt ourselves lol. Going to test that out.

Only need one more collection for the set of 5 collections achivement.

Also I am being kind of a peepy tom as it were. Cause I have found the easist way to get the 50 strangers you need. Is to go into everyones bedrooms at the basecamp and take photos of them while they sleep. lol

I got gadgets galore from taking a picture of the sim googles next to my tabletop phone. I hope that helps. I also threw a party after I deleted my tv and stero and made a yummy meal. All the guests out of boredom sat down to eat. Got that picture that way.

i agree completely! I'm going to have to move the lot to sunset valley since there's no beach and the crap with the spa,

I still haven't managed to take the theatre shot. :/

My Riverview sim managed the theatre shot by going to the movie, then taking a photo of the theatre just as he came out. It wasn't a very good picture, but it was the theater.

(Now if I can only get him to stop rolling wants to take the same picture he JUST TOOK!)

You can make a community lot and designate it as a beach in RiverView -- I made one right next to the kid's play park. First I tried to "fake it" with just taking a picture of the lot, but that didn't work, so I filled in a corner with water, added some sand and some deck chairs -- picnic tables, play equipment and stuff like that -- I also make the water "salt water" with the spawner cube but I don't know if that mattered. Sent my photographer back in there, framed it up and it said "the beach"

Having SERIOUS ISSUES with taking pictures of flowers!!!!!!!!

Go stand next to one that you plan to take a picture of. (Within 2 squares of it.) Have your sim face the flower before you use the camera. (Not necessary, but it makes it easier.) You should be able to move the camera around so that the flower is listed in the title of the shot as well as being visible.

And if all you really need is one with the title of the shot, try standing on top of the flowers. (I just missed a picture of the postman again because he was standing on top of his watermelon vine. So my picture of the postman putting the mail in the mailbox is labeled "watermelon vine".)

Or is your trouble -finding- them? You can cheat and plant them all in a single community lot There are empty lots that are waiting to be built, so you can make one filled with flowers and trees. Maybe even put in a fishpond. Just be sure to have plenty of empty space around the plants you want to take a picture of, so you don't end up with it defaulting to the plant next to it.

I can't capture the nectary, it keeps captioning the photo as "Hotspot (Nightlife)" and I already have a photo of that nature. I need this photo to complete the "Buildings and Architecture" collection, help please!

My Sim got invited to join a contest in town, but it's not recognizing that I have a photo to submit! Showing 0/1 even when moving to inventory or fam invent.. Am I doing something wrong?