Photography

A framed photo of Johanna with her Glameow and the Contest Judges

The concept of photography has appeared in many Pokémon games as well as in the Trading Card Game, manga, and anime. Starting with its introduction in Pokémon Snap, photography has appeared in several other games since.

In the games

In the core series

Pokémon Yellow, Gold, Silver, and Crystal

Pokémon Yellow, Gold, Silver, and Crystal are compatible with the Game Boy Printer accessory. By talking to a character labeled as a "photographer," players are able to print out stats of any Pokémon in their party. In Gold, Silver and Crystal, although photography is not mentioned, there is a type of Mail called Portraitmail that has the silhouette of the Pokémon holding it as its design.

In Pokémon Yellow, it is mentioned that the Kanto Pokémon Fan Club Chairman has taken an interest in photography.

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen

At the Rocket Game Corner in Celadon City, there is a "Pokémon Printer" where a player may have their current party photographed and displayed on the back of the Trainer Card for a fee of $50. The photos can be taken in four different colors: normal, black, pink, or sepia.

Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum

The player can get a picture of their Pokémon taken with Accessories on in Jubilife City at the Jubilife TV building. This is also done when a player's Pokémon wins a Pokémon Super Contest, but only when the rank of that category has not already been achieved.

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver

Lyra and Slowbro taking a picture with Professor Oak

A photo of Ethan with his party

In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, there are many areas in Johto and Kanto where players may take photos of themselves and their partner Pokémon, although the player will often be able to photograph themselves with their entire party. These photos are recorded in a Photo Album, which stores up to 36 photos in the PC.

After the player arrives in Goldenrod City, a man named Cameron will periodically be found in both regions at varying times. He will take pictures of the player's party and the surrounding area. Cameron's house is in Cianwood City, which has an automatic camera beside it for use at all times; however, Cameron cannot be found here.

With the entire party

Location	Notes	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
New Bark Town	—	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Cherrygrove City	—	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Ruins of Alph	Outside	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Ruins of Alph	Inside	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
Route 32	—	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes
Slowpoke Well	—	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Ilex Forest	—	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Goldenrod Tunnel	Dressed as a Team Rocket Grunt	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Route 35	—	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
National Park	Gate	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
National Park	Inside	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes
Pokéathlon Dome	—	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Pokéathlon Dome	At the Aprijuice Stand	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Ecruteak City	—	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No
Route 39	—	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
Olivine City	—	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Olivine Lighthouse	At night	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes
Cianwood City	—	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Route 48	—	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No
Safari Zone Gate	—	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
Ice Path	—	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
Blackthorn City	—	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Route 45	—	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes
Frontier Access	—	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Mt. Silver	—	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Mt. Silver Cave	Up the waterfall	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
Pallet Town	—	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Route 1	—	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Viridian City	—	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Pewter City	—	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Pewter Museum of Science	—	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Cerulean City	—	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
Vermilion City	—	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
Silph Co.	—	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
Saffron Train Station	—	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Celadon City	—	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
Celadon Department Store	—	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No
Fuchsia City	—	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Route 12	—	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No
Route 14	—	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
Seafoam Islands	—	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Route 21	—	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Route 22	—	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
Route 26	—	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No

With NPCs

If a Gym Leader is currently in the Fighting Dojo, the player cannot take a picture with that Gym Leader.

Character	Location	Day	Requirements
Day-Care Man	Pokémon Day Care	4 Wednesday and Thursday	—
Master	Dragon's Den	2 Monday and Thursday	—
Professor Oak	Professor Oak's Laboratory	8 Everyday	Complete the National Pokédex (excluding Mythical Pokémon)
Falkner	Celadon Department Store	4 Wednesday	His phone number
Bugsy	National Park (by the fountain)	6 Monday, Friday	His phone number
Whitney	Goldenrod Department Store (sixth floor)	8 Everyday from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM	Her phone number
Morty	Bellchime Trail	6 Friday	His phone number
Chuck	Route 47	1 Sunday	Does not appear after the Jade Orb is obtained
Jasmine	Olivine Café	8 Everyday from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM	Her phone number
Pryce	Mahogany Gym	8 Everyday	—
Clair	Dragon's Den	8 Everyday from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM	Her phone number
Brock	Diglett's Cave on the Route 2 side	8 Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM	His phone number
Misty	Route 25	8 Everyday from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM	Her phone number and a Water-type Pokémon as the lead party Pokémon
Lt. Surge	Route 39 at Moomoo Farm	6 Saturday	His phone number, and completed his in-game trade at the Magnet Train station afterward
Erika	Celadon City at the Fountain	2 Monday	Her phone number
Janine	Victory Road at the Pokémon League Reception Gate	8 Everyday from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM	Her phone number
Sabrina	Olivine City Harbor	2 Monday, Friday	Her phone number
Blaine	Cinnabar Island	5 Tuesday	His phone number
Blue	Cinnabar Island	6 Friday	Defeat Red

Pokémon X and Y

In Pokémon X and Y, players can find multiple black signs with white camera icons on them called Photo Spots. Upon examining them, the player can summon Phil the Photo Guy, who will offer to take their picture. The camera takes advantage of the Nintendo 3DS's gyroscope controls, and its zoom, shutter, and natural light can be adjusted. Upon taking a picture, it will be saved on the Nintendo 3DS Camera, where it can be viewed on the 3DS's photo album. The player can also upload their latest photo to the Pokémon Global Link via Game Sync.

Locations of Photo Spots

Location	Example
Aquacorde Town
Parfum Palace
Route 7 Battle Chateau
Geosenge Town
Shalour City Tower of Mastery
Azure Bay
Lumiose City Prism Tower/Lumiose Gym
Frost Cavern
Anistar City
Couriway Town
Snowbelle City
Pokémon League

Item rewards

A Backpacker in Lumiose City's Shutterbug Café (on South Boulevard) will give the player items depending on how many photos they have taken.

	Location	Games
Wide Lens	From a Backpacker in Shutterbug Café after taking at least one photo at a Photo Spot	X Y
Scope Lens	From a Backpacker in Shutterbug Café after taking 15 or more photos at any Photo Spot	X Y
Zoom Lens	From a Backpacker in Shutterbug Café after taking 30 or more photos at any Photo Spot	X Y

Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire

In Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, players may take pictures of their Pokémon throughout a Pokémon Contest Spectacular. The most recent photo taken can be saved onto the Nintendo 3DS's SD card, and if saved, the photo is displayed on the ground floor of the Contest Hall. During the Talent Round of a Pokémon Contest, the 3DS camera can be used to provide a real-life background. This option can be turned on or off by speaking to a man in the Contest Hall who describes this special effect as projecting a "hologram" through the entire hall.

If the player wins a Master Rank Pokémon Contest, a photo of their winning Pokémon taken during the Introduction Round will be automatically displayed on the second floor of the Contest Hall. Only the most recent winner is displayed, with one photo spot available for each Contest condition stat. If the player won with at least 800 points, the same photos are displayed on the second level of Lilycove Museum. Unlike the Contest Hall, in the museum, the last three winners are shown for each Contest condition stat.

Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon

Main article: Rotom Pokédex → Poké Finder

In Pokémon Sun and Moon and Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, players may take pictures of Pokémon using the Poké Finder (Japanese: ポケファインダー Poké Finder) function of the Rotom Pokédex, in various locations throughout the Alola region. The icon on the player's bottom screen will turn into that of a camera in locations where photographs may be taken. It can be activated by pressing the R button or tapping the camera icon in those select locations. Pictures are then evaluated with a "Thumbs-Up" score. As the player racks up their total "Thumbs-Up" score, more features are unlocked, such as the ability to zoom.

Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon

Main article: Alola Photo Club

Found in Hau'oli City and Konikoni City, the Alola Photo Club allows players to take photos with the Pokémon in their party. These photos can then be edited with stickers, posted to the Pokémon Global Link, or saved to the 3DS's SD card.

The player also has the option of doing an impromptu photo shoot after a Pokémon in their party evolves.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Main article: Jubilife Village → Photography studio

A photograph taken with Zisu and the player

A photography studio run by Dagero is located in Jubilife Village. It becomes available to the player once they complete Mission 2: The Galaxy Team's Entry Trial.

The player can take pictures either alone or with one of their Pokémon. Members of the Galaxy Team, Diamond Clan, or Pearl Clan may visit the studio and ask to take photos with the player. Pose, expression, lens filters, background and how the Pokémon is acting may be freely changed by the player, although characters and their Pokémon have preset poses and actions, respectively. The pictures are taken with the screenshot function of the Nintendo Switch, and are therefore stored in the system memory.

After completing requests for Dagero, the player gets an expanded pool of backdrops and lens filters to use.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the player can take photos with their Rotom Phone using the front or back cameras. This function can be used to change the player's profile picture or Trainer icon. Filters or touch-ups can be applied to make photos more dynamic. The player can make numerous faces and poses while taking a selfie. Other players invited through the Union Circle can also appear in photos, in which they can make their own preset gestures that can be done at any time in the overworld. Many of these gestures can be unlocked through certain tasks and side quests; some are references to previous characters or games, such as Leon's Charizard pose. Like in Legends: Arceus, photos are saved to the system's memory or SD Card.

In The Teal Mask, the player can obtain the Roto-Stick, which can expand the camera's field of vision in selfie mode. The ability to play three different music tracks through the Rotom Phone's radio is also unlocked, allowing the player to take photos with certain NPCs and change their expression depending on the track that is being played.

In The Indigo Disk, by donating BP to the Photography Club in the League Club Room, the player can unlock frames and special effects to apply to photos.

The camera function is activated by pressing the Down Button. The controls for the various camera functions are as follows:

Button	Function
Left/Right Buttons	Switch between camera filters.
L/R Buttons	Rotate the camera by 18°.
ZL/ZR Buttons	Change the background music.^{Version 2.0.1+}
Right Stick	Move to change the camera's direction. Press to reset the camera's position.
A Button	Take a photograph.
Y Button	Flip the camera view.
+ Button	Apply a frame to the picture.^{Version 3.0.0+}
– Button	Toggle the prompt to apply a touch-up after taking a photograph.^{Version 3.0.0+}
Selfie mode only
Up Button	Change character pose.
Down Button	Change character expression.
X Button	Change between regular view and Roto-Stick view.^{Version 2.0.1+}
Left Stick	Press to change Roto-Stick angle.^{Version 2.0.1+}

As part of the player's journey, several photographs are taken to commemorate completing different story events. These photos are only shown once and can be saved by using the Nintendo Switch's screenshot function. Special photographs appear after:

Earning a Gym Badge.
Defeating a Titan Pokémon.
Winning against a Team Star boss for the first time.
Visiting a signboard with Kieran in Kitakami.^TM
Defeating a Titanic Loyal Three member.^TM
Winning against a BB League Elite Four member for the first time.^ID

In the side series

Pokémon Stadium

In Pokémon Stadium, there is a "Gallery" mode where players can take photographs of their Pokémon. A player may photograph Pokémon from their Generation I Game Boy game (using the Transfer Pak) or they may photograph the game's rental Pokémon. The controls are identical to that of Pokémon Snap, but without the extra items such as the Pester Balls. Photos taken in Gallery Mode could be printed on stickers at the Pokémon Snap Sticker Stations.

My Pokémon Ranch

An example of a My Pokémon Ranch photo, featuring a Shiny Zigzagoon, Pikachu, and Bibarel

In My Pokémon Ranch, players are able to take photos of their Pokémon during any of the random ranch events (such as the Clock and the Totem Pole) or when they are playing with any of the toys that a player may buy for their Pokémon. The quality of the photo can be increased with the "Focus Lock" function.

In spin-off games

Pokémon Snap series

In Pokémon Snap and its sequel New Pokémon Snap, the entire game is based around the concept of photography.

In Pokémon Snap, the player (as Todd Snap) must take the best possible photographs of the 63 Pokémon findable on Pokémon Island for Professor Oak's Pokémon Report. The player controls the camera from a first-person perspective. To view through the camera lens, the player must hold the "Z" button. The shutter button is operated with the "A" button. In the game, the player can receive tools to aid their picture-taking such as Pokémon food, Pester Balls, and the Poké Flute.

For a period of time after the release of Pokémon Snap, Pokémon Snap Sticker Stations were available at Blockbuster Video stores, which allowed a player to print out their photos on stickers for $3. These Sticker Stations were available in the United States and Canada. In the Wii Virtual Console version, players can post them to the Wii's Address book.

In New Pokémon Snap, the player is invited to take photos in the Lental region to conduct a survey of the Illumina phenomenon.

Super Smash Bros. series

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Players of Super Smash Bros. Melee are able to take pictures of certain battle scenes in Camera Mode. Photos take up 4-12 blocks from the GameCube memory card. Camera Mode requires a controller inserted in port 4, which is used to take a photo of the battle.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

A snapshot of two Ivysaur in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Players of Super Smash Bros. Brawl may also to take pictures of certain battle scenes if the game is paused. Photographs typically take 1 block of memory from either the Wii's memory or from the SD Card memory. Photos taken in Brawl can be transferred to a personal computer and converted to JPEGs using various programs or websites available online. The players can also take pictures of stages they created. However, because the player cannot pause during online multiplayer, the player cannot take photos in that mode.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS onwards

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, as well as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for Nintendo Switch, players can take pictures in a manner similar to Brawl. However, the photos, which are saved to the console's SD card, are not encrypted, and do not require third party programs to share. Although, the player cannot pause during online multiplayer, and, therefore, cannot take pictures.

PokéPark series

PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure

A photograph of Meowth taken in-game from first person perspective

PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure gives the player the ability to take pictures from the game similar to previous Wii and WiiWare games.

After Pikachu has met Misdreavus in the Meeting Place, she gives them a camera with which to photos on. Each film roll can hold up to 30 pictures. These 30 pictures can be sent to an SD card purchased separately by the player so that they may put the pictures on their computer as well as free up a new film for 30 new pictures.

Photos can be taken from a third-person perspective or from first-person Pikachu's view.

PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond

A photograph of Raichu and Meowth taken in-game from first person perspective

PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond has a similar photography feature to the one in the first game. As in the first game, the ability to take photos is given by Misdreavus, found in Cove Town. Photos can be taken from a third-person perspective or from first-person view of the player. In PokéPark 2, the player may store significantly more photos on the Wii's memory: up to 72 photos may be stored without the use of an SD card.

Pokémon GO

Surprise encounter with Smeargle

In Pokémon GO, players may take pictures of Pokémon when they are encountered them in the wild, or once they are caught and kept in the player's storage. Initially, players were only able to take pictures of Pokémon encountered in the wild. With this feature, players may choose to take the photographs with or without the AR mode activated. When a photograph has been taken, the pictures will be saved on their mobile devices' internal storage or external memory card.

GO Snapshot is a feature introduced on February 25, 2019, which enabled players to take photos of their Pokémon in storage. This feature can be accessed through the camera icon on the individual Pokémon's status screen, or by accessing the camera through the items list, and photos can be taken with or without AR+ mode activated. Without AR+, the Pokémon will be remain fixed in position facing forward in the center of the screen, while AR+ enables the player to keep the position of the Pokémon fixed relative to its background and therefore players can move around the Pokémon to obtain a greater variety of photos. Once the photos are taken, the player will be able to review the photos taken, and can directly share their photos to social media. The photos will also be saved automatically to the devices' internal storage or external memory card.

Occasionally, the photo will be intercepted by a Smeargle which will appear in front of the photo taken. Smeargle will only appear in the first few images taken per session, and the image with and without the photobomb will be saved. Once this happens, a wild Smeargle will appear around the player, and is currently the only method of obtaining Smeargle. Smeargle's moveset will be the identical to the moveset of the Pokémon of which the photo was taken.

On April Fools' Day until April 3, 2019, Smeargle was replaced with Ash or a Pikachu wearing Ash's hat as the photobomb character. A wild Pikachu wearing Ash's hat would spawn near the player after this had occurred.

During Pokémon Day 2020 event, Smeargle is replaced with Pikachutwo and Ash's Pikachu as the photobomb characters. A wild Pikachutwo spawns near the player after this had occurred.

On Community Days since May 24, 2020, the Pokémon featured on the Community Day will replace Smeargle in photobombs. Up to 5 photobomb encounters with said Pokémon can be had.

These surprise encounters enable players to earn the Cameraman medal depending on the number of photobombs they have had.

Pokémon Masters EX

This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Backgrounds, frames, and effects

In Pokémon Masters EX, players can take photos using the Photo Creator, introduced on February 26, 2024. A maximum of three Trainers can be selected to appear in a photo. A variety of settings can be adjusted, including:

The pose and expression of each Trainer. The number of options for each varies by Trainer, ranging from seven to ten.
The background. There are three different categories to choose from: Simple, Pasio Scenery, and Special.
The frame. There are three different categories to choose from: Simple, Gorgeous, and Special.
The filter or animated effects. One filter and one effect can be applied at a time.
The position of each Trainer. Trainer models can be moved freely in, out, and across the frame, as well as rotated along a vertical axis.

Up to 20 photos can be saved at a time. The player can choose to display a photo on their user profile.

In the anime

Main series

Todd Snap and his camera in the anime

Original series

The concept of photography is also present in the Pokémon anime, first appearing in The Battling Eevee Brothers, where Misty's Psyduck took a picture of Ash and his friends.

Todd Snap debuted in Pokémon Paparazzi, which later inspired the release of Pokémon Snap. In the episode, Team Rocket hired photographer Todd Snap to "capture" Pikachu, not realizing that Todd meant to capture Pikachu on film. Todd appeared in a number of subsequent episodes, in which he tried to photograph other Pokémon, including the Legendary Articuno.

Pokémon movies

In Mewtwo Strikes Back, a Fearow soared overhead with a camera attached to its neck. This camera was used by Mewtwo in search of worthy Trainers to summon to the New Island. Photography also appeared in Destiny Deoxys, where a Block Bot took pictures of Ash and his friends for passport IDs that give them access to facilities in LaRousse City.

Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire

In A Cacturne for the Worse, Harley was shown to have an instant camera. He took a picture of May and posted it on his scrapbook.

Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl

Photography appeared again in A Maze-ing Race!, where Team Rocket tried to take a group picture of Ash's, Dawn's, and Brock's Pokémon in exchange for a map. In Jumping Rocket Ship!, Team Rocket disguised themselves as photographers in an attempt to capture the Pokémon of Ash and his friends.

Trip and his digital camera in the anime

Pokémon the Series: Black & White

In In The Shadow of Zekrom!, Ash met a beginning Trainer named Trip, who documents his journey through the Unova region by taking pictures.

In The Four Seasons of Sawsbuck!, Ash met a photographer named Robert, whose goal was getting a picture of all four forms of Sawsbuck together. His grandfather was also a photographer who had accomplished that and had taken pictures of Pokémon outside of Unova.

In The Journalist from Another Region! Ash met a reporter named Alexa who makes articles about Pokémon living in the wild, and even about famous legends, and landmarks. Alexa joined Ash on his adventures until Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!.

Pokémon the Series: XY

In A Blustery Santalune Gym Battle! Ash met Alexa's little sister, Viola, who is also the Santalune Gym Leader and a skilled photographer. Viola is mostly known for her talent for taking photos of Bug-type Pokémon.

In The Cave of Trials!, Ash, his friends, and Korrina, who was traveling with them at the time, had a photo of themselves together taken by a photographer named McGinty in Geosenge Town.

Trevor is another Pokémon photographer appearing in the anime. In A Legendary Photo Op!, he visited Mt. Molteau to take a picture of the Legendary Pokémon Moltres, having previously photographed the other two legendary birds.

A photo taken by Rotom

Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon

In Loading the Dex!, Ash obtained a Rotom Pokédex, which has a camera function, from Professor Kukui. Throughout Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, Rotom was often shown taking pictures of wild Pokémon performing activities described in Pokédex entries. It also liked to capture important moments of Ash's journey, such as Ash receiving a Z-Crystal.

In Showdown on Poni Island!, Lillie took pictures of the wild Pokémon at Poni Island while exploring the island.

Pokémon Journeys: The Series

In Big Brother to the Rescue!, it was revealed that Ash, Goh, and Chloe regularly take photos of the Pokémon residing at Cerise Park with their Rotom Phones for Professor Cerise.

In Curtain Up! Fight the Fights!, Iris took a group photo featuring herself, Diantha, and Cynthia during the Masters Eight Tournament.

Pokémon Horizons: The Series

In HZ060 it was revealed that Roy keeps a record of photos from some events thoughtout the series. He took a photo of his and Liko's encounter with Palafin and Mighty G from Transform! Hero of the Seas, Palafin. His, Liko, and Dot's first day of school at Naranja Academy in HZ046. Meeting Brassius and Nemona for Roy's first Terastal Training test in HZ048.

In the manga

Pokémon Adventures

Ruby & Sapphire arc

In Ring Ring Goes Beldum, Ruby was seen taking pictures of his Nana and Kiki evolving and said that he was up to his 36th album at the time.

Emerald arc

Todd Snap appeared as a reporter, taking pictures of the events at the Battle Frontier.

At the end of the chapter, after looking at Todd's pictures, Professor Oak asked him if he could work with him and if he could go to an island where there are lots of Pokémon, and take pictures of them.

Pokémon Battle Frontier

Anabel is disguised as a photographer taking photographs around the Battle Frontier.

Pokémon: Yeah! I Got Pokémon!

Shu once took part in Pokémon photography competition in Get a Pokémon Shot!. He was lent a camera to take part, but thought he had used his last shot stunning an Ekans to save the Pidgey eggs it was about to eat. He won, however, thanks to his Slowpoke, who used the last shot to take a picture of the hatched Pidgey while he had his back turned.

In the TCG

The only English Pokémon Snap card

Though not prevalent, photography has appeared throughout the TCG multiple times. The first involved two contests, the CoroCoro Best Photo Contest and the 64 Mario Stadium Best Photo Contest, which challenged players to take interesting pictures of Pokémon from Pokémon Snap and submit them. Five entries from each contest were chosen, with the winning images used on extremely rare reprints of cards that originally appeared in the Base Set. The exact number of these cards is unknown.

Imakuni? and Poké Dude feature actual photographs of people (Tomoaki Imakuni and Hironobu Yoshida respectively) and were released as promotional cards. The individual top three winners of the Neo Spring Road and Neo Summer Road Best in Japan tournaments, and the top four ranking players of the Battle Road Summer 2002 Best in Japan tournament also had their photographs featured on Trainer cards with the respective event logos superimposed on the image. The Neo Spring Road and Neo Summer Road players were awarded either a No.1 Trainer, No.2 Trainer, or No.3 Trainer card. The Battle Road Summer 2002 players were awarded an Elite Four Trainer card.

The Pokémon Rumble card collection also used photography as illustrations for the cards. This nineteen card collection was released in conjunction with Pokémon Rumble, and used screenshots from the game as their illustration. They were not credited with the normal Illus. by <name>, but simply as Pokémon Rumble.

Any cards with a Pokémon Pikachu copyright are considered to be photographs of the anime. These copyrights have been used for movie promotions ever since 2003, and are mostly used to represent anime characters or their Pokémon.

As part of a number of different activities at the Spring 2012 Battle Carnival events held in Japan between May and June 2012, a person or group could have their photograph taken at the Commemorative Photo Service Corner and have it printed on a jumbo-sized card.