New Pokemon Snap Hidden Photos Explained

"New Pokémon Snap" approaches the original game's concept of secret shots and hidden Pokémon encounters in a new way. Players still need to use a bit of imagination to uncover special interactions between various Pokémon, but the game's side characters are also there to help with hints in photo requests. Professor Mirror and his aide, Rita, as well as player's rival, Phil, add to the pile of photo requests as players discover new Pokémon.

These secret shots aren't just cool — they're also proof of hard-earned experimentation and grinding. Players might need to try a couple times to perfect their timing for a few of these requests. Photographers might even need to play around with tools like Fluffruit and Illumina Orbs to trigger unexpected reactions. Photo requests are like puzzles, waiting to be solved.

Keep in mind that, if these following interactions don't seem to be working, you might need to raise your research level. These are only a few of the more difficult hidden photos to capture in "New Pokémon Snap."

Magikarp gotta swim, Pidgeot's gotta eat. That's just the way of things. Rita mentions seeing Pidgeot fly off with Magikarp and being too surprised to capture it on camera. Her request, "Flopping by the Water," is one of the more popular hidden photos, mainly because of how unsettled fans reacted with mixed horror and amusement at Magikarp's misfortune.

Capturing Pidgeot's catch of the day is a two step process. First, bop Pidgeot with a Fluffruit as it's sitting on the ledge to the left of the Florio Park lake area. Pidgeot will fly to the top of a tree unnervingly close to Magikarp, who splashes in the shallow water below. Then, throw another Fluffruit at Magikarp to have it flop into the air and catch Pidgeot's attention. Zoom in right as Pidgeot circles toward Magikarp to snap the moment it snatches it from the water. Players need to time the picture just as Pidgeot swoops in, or the harrowing moment might already be out of frame.

Alternatively, you can focus your camera on the sky and just listen out for the sound splashing when Pidgeot goes in for the grab. Pidgeot stays in the sky way longer than it does at the water's edge, but players might find it harder to snap a high-scoring close-up.

Swampert, one of the many Pokémon sleeping at nighttime in Founja Jungle, doesn't respond to any of the player's tools. Some Pokemon wake up with a couple Fluffruit or Illumina Orbs, but Swampert doesn't budge. That's because Leafeon is the only one who can wake it up —with some help from Ariados.

At the first fork in the jungle path, bop Leafeon with a Fluffruit to make it run through the patch of tall grass on the left. Then, follow Leafeon through the alternate route and play music to wake a trio of Ariados. The spider Pokémon suddenly lower from the trees, startling Leafeon and sending it running right into Swampert. 

Leafeon and Swampert stare at each other for a hot second before going back to their usual business. However, players can take this encounter to the next level by throwing an Illumina Orb at Swampert. It playfully splashes Leafeon before the latter runs off into the jungle. Capture both Pokemon in a tight frame for the most points.

Phil's request, "Near the Water's Edge," hints that something might happen if Pikachu chases a Fluffruit. The original "Pokémon Snap" featured a secret shot where you could get Pikachu to hop on a surfboard. "New Pokémon Snap" seems to call back to this iconic moment with the ultimate goal of Phil's request: Pikachu riding Stunfisk. 

Pikachu and Stunfisk appear in the same area at the end of Blushing Beach's daytime run. Timing throws and effectively spacing them out are key when leading Pikachu to Stunfisk. If the player throws too many Fluffruit at once, the neglected fruit sinks into the sand before Pikachu can notice them. Lure it over with one Fluffruit at a time — making sure they don't land too close to one another — right to Stunfisk. When Pikachu gets to the intended target, it'll hop right onto the unsuspecting flounder Pokémon.

This amusing moment can be difficult to photograph, particularly given how quickly Stunfisk sinks into the water under Pikachu's weight. Zoom to slow down and close in on the shot as the last Fluffruit finishes the job.

The Snowfields house a handful of cute, cuddly-looking creatures, including Furret. In the request "Frolicking Furret," Rita claims that she found a Furret that could dance. Most of these long and furry Pokémon snake in and out of snow burrows at the beginning of the level, where the dancing Furret resides.

If the player tosses an Illumina orb at the first Crystabloom in the course, a Furret will hop out and dive into a hole on the opposite side of the map. Toss an apple into this other hole to have it peek back out, then play music to make it dance. Players who toss a Fluffruit into one of the burrows can get a Furret to pop out for a 3-star photo, but they won't see those coveted dance moves without specifically hitting the Crystabloom first.

Throw Illumina Orbs and Fluffruit as soon as possible to make sure there's enough time to snap a close-up without being at too much of an angle. This request isn't as hard as a ring toss, bit it's close.

Deerling and Sawsbuck inhabit just about every section of Elsewhere Forest. Rita's "Little Lost Deerling" request suggests that one these lonesome Sawsbuck might be looking for its Deerling. Apparently, the only way to reunite the little fawn with its parent is to light up one particular section of Crystablooms in a certain order.

Elsewhere Forest consistently leads players to the same foggy section (the second one) lined with Crystablooms on the right. Deerling appears with the first Crystabloom if the player throws an Illumina Orb at it. Players should hit the second flower, then the back Crystabloom in the third row. There's no need to light the front flower in the third row. Either way, the trick should still work, so long as players light the back one first. Yes, it's a bizarre combination puzzle, but the reward is totally worth the memorization and careful aiming.

Light the last Crystabloom after the third row to trigger the event. Espeon should be the first to leap from a nearby ledge down to the flower's luminescent light. Deerling follows from behind to greet the Psychic feline Pokemon. Sawsbuck eventually approaches the two, and the three of them celebrate the reunion with a few cheerful cries. Snap pictures of all three Pokémon enjoying the reunion for a 4-star photo.

Professor Mirror reminds the player that Illumina energy plays a role in the Lental region's environment with his "Red Hot Energy" request. Multiple hanging Gravelers appear throughout Fireflow Volcano. However, if one of them falls from the wall in a particular spot, Charizard will burst out from the magma-encrusted floor.

Players can only complete the request once they discover the forking path in the course. Eventually, this path should lead to a section with glowing lines of lava radiating through the floor. Two Charmanders stand at the bottom, right beneath Graveler. Hit both with Illumina Orbs; otherwise, when the Graveler falls, they'll both run away. You can knock Graveler from its hanging place with a Fluffruit to the back.

The Illumina Orb'ed Charmanders will linger near the fallen Graveler until Charizard flies out from the floor. In its dramatic entrance, the flapping overgrown lizard roars and explodes with fire before flying out of the mouth of the volcano. Charizard's constant movement makes it a challenge to center the photo and capture the dramatic entrance in time. If you already have the camera's burst option, you can try that for a few rapid shots in succession. One of them should hit the mark.

Brightly-colored Minior aren't too difficult to photograph — one at a time. But what about if you want to get all the colors of the rainbow? Todd's "Rainbow Meteor Show" request challenges players to gather a colorful collection of Minior in one shot. However, these Minior are hiding under the desert floor.

There are six Minior buried under the sand in the Sweltering Sands Night course. YouTuber TagBackTV shows exactly how to unearth them with the game's "scan" function. Toss Illumina Orbs at all six Minior, starting from the beginning of the course to the patch of three Crystablooms, to complete the first step. Then, light all three Crystablooms at once to trigger the final Minior's meteoric fall from the sky. TagBackTV, who has already produced quite a bit of "New Pokemon Snap" content, claims that this is the most difficult request he's found so far. 

Players have to round up all these Minior or the request will fail. Those who succeed should see a rainbow of Minior as they enter the desert's Hippowdon-filled oasis. The multicolor lineup lasts just long enough for the Minior to form a few shapes in the sky as players snap away.

Gengar, Outaway Cave's resident prankster, stars in a few photo requests. The cheeky purple Ghost Pokémon spooks Carbink, Rampardos, and others by hopping in and out of its shadowy personal portal. Rita's "Gengar the Prankster" request especially highlights its cheeky personality as it sneaks up on a sleeping Croagunk.  

Depending on the scenario, Gengar can be coaxed out of its portal with Illumina Orbs or music. In Croagunk's case, throw an Illumina Orb to get Gengar out. Then, throw one at Croagunk. Most requests that involve Illumina Orbs only need one throw per target. However, players need to keep tossing them at Croagunk to hold onto Gengar's attention. Zoom in on Croagunk as Gengar steps into the frame to capture the moment it wakes Croagunk with a jump scare. 

Similarly, Gengar pokes fun at Rampardos in Todd's request, "Anger Outlet." In this case, it causes a chain reaction where Rampardos knocks Geodude off the wall. Throw a couple of fruits toward Gengar's portal to get it to tease Rampardos. When Rampardos tries to headbutt Gengar, it slips away before the attack connects. Instead, Rampardos hilariously rams into the wall and knocks Geodude from its perch.

"Mantine Pikachu" isn't a photo request, but it is one of the most mythical-looking shots in the game. Pikachu sometimes appears riding a Mantine during the day at Maricopa Reef. 

Serebii.com found that lighting the first Crystabloom at the start of the course can trigger the event. The first flower should be the one next to Sharpedo, who is fixated on a Wingull perched on top of a tall rock. After throwing an Illumina Orb at the Crystabloom, Pikachu should appear from the left. Pikachu and Mantine cruise by the path, and then will reappear throughout the course for the rest of that run. This means that players get another chance to photograph them if they happen to botch the picture the first time.

Your best bet is to snap photos as Pikachu and Mantine speed toward the camera. They're pretty hard to miss because of Mantine's size, but the forward-facing close-up poses rack up more points from Professor Mirror.