As Pokémon GO advances in the field of AR technology, it only makes sense that Trainers worldwide become more and more interactive in the way they play, and part of this is not only being a Pokémon Trainer, but being an AR Photographer as well.
Throughout this past month, Trainers worldwide have gone out to photograph Pokémon in the wild, and along with these photographs, they have brought back a story to tell, in this article we will take a look at these Photographs, the stories behind them, and the Trainers who took them. These are their photos, these are their stories.
| AR Showcase Index | |
|---|---|
| Segment: | Featuring: |
| AR Photo Entries | The AR Photographs submitted by your fellow Trainers |
| Unfiltered Entries | Raw, unfiltered, and unedited AR Photographs |
| AR Master Entries | The AR Masters and their prized AR Photographs |
| AR Master Photo Research | Professor Willow and the help of the AR Masters |
| Honorable Entries | The AR Photographs that almost made it |
| Final Notes | My closing ideas and links to everything AR related |
Without further ado, let’s take a look at November’s AR Photo Showcase!
AR Photo Entries
In this segment we take a look at the AR Photographs and stories submitted by your fellow Trainers.
Friendly Neighborhood
“I Went for a walk to chase some shiny Pokémon, when I thought I saw something. Or was it someone? I still can’t believe my eyes to this day… I went for the camera to take a pic, and this is what the camera showed me. Never ever thought that something like this could be in a friendly neighborhood.”
Location: Karlstad, Sweden
Photographer: Bejemannen
Side Note: The editing job on this image is just astounding. Using a noir-style look definitely gives it a spooky feeling – AR Master Ryusui
Fountain-esque
“Piplup is a Pokémon that I have always liked, I decided to go out and look for some photos, and for that I needed water fountains. Since I did not have any natural ones, I decided to go to the “Virigilio Barco” library, in the city of Bogotá, it has some beautiful fountains. I found this little one playing between the fountains, so I set about photographing him. This picture is special, because it reflects the calm essence of the water and the pose of the Pokémon in a single composition, I also like the result of post-production by adding the reflection effect of Piplup in the water”
Location: Bogotá, Colombia
Photographer: elfrontman(40)
Side Note: I love the skills ARtographers are developing everyday. Creating convincing reflections isn’t the easiest thing to do, but it does make the image seem so much more realistic – AR Master Ryusui
Souls
“While on a walk on Halloween, the voice in the church called. It was an unfamiliar voice and curiosity got the better of me. I entered the church yard to investigate. A stone lay in the path. The voices became louder and 108 souls flew into the keystone on the floor. The voices became louder and the stone began to shake before exposing the mystery it was hiding.”
Location: Weston-super-Mare, UK
Photographer: Pokegosnaps123
Side Note: My pick. Biased due to my typing, however this image appeals to me and is reminiscent of how I tend to shoot AR. Low angle. The location and placement of the ‘Forbidden Pokémon’ works very well, as does the choice of editing which adds sense of drama and mood which suits this troubled Pokemon perfectly – AR Master Underaglassbell 👻
Temptation
“Allegheny Cemetery is one the first and oldest rural cemeteries in America and spans hundreds of acres! While some wouldn’t advise hunting Pokémon through a cemetery, the Allegheny welcomes players and is home to dozens of wild Pokémon! I found this Girafarig grazing around with the cemetery’s wild deer that it also provides shelter to. It curiously broke away to inspect what I was all about. Tempting it with a handful of grass allowed me to get up close and personal!”
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Photographer: punkrockjosh87
The Bull Tamer
“Since the day Deoxys arrived to planet Earth, it has made itself at home. From what I could see the other day at Osorno’s main square, he has been learning how to tame the local creatures that inhabit our surrounding countryside. In this picture, he is seen practicing bull riding.”
Location: Osorno, Chile
Photographer: Prof. Mozz
The Forest Sage
“In my childhood I read a lot of books where the main character had to walk through a forest and met either a fairy, a wizard, or someone who helped him throughout his journey, but I never thought that one day, the same thing would happen to me. On my way home I walked through a small forest to save some time. I was in a hurry to get to the nearest PokéMart to buy some balls for the upcoming Big Pokéhunt. That was when this sage appeared before me. “Stop right there trainer!” He said. “I’ve seen your future and you hold great potential! Accept this gift!” He handed me a bag full of Pokéballs; A couple hundred of them actually, I could barely lift the bag… But before I looked up again, he disappeared. I hope someday I’ll meet him again so I can thank him for this gift.”
Location: Burgenland, Austria
Photographer: Shadowcold69
Fearless Fearow
“It was midday, sun was out and winter was approaching but there was an unusual fierceness in the current of air. Leaves from the trees withered and scattered, but not under the same place you would expect it to be. Before you could put your thoughts together, a sudden cry is heard from the sky. Swooping with its long beak and neck, it snatches its prey from the ground, and astounds everyone. It was the fearless Pokémon Fearow. So quick and agile, all of the advanced cameras in the world would be too slow to capture its grace, but I was lucky to get a shot of it this close.”
Location: Bangalore, India
Photographer: CouchPotMonster
King of the Streets
“Walking through the streets of Hyderabad, you sometimes come across this beast. He wanders along, ending squabbles among others in his brief quest for a peaceful night after a long day. Tonight was a particularly good one, with a tummy full of food and a good mood to pose. A proud creature, unquestionably, with a self proclamation as the King of the Canines until the day he will finally meet his long lost older brother, Entei.”
Location: Hyderabad, India
Photographer: TheOnlyzOrk
Seedling
“It was Cyndaquil community day and suddenly, a Turtwig appeared in the wild. I decided to take an AR photo of him since I didn’t have one yet. People were everywhere and occupying the areas I wanted to take the photo of him. I needed to find a spot. Then, I saw this piece of land full of grass. I suddenly realized, with Turtwig’s small seedling growing on his head, this spot was perfect for him.”
Location: Manila, Philippines
Photographer: TrainerMikel25
Under The Bridge
“I walked past this bridge on my afternoon hike, hoping that a Pokémon would show up. I knew the golden light of the sun hitting the trees behind the blue of the bridge would be a perfect background. Nothing showed up of course! But on my way back through, this guy popped up, about 100 yards from the bridge. I’ve had a lot of bad luck with the game crashing in AR, but I had to try! I managed to get a few great shots before the game crashed and the Pinsir was lost. Totally worth it.”
Location: Ohio, United States
Photographer: Eva123110
Flying Type Watching
“As I was strolling around the town for my daily dose of Pokémon catching, I noticed that a wild Starly had spawned near me. I looked around for a cool setting for an AR+ photo and this handrail caught my attention. This was exactly what I was looking for. Fooling AR+ to think that the ground was that high was no easy task but I gotta say the shot turned out pretty well.”
Location: Mount Lebanon, Lebanon
Photographer: Will-O-wisp
Side Note: I’ve said it before – placement is everything. This ARtographer really delivered in his placement of Starly, turning an extremely simple photo into a work of ARt – AR Master Ryusui
Underground Meetup
“It was on a cold and sunny afternoon – I went out to my local grinding place to catch some cool Pokémon pictures! Suddenly, the earth was shaking and I was unable to identify the cause… as I was turning around, they were staring at me with their small black eyes and large, round, pink noses. I just needed to pull the trigger and the pic was done! I had a few seconds to capture this moment, as they were gone as fast as they came.”
Location: Mettlach, Germany
Photographer: Trainer Flippi
Riverside
“After doing some AR shots for some time and editing, I started to think of other ways to edit my pictures to add a new dimension. So after some editing I started to experiment with the reflection of the Omanyte in the water.”
Location: Karlstad, Sweden
Photographer: Bejemannen
Feint Attack
“When given an EXTREMELY rare opportunity to photograph Umbreon I had to take advantage of it! I managed to solo the raid with my beefed up Machamp team with ONE SECOND left on the clock! But I was on a university campus when taking down this raid. Not an ideal location for a Pokémon photo shoot. Luckily there was some vegetation nearby and I was able to angle my camera in such a way that make it seem like Umbreon was stalking prey through the jungle. I added a subtle Feint Attack effect to this image as that was my favorite dark type move to use in Pokémon Silver! I’m so stoked on how this image turned out and I’m glad I finally got the chance to photograph one of my favorite Pokémon! this is a rare image for sure!”
Location: California, United States
Photographer: PopPunkPokemonYT
Side Note: The colour scheme in this photo is just phenomenal. That enlighted circle on Umbreon’s head is the cherry on the pie! – AR Master Ash Ketzchup
Greenery
“The storm was approaching, so I decided to find a place to reside. I passed through a park totally covered by green vegetation, when I heard a cry, it was this little friend, Caterpie! With a hello, it joined my team, and now we both had to find a way to escape from the nearing rain.”
Location: Cancún, México
Photographer: KiraKuin1
Bridge Goblin
“Walking through the woods, you never know who or what you may come across. I heard tiny footsteps and a low growl as I approached this bridge and became increasingly curious as to what was making those noises. Then I saw a little sparkle. What could it be? Out of the yellow leaves this also yellow creature stepped onto the bridge, seemingly blocking my way across. His skin seemed to shine despite the sun, I couldn’t stop looking at him. I snapped some photos and turned back the way I came. I wouldn’t want to disrupt this rare Pokémon.”
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Photographer: AlaetraLorisa
Side Note: Shiny Sableye is for sure on of the most impressing shinies out there. This photographer found the ideal location, matching the yellow leaves with the golden shiny! – AR Master Ash Ketzchup
The Voice Of The Forest
“There was a calming (post raining) weather outside and the moment I saw the grass and leaves covered with water drops, I decided that THIS IS IT! … It was time for my “Onion Fairy” to come out, which I was holding since 2 weeks before for AR shots! While searching for the perfect place to click, I found this one and only flower to work on. Paralleled, I was getting childhood vibes from the movie “Pokémon 4Ever ~The Voice Of The Forest” which I saw 7 years ago.”
Location: New Delhi, India
Photographer: VivekG7
Side Note: Usually when photos have some kind of text overlay it’s pretty easy for them to be ruined, however this photographer was able to find the perfect combination between photography and editing to make something that works well together – HUB Writer Josh Provines
Wistful Sunrise
“The first couple of days we spent on holiday in Gibraltar did nothing but rain, and my poor Shedinja was looking a bit down. So when we finally had clear weather and a beautiful sunrise I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to cheer him up! It doesn’t seem to have worked though…”
Location: Gibraltar
Photographer: Bensontoast
Isolation
“There are woods nearby that have this wonderful tree that bends in a very interesting way, which I have been trying to incorporate into some AR photos for a while. Trying to isolate the tree from the background, whilst getting the bend in the trunk in, as well as getting Pineco to sit in the right place proved near impossible though, so I changed my tactic completely and instead framed the trunk with leaves and had Pineco sit in the middle. It worked out much better than the original idea!”
Location: England, United Kingdom
Photographer: Bensontoast
Side Note: I was highly impressed by this photo, so much so that I chose it as the thumbnail for this month’s showcase! The balance between background and foreground is outstanding and by adding Pineco to the background it creates a great sense of belonging in the picture – HUB Writer Josh Provines
Fall Fires
“It was Cyndaquil Day and I was busy trying to get shinies. I encountered a shiny and decided to take a picture of it, overcoming my AR+ Shiny fear, after having a shiny Eevee flee previously. I really liked the location I was at, but didn’t realize how effective the picture was until after Cyndaquil Day. It’s definitely one of the best photos I’ve taken so far.”
Location: England, United Kingdom
Photographer: xBetaStep
Gameboy Photography
“The Gameboy camera was one of those games from my childhood that I always thought looked cool but was never able to actually get. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I finally got one and instantly fell in love with its lofi charm. It’s always a breath of fresh air to pull it out and snap some photos with its limited range of features. Although sometimes it’s tough to find a friend to model, Clefable was super down to pose for a photoshoot in good ol’ 128×112 resolution!”
Location: Texas, United States
Photographer: pkmn.trainer_joe
Side Note: Deserves credit for the creativity, depth of field, and the choice of Pokémon for the intended nostalgia. This wouldn’t have worked if a non Gen 1 Pokémon was chosen – AR Master Underaglassbell 👻
Unfiltered Entries
Let’s get back to the basics of AR Photography, it is time to look at the raw, unfiltered, and unedited AR Photographs that your fellow Trainers have taken.
Whitney’s Miltank
“I was just minding my own business North of Goldenrod City when I ran into this weird tree that wouldn’t get out of my way. I’m now trapped in this city because the girl with the squirt-bottle won’t help me because I can’t beat Whitney’s Miltank. Send help!”
Location: Ohio, United States
Photographer: MWoodruff18
The Wiseman
“On a warm autumn day, I was walking in the woods, contemplating all the beautiful colors that the trees had to offer. Suddenly I saw a wild Abra sitting right in the middle of the path. I made the quick decision of taking a picture of it. It was the right decision, because a second later he teleported somewhere else.”
Location: Québec, Canada
Photographer: matverret
Side Note: I really like the way the background presents Abra in this picture, the natural lighting creates such a diversity in color that it feels like Abra is the main star – HUB Writer Josh Provines
Elusive
“Shedinja is a very elusive Pokémon, at least that’s what I think it would be! It’s quite rare in Pokémon GO, you actually can’t find it in the wild, only with the field research. It’s a Ghost and a Bug type, so I had to choose where you would find such a Pokémon. I went to a park I have never been before, and because it is fall here in Germany at the moment, the colorful parts got my attention! I made some regular snaps with the Pokémon up close and from different angles of course, but then I had the idea with the hand on the tree! If it’s really rare and elusive, one would approach carefully and from afar!”
Location: Berlin, Germany
Photographer: Cros1s
Side Note: Even though simply adding their hand onto the tree seems easy enough, it shows that even a minor detail can bring so much more realism to a picture. What a simple and clever technique – HUB Writer Josh provines
Happy Place
“Been at Universal studios in Orlando, and was IN the park the moment Generation 4 released. Imagine me totally freaking out, torn apart between catching/snapping Pokémon and having fun in the park….. So I decided to have some fun first, and just catch everything on my way, carefully observing my surroundings…maybe there were cool spots for the new Pokémon I wanted to snap on another day! Well it was the very next day we went there again and this spot was very beautiful, I just had to use it, and Turtwig just fit perfectly! It really looks like a happy place to me.”
Location: Florida, United States
Photographer: Cros1s
Side Note: Universal Studios Florida is sure a magical place. This photographer took this magic to a new level by adding a Pokémon into the scenery! – AR Master Ash Ketzchup
Bridge Guardian
“I’ve always enjoyed taking AR shots of Pokémon I’ve encountered since the game came out, now with AR+ it’s so much more fun. I go out walking the country side alot to have some very beautiful landscapes to capture. This particular photo was just by chance, I completed my research as I was passing over the bridge, I was happy with this photo as it looks like Entei was guarding the bridge. I managed to capture the legendary beast and safely pass over the bridge.”
Location: England, United Kingdom
Photographer: Sludemp
Cheshire Mon
“On Gengar Raid Day my band of Trainers and myself were battling a Gengar at The Mausoleum gym up by Leeds University when a giant smile appeared from between the tombstones near by, a few seconds later the rest of the body materialized into a shiny Gengar! I was able to take capture this shot before throwing a Pokéball and adding it to my collection of ghostly Pokémon.”
Location: Leeds, United Kingdom
Photographer: Gimpneek
Side Note: When I read this description the very first thing that came to mind was the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, the photographer described such a visual moment that I could completely see it playing out in my head – HUB Writer Josh Provines
Basking in the Sun
“On our quest to find Celebi, we ventured up the Ko’olau mountains to see if we could witness the beauty of this time traveling mythical Pokémon. Professor Kukui informed us that Celebi was appearing in all regions so we thought we’d take a chance! About a mile into the hike, Celebi appeared! Perfect conditions led to some beautiful snaps!”
Location: Hawaii, United States
Photographer: Pogo.Reality
The Sound of Water
“Why did I choose this title? Well imagine you are alone, wandering through the thick forest, you have no supplies, no food, no water. After hours and hours you just don’t find anything to eat or drink. That’s the moment when you start to sharpen your senses, smelling and seeing and of course hearing improves way beyond your regular level. And then you suddenly hear it. Far away at first, barely noticeable. That splashy, flowing music only water is able to perform. The sound of water! I imagine poor Espeon had been on its own little search when I look at the picture.”
Location: Berlin, Germany
Photographer: Cros1s
Side Note: I really enjoy the perspective of this picture, and it shows how you can properly integrate a Pokémon into a scenario just by waiting for its animations, this photographer waited and manages to get the absolute best position for Espeon – HUB Writer Josh Provines
Taking Flight
“I was just walking along in one of our local parks hatching eggs when I heard some noise behind me down in the creek. As I turned to go investigate I saw this shiny purple-dactyl come flying up from the creek. I was just barely able to get my phone up and snap a pic as it flew off.”
Location: Arkansas, United States
Photographer: Ananen42
Down By The River
“After a nice swim in this pristine river I went for a bit of a Pokémon hunt. I wasn’t expecting much since I was in such a rural area but I did discover this Gligar. Although it was hard to capture, it moved around a lot, which was perfect for some cool AR Photos like this one.”
Location: Queensland, Australia
AR Master Entries
This segment highlights the Photographs taken by our very own AR Masters, those that we have deemed to be elite in the field of AR Photography.
Psyduck Patrol
“Based upon the television series of ‘Beach Patrol: Miami Beach’, Psyduck steals the spotlight by helping the lifeguards supervising potential danger on the beach. As Psyduck is not really a clear thinker, it tries extremely hard to fulfill its duty! In this photograph, I wanted to make a clear difference between the size of Psyduck, the ATV and the lifeguard house.”
Location: Florida, United States
AR Master: AshKetzchup
Puddles
“It started with me and my friend going to an EX raid, we pulled up right before it hatched and the stop right next to the gym had this Vaporeon at it. I walked around a little tying to find the perfect spot but sadly the fountains near the pond were turned off but it rained the night before so there was puddles on the ground, so I decided to make it look like it was jumping through puddles”
Location: Connecticut, United States
AR Master: Rouge
Shutter Bug
“A rustle in the leaves, a bright golden beam of light through the trees. I don’t know if this Shedinja came from underneath the leaves or from the heavens but it spoke to me and said “Snap me like one of your french girls” with such lovely light and autumn colours how could I decline?”
Location: England, United Kingdom
AR Master: earloflemongrab
AR Master Photo Research
To highlight the diversity in AR Photography, Professor Willow has tasked our AR Masters with some special Photo Research. Last month Professor Willow asked the AR Masters to go out in the wild and Photograph Caterpie.
Colors and Caterpies
“It started with my hunting for shinies, I didn’t find any but then I remembered I had a Caterpie quest when I was walking into my house, it wasn’t shiny but I thought to myself ‘I’m sure I can find the perfect spot for an AR picture’ so I used the colors of fall and it’s one of the best pictures I’ve done and I’m proud of it”
Location: Connecticut, United States
AR Master: Rogue
This Month’s Photo Research Subject
This month, Professor Willow has tasked the AR Masters with photographing Delibird out in the wild, come back next month to see what they captured!
Honorable Entries
This segment is meant to show off the AR Photographs that didn’t quite make it for one reason or another.
Final Notes
I would like to apologize for the extremely late publication of this piece, I can tell you personally that I had PC issues but I promised to make this my first priority when I finally had the chance to work on something. Either way, I am more than happy with the photos that were submitted last month and I hope Trainers can be inspired with these special holidays to take some more wonderful photos. Thank you for your patience.
Links
- To submit a photo for next month’s showcase, fill out this Google form!
- Want to talk to the AR Masters? Go to the #Ask-the-AR-Masters channel on our Discord!
- If you want to see pictures from some of the photographers above, take a look at the #AR-Pictures channel on our Discord!
- Want to see how the pictures this month compare to the previous months? Follow the Monthly Pokémon GO AR Photo Showcase Tag!
Take some great photos, have some great fun, and above all else stay safe, Trainers! We can’t wait to see what Jolly photos you send in next month!