Image of camera controls via The Sims Community

Table of Contents:

1. Modernized Camera Settings
2. Populating more Poses with Personality
3. Photo Studio Sessions: Group Poses made Easy
4. New Ways and Items to Display Photos
5. Creator Collaboration Kit Idea with Ravasheen

Modernized Camera Settings

We are overdue for an update of camera functionality as well as new poses for selfie mode, for taking photos of other sims with phones, cameras, and for the photo booths. Many of us enjoy personalizing sim homes by displaying photos of our sims, their families, and friends so I think this will be a welcomed update to enhance gameplay. We also need to be able to better control the zoom in all cases, but on selfies in particular because many of the current options are too close up and awkwardly cut off sims from the photo. The ability to rotate sims in the shot would also be great for optimal background positioning and sometimes better lighting (Ravasheen's ISO Love Camera mod currently has this functionality). Cameras also need the ability for flash and night mode so that we can enhance the lighting for better picture taking. New modern filters would also be welcomed, including silly ones like the iconic Snapchat cartoon dog face filter, as well as popular cleaner styles from Instagram. I think a 4th giant new photo size option would be great so that grand/rich houses can have the ridiculously large scale portraits hung up. I can see sims displaying gigantic self portraits, family portraits, and landscape photos in their homes. We should also have some sort of ability to put cameras on a timer so that all sims can be in the photo together. 

Populating more Poses with Personality 

We could also do with more pose options in the camera settings that are attached to specific Sim traits so those so photos are more individualized for the sim being immortalized in film. Lovestruck promotional images for Cupid's Corner had many hoping that we would be able to take these kinds of special photos of our sims in game. A materialistic sim could pose with their money. A snob could be looking down their nose at the camera. A bookworm could be looking up from the book they're holding. These trait poses would only be accessible as a pose if the sim has that trait and available in both selfie mode as well as when you select the option to take a photo of a specific sim by themselves. I imagine there are many poses already created that have been used by the Sims team for promotional purposes on pack art as well as gameplay ads and this would be a great way to reuse that work by making it available to players who in some cases have been asking for it. And of course new poses makes the job of the marketing team easier in the long run. A win win for everyone.

Poses from Lovestruck EP artwork show trait based poses that could be available in game

Each game pack could also come with their own set of special pose options that come with items specific to that pack. For example My Wedding Stories can have poses for the bride and groom to do with the bouquet that comes with that pack, Parenthood could have family portrait and pregnancy shoot options, Growing Together could have options for showing off lost teeth or successfully riding a bike, Cats & Dogs could have photos with pets (like in the Expansion Pack art), Seasons can have photo choices for Winterfest, Harvestfest, Spookyween, Springtime, etc. Supplementing existing unshared but created poses with the amount of Pose Pack CC currently available on Curseforge, I think this could be a great community collaboration which would also result in this all happening faster and in the great variety needed to make current gameplay more dynamic while also injecting more sim personalities into the photos. 

Poses from Cats & Dogs EP artwork that can be used in game

Photo Studio Sessions: Group Poses Made Easy

Of course players want the ability to set up special poses for full body photography, especially group photos that could potentially be complicated gameplay as evidenced by using mods like the Pose Player. This needs to be an easy process for the average simmer. A rabbit hole photo studio visit for base game could be amazing for taking family photos, group shots, yearbook photos, prom photos, etc. without players having to go though the issue of having to pose sims. This can work in a similar vein to the Life & Death Lasting Legacy Family Portrait frame limited edition DLC, where the game uses a predetermined pose and slots player sims into the image automatically. But in this case players will have the ability to cycle through relevant poses and backgrounds to influence the look and feel of the final photos, and then select multiple photos under the chosen theme to be created and placed in a sim's inventory after a photo studio visit.

Life & Death's Lasting Legacy Family Portrait introduced a system of posed group photos.

For example a player can direct their sim via phone or computer to "Book A Photo Studio Session" then choose from options like "Headshots", "Couples Photos with Partner", "Engagement Photos with Partner", "Wedding Photoshoot with Partner", "Pregnancy Photoshoot with Partner", "Infant Photoshoot", "Toddler Photoshoot", "Take Family Portrait with...", "Yearbook Photo", "Take Prom Photos with...", "Costume Photoshoot", "Holiday Photoshoot", "Besties Photoshoot", "Pet Photoshoot" etc. When an option is chosen, it narrows down the available poses players can see and then they can choose which photos they'd like and the available backgrounds that can be applied to the image. Backgrounds can be based on existing worlds and activities, e.g. the Family Portrait poses will populate based on the ages and number of included sims and players and the backgrounds can include traditional backdrop colours or images from around Willow Creek, Oasis Springs. Gardens, Beaches, etc. After a player has chosen all the images they want, the sim who booked the visit can return from the rabbit hole with those images in their inventory.

Modder Katverse's Prom Pose Pack

There could also be an update to the photo booth from High School Years so that full body portraits of the sim alone, with their date, and with friend options can be done at prom with special background options similar to the themes you can set with the pack items e.g. a starry night background. The pose pack in the image is from Katverse and are just a few of the kind of full bodied image prom photo possibilities. If this rabbit hole photography system is possible, then there can be the retroactive addition of relevant photos being given as rewards for completing events. For example getting gold or silver on a Lovestruck date gives a cute date portrait when that event is over. The same can be done for other in game events such as weddings, family reunions, black & white parties, etc. If you win one of the prom court positions like Class Clown or Prom Queen, you should also win a special full bodied photo of you in the hat and outfit you wore at the end of the prom event to your inventory. As previously mentioned, with the amount of Pose Pack CC currently available on Curseforge, this could also be a great community collaboration project which would also result in this all happening faster and in the great variety needed to make current gameplay more dynamic while also injecting more sim personalities and visual relationship markers into the photos. 

New Ways and Items to Display Photos

We also need a ton of blank photo frames in different styles, colours, sizes, and collages so that Sims can display photos of not just sims, but nature/gameplay shots in various ways all through their houses. Currently we have the option to put plain wooden frames on photos, but there should be more style specific options that have ornate frames, modern styles, cottagecore styles, etc. There's also a distinct lack of frames that house the Medium photo size so this also needs some frame options. Woodworking can get a small update so that you can make different types of hanging and standing photo frames in base game. Future clutter items in packs can include items where players slot in photos taken in game. For example there's a photo collage item with lights in Parenthood and it would be great if you can slot in images of your sims with their friends instead of having random sims on there. The same with the mirror in Lovestruck that has photos on it, would be great if those were photo slots instead.

Image of the Parenthood photo display that's not functional via TheSimYin on X

There can also be the ability to customize a standing photo board display (like the decorated one from My Wedding Stories) using photos made in the previously outlined Photo Studio visit. It can have a large photo slot so that they can be customized with large sized photos. These can be used in events like weddings, engagement parties, birthday parties, and more. Each style can come in a horizontal and vertical to cater for for the 2 photo orientation options.

My Wedding Stories Display sign

Another idea is creating a variety of photo album type book items in build mode which have an in game inventory for storing photos only. Sims in game could also pick it up and browse through these albums (using the current reading a book animation) and then get special buffs for going through it. Special types of photo albums produce relevant buffs such as a "Wedding Album" that makes them happy, flirty, or perhaps sad if their partner has passed away. Or a "Family Photo Album" that makes elders happy and maybe sometimes Adult sims tense that they're aging.

Creator Collaboration Kit Idea with Ravasheen

I think a kit collaboration with popular modder Ravasheen to bring some ideas from their mod Photographic Memory 2.0 into the main game is a worthwhile idea. Sims could make personalized calendars, canvases, gallery walls, mugs, etc. using a special printer and get special nostalgic buffs in game for viewing these items. This would appeal to not only simmers who want to put their sims on items, but those who would want to use in game photos to create customized items as part of their gameplay. For e.g. a Discover University student would be able to have a ton of personalized Foxbury items in their dorm using this kit. Or a photographer sim can display their shots in new ways around their home. Plus there can be cute specialized photo display frames for special occasions like baby photos, wedding photos, and more. It would essentially be the ability to do a personalized clutter kit, and based on the success of previous clutter kits, this one would be a winner too.

An image overview of Ravasheen's Photographic Memory 2.0 mod

I truly hope the sims team takes this into consideration for those of us who love taking photos of and reminiscing on our sims and their lives. This also gives many players beautiful images of their sims to share with the community as well as makes our sims a little more like us. I just posted this on the old forum, completely forgetting the new ones are here, lol. Thanks for reading!