Taking Pictures

Taking pictures of Pokemon in your environment is one of the first things new Pokemon Go players want to do. Most likely when you tap on a Pokemon, the screen will open in "AR mode" (with AR standing for "augmented reality"). That means the background where you see the Pokemon will be your actual environment, such as the Pokemon shown in the pet store in the photo below. On that screen, you will see a camera icon at the bottom right. Tapping that icon doesn't take the photo but puts you into another mode where your camera is operational. Take your photos, and they will be stored in a separate Pokemon folder in your smart phone's gallery. When finished, there will be an arrow key to take you back to the screen where you can catch the Pokemon.

If your Pokemon shows on a grassy green background, you can switch to AR mode by tapping the AR toggle switch at the top right of the screen.

Sometimes the background of your location can be distracting when you're trying to catch a Pokemon. If that's the case, you can turn off AR mode to view the Pokemon against the grassy background, making it easier to catch. To turn off AR mode, tap the AR toggle switch at the upper right of the screen. The button at the top left of the screen, which looks like a running person, is used to return to the main map screen if you decide not to catch the Pokemon.