So you want to be the next Sims Ansel Adams. Or perhaps you just want to master Maxis-like quality photos for your Sim stories.

Whatever the reason, this Sims Photography tutorial will introduce you to several of the basic photographic principles used in real world photography and with a little practice you should be shooting better game photos in no time.

This tutorial will cover...

A. Basic Shooting Principles
1. Get in Close
2. Work the Shot
3. Pay Attention to Details
4. Look for the Unusual
5. Balance Simplicity with Boldness

B. The Art of Composition
1. The Rule of Thirds
2. The Impact of Lines
3. Framing

C. Extra Effects
1. Your Game Settings
2. 'moveobjects' Is Your Friend
3. Outside the Game

A. Basic Shooting Principles

1. Get in Close

That's right - get in close. Closer. Keep going. There you are.

The number one mistake amateur photographers make is not getting in close enough to their subject. Closeness not only unquestionably defines the photo's subject but it also appeals to the viewer's sense of curiousity and empathy - it stimulates a connection between viewer and subject and makes the scene more real.

If you're going for a sense of detachment, then by all means put some distance between your subject and the camera but if you want your viewer to feel like they are in the scene themselves, get up close and personal.

In fact, you can get REAL close by using the Cameraman mode. (The Tab key toggles this mode on and off.)

If you haven't played around with this feature of the game yet, do so - it's well worth the time for taking better photos and movies. Not only can you get in super close, Cameraman mode also ensures that you see the scene exactly as your Sims do - this includes solidifying background objects that have turned transparent or invisible in Player mode and additional effects, such as adding stars to the night sky.

2. Work the Shot

First of all, be sure you can access your Pause button in a heartbeat - you don't want to miss out on that fantastic shot when it finally happens!

Pausing the game will give you the best opportunity to truly 'work the shot'. This means taking several photos of the same scene from a variety of angles. What may seem to be the logical or obvious angle may not be the BEST angle for the shot. By taking several photos you can then compare them and find the one that captures the scene and emotion you're searching for.

What often works best is a combination of 'play and pause' - pause the game as soon as you see a photographic opportunity; take a few shots and unfreeze the scene; allow the game to advance and pause again to take some more photos, repeating as much as necessary to get the shot you want.

3. Pay Attention to Details

There's nothing more frustrating than taking a brilliant photo and then later realizing there's a hunk of garbage in the background you didn't notice when composing the shot.

Take a few moments before you hit the camera key to inspect your scene - REALLY scrutinize it. The old pizza delivery boxes and spare pizza slice on the floor in the foreground above are obvious and should be removed prior to shutter time (unless they're important to the scene) but did you notice the bits of untrimmed hedge bleeding through the wall? Chances are, you'll miss them until the photo is in your album or a viewer points it out to you.

4. Look for the Unusual

The unusual is what makes the ordinary extraordinary. This could be the scene itself or how you decide to compose it - in the example above it is the unusual framing composition that makes this photo so interesting.

An element of the bizarre will immediately attract a viewer's attention so be on the look-out for them in your game - usually anything that makes you as the player do a double-take will do the same for your viewer. But don't feel frustrated if you feel you have a hard time spotting these instances, it does take a lot of practice and patience.

5. Balancing Simplicity with Boldness

The age-old adage of 'keep it simple' is as important as ever with photography. Include too much and you not only lose the focus of the photo but your viewer becomes disoriented as to where to look.

So, keep things simple - not every shot need be an action-packed raging inferno; still life and portraits speak just as loudly when composed with care and forethought. The example above, while simple in focus, is profoundly dramatic in its usage of monochromatic colour choice and contrasting solid vs. stripe patterns. The negative (empty) space to the left not only balances the vases to the right but leads the viewer's eye across the photo to the subject.

B. The Art of Composition

1. The Rule of Thirds

When composing your photo, mentally imagine there is a 3x3 grid overlaying your screen so that the photo is divided into thirds, both horizontally and vertically. Try to position important elements of the shot along these lines and their intersections - doing so aestetically strengthens the photo and ensures balance in what you're shooting.

2. The Impact of Lines

Lines have an incrediable impact on how the eye travels within a photo and good photographers use lines to draw the viewer into the photo's focus. In the example above, the columns, chairs and rug all lead the eye down the center of the photo to pinpoint the couple standing in the wedding arch.

Even if you're not using lines to create a focus, become aware of them in your photo. If you have striped wallpaper or tiled flooring and are shooting head-on, try to ensure both are straight or you'll find yourself unconsciously cocking your head when looking at the photo.

If you're shooting an outdoor scene, pay attention to the horizon line - it should be either above or below the center of the photo, never dead middle. For Sims photography it's best to place the horizon line high up so that the foreground is concentrated on - that's where the action is, after all.

3. Framing

Similar to lines, framing draws the eye in to focus on the photo's intended subject. Not all framing need be as explicit as the above example, which was taken through a window from the outside in. Framing can also be accomplished by shooting around or through other objects, such as the branches of a tree, the shape of a sculpture or even the limbs of another Sim (refer to 'Look for the Unusual'). Depending on the type of frame and angle used, this technique can be obvious or subtle.

C. Extra Effects

1. Your Game Settings

If you want photos that truly 'POP', you need to go beyond the techniques and the artform and make sure that your game settings are giving you everything they've got. Photos will appear flat without shadowing or proper light exposure and you simply will not get good quality photos without quality game settings.

If you find your computer has difficulty running at high capacity, use mid-line settings while you set up the scene or play the game regularly, then make your setting alterations once you've paused and are prepared to start shooting. A change as simple as turning on reflections can make a world of difference to your photos!

NOTE: Don't forget to click the 'apply changes' button on the bottom of the game preferences panel!

2. 'moveobjects' Is Your Friend

If you're into story writing you'll want to become familiar with several of the developer codes (commonly referred to as 'cheats') that can greatly aid in scene building or tweaking for photographic purposes.

Above all else, the most valuable of these codes is the 'moveobjects' command, which allows the user to move any object in the game - including Sims. This becomes useful when you want to direct a Sim into a specific position that is only attainable through a certain action. For example, use the 'moveobjects' code to reposition your dart-playing Sim in front of that painting you despise so much and voila! - a situation that otherwise would not be possible within the game under normal circumstances.

Open the command window with Ctrl + Shift + C and type: moveobjects on ('off' returns the game to normal).

NOTE: I have nothing per se against Bella Goth - the painting used above was simply a convenient example. :D

3. Outside the Game

When all is said and done, however, you can only go so far within the game itself. After that you may wish to consider tweaking some of your photos outside the game using a graphics program of your choice (Adobe PhotoShop and Paint Shop Pro are popular choices).

Even if you do not consider yourself a quality graphics artist, there is still much that can be done by the amateur willing to try, fiddle and experiment. For example, desaturate an image to black and white to give it that reminiscent feel of a memory or add/edit thought bubbles and their icons to reflect the text accompanying the photo. Play around with your filter and framing options or get adventurous and merge several photos into one - you'll be surprised what you come up with.

Plus, the photos that you manipulate in this way can not only be used back in your Sim story albums but can also be used for neighbourhood thumbnails and storyboards.

But most importantly, don't let yourself get too bogged down with all the techniques - use them when you think of them or recognize a key situation that will be enhanced by using them, but don't force a scene. Let the fun of the game and your sense of humour and enthusiasm guide your photography, for those elements will make the biggest impact on your stories.

Happy snapping!