How much does a really good photo earn in Pokémon Snap? Nintendo never published a scoring table, but players have recorded the scores obtained under precise conditions. This page relies on TASVideos submission no. 9564 (“Pokémon Snap in 20:33.50”), a tool-assisted run whose author details, course by course, the photo chosen for each species and its score. These figures give a valuable order of magnitude to tell whether you’re in the right range.
What the numbers show
A good shot falls between 3,000 and 5,000 points. Many shots hover around 4,000 points, and the only photos clearly above that (Rapidash at 4,980, Bulbasaur at 5,250, Porygon at 4,620, Slowbro at 4,600) come from scenes triggered by the player: a Pokémon rearing up, stretching to eat, leaping. Group shots, for their part, push the score up: three Kakuna at 4,420, Dugtrio at 4,410, three Magnemite at 4,230. Conversely, some very low photos appear in the original run, for example Electrode at 240 points, Moltres at 210, Poliwag at 130, Weepinbell at 220, Victreebel at 80: these are shots taken as fast as possible to reach an unlock threshold, and are in no way exemplary.
Bulbasaur.Dugtrio.Weepinbell.
Reference shots, course by course
Beach
Pokémon
Recorded score
Situation
Pidgey
4,000
In profile, a Pidgey streaking off to the right
Doduo
2,980
Slightly off-center shot, feet together
Pikachu
3,120
Camera at ear height, red dot slightly beside the tail
Butterfree
3,700
After a glance backward, the Pokémon in a corner of the frame
Lapras
2,520
Off-center, toward its base, to enlarge its size
Meowth
4,000
As it crosses the track
Eevee
2,620
Deliberately delayed shot
Metapod.Butterfree.Zubat.
Tunnel
Pokémon
Recorded score
Situation
Electabuzz
4,000
Hit by an Apple, photographed as it heads off
Kakuna
4,420
Three Kakuna fallen from the ceiling in the frame
Zubat
3,960
It comes out of a door at an angle
Magikarp
2,700
Off-center aim
Haunter
4,000
Taken when the sphere turns toward the camera
Diglett
2,560
The last one, as it stretches
Dugtrio
4,410
As it leans forward, keeping “both” in the frame, the author notes
Magnemite
4,230
The two in back stuck together, with the one in front
Magneton
4,000
No centered Magnemite; the central gray zone is enough for the doubling
Volcano
Pokémon
Recorded score
Situation
Rapidash
4,980
Apple thrown when two Rapidash are close together, shot near the hindquarters
Vulpix
4,000
It leaps toward the camera
Charmander
2,900
It stretches while eating the Apple
Magmar
3,080
As it spits flames at Charmander
Charmeleon
2,160
Lying down, near the head
River
Pokémon
Recorded score
Situation
Bulbasaur
5,250
Pester Ball on the first one, then Apples to lure the other toward the water
Shellder
4,000
As it bites a Slowpoke’s tail
Slowbro
4,600
Apple thrown to the right of the first Slowpoke, which stretches
Slowpoke
4,400
It leaps, tail fully visible, right after fishing up a Shellder
Metapod
3,950
After bringing two Metapod down, a shot of their backs as you pass
Psyduck
3,560
Hit by an Apple, as it is thrown into the air
Cloyster
3,280
Off-center shot, red dot on the back
Porygon
4,620
As it reaches an Apple, red dot near the tail
Cave
Pokémon
Recorded score
Situation
Ditto
4,300
Lured by an Apple, it stretches toward it
Grimer
4,000
Shot taken at the moment of transformation into Muk
Muk
3,720
Taken during the transformation
Jigglypuff
4,400
Delayed with an Apple hit, shot aiming slightly up and to the left
Koffing
3,580
Slightly right of center
What to take away
Pose weighs heavily. The best scores come from triggered scenes: stretching to eat (Charmander, Slowpoke, Ditto), leaping (Vulpix, Psyduck), rearing up (Rapidash).
Groups count. Three Kakuna or several Dugtrio in the frame push the score ahead of photos of isolated individuals.
Offsetting is useful. Several reference shots (Butterfree, Lapras, Cloyster, Magikarp) are taken with the Pokémon shifted toward a corner or an edge, which illustrates the “square head theory” mentioned on the scoring page.
Kangaskhan is a special case. The shot is extremely demanding: the window is a few degrees wide, and the TAS author calls it the hardest of the entire run, with only 860 points at stake.
Charmander.Kakuna.Psyduck.
For bonus values on special shots, such as Surfing Pikachu (1,000 points) or the Magmar fight (800 points), see the special photos page. For details on the submission, see the speedrun and records page.
