New Pokémon Snap - Illumina Spot courses: How to take a photo of Illumina Meganium, Wishiwashi, Milotic, Volcarona and Steelix
How to capture every Illumina Pokémon on camera.
Illumina Pokémon in New Pokémon Snap are a rare variant of Pokémon which can only be found in Illumina Spot courses scattered across the Lental region.
There are six Illumina Pokémon in total, including Meganium, Wishiwashi, Milotic, Volcarona, Steelix and a final Pokémon we'll keep a mystery for now. If you want to progress in New Pokémon Snap's storyline, then you need to successfully take a picture of each one.
This is easier said than done though, as some of the Illumina Spot courses involve a small amount of puzzle solving before you can take the photograph.
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Illumina Spot courses in New Pokémon Snap explained
The Illumina Spot courses in New Pokémon Snap are where you'll encounter one of the rare Illumina Pokémon which inhabit the Lental region.
While the various Illumina Orbs allow you to give regular Pokémon a temporary glow, the special Pokémon found within these courses will shine far brighter and patterns will appear across their skin.
There are five Illumina Spot courses, one for each island, in total and each one has their own signature Pokémon.
These courses are essentially the boss battles of New Pokémon Snap and you need to successfully take a picture of the signature Pokémon in its true Illumina form. This often involves a tiny bit of puzzle solving, a lot of Illumina Orb throwing and a quick finger on the camera trigger.
Once you've successfully taken the required photograph, the game's storyline will progress and the Research Level for the Illumina Spot will reach Level 2, since it only requires one Expedition Point.
If you'd like to know when each Illumina Spot course unlock, then check out our New Pokémon Snap walkthrough.
If you decide to explore the Illumina Spot at a higher Research Level, you'll find a variety of Pokémon have now joined the signature Illumina Pokémon some of which can only be found in this specific course.
Illumina Spot courses also have their own dedicated LensTalk requests to complete, making returning to these courses definitely worthwhile.
How to take a photo of Meganium
The first Illumina Spot course you'll visit is the one in the Florio Nature Park and it's home to the Illumina Meganium.
Out of all the Illumina Pokémon, Meganium is the easiest to take a picture of, because it follows the Neo-One's path and will naturally gain its glow from eating Crystabloom flowers.
This means you can simply focus on taking pictures of Meganium during your first encounter with it.
After completing your first journey through this Illumina Spot, you'll be able to complete the LenTalk request, Meganium's Pal. You'll also be able to encounter Pokémon like Eevee during a return visit on Research Level 2.
How to take a photo of Wishiwashi
Wishiwashi is the second Illumina Pokémon you'll encounter in New Pokémon Snap and it takes its home in the Lental Seafloor Illumina Spot course. Unlike Meganium, you'll need to put in a bit of work to get this Pokémon's picture.
If you want to take a picture of Illumina Wishiwashi, you must first ensure the little fish have collected into their School Form. To do this you need to throw Illumina Orbs Wishiwashi in their Solo Form until they have joined into one big fish.
Once the School Form has, well, been formed, you need to continue throwing Illumina Orbs at this Pokémon until it begins to truly glow and patterns appear on its body.
You'll now have a short amount of time to take a picture of the true Illumina Wishiwashi, until they decide to break apart again.
Thankfully, you'll have three opportunities to make Illumina School Form Wishiwashi appear during your first run of this course, so you'll easily get the picture you need to progress. Though the amount of Single Form Wishiwashi you need to hit with Illumina Orbs will increase.
Upon completing this Illumina Spot course for the first time, you'll unlock the Swirling Energy LenTalk request and, if you explore the Research Level 2 version, you'll encounter Pokémon like Wailmer, Finneon and Luvdisc.
How to take a photo of Milotic
You'll encounter Milotic in New Pokémon Snap once you've unlocked the Elsewhere Forest Illumina Spot.
If you want to take a picture of Milotic, you first need to hit with a Fluffruit while it's underwater.
This will cause Milotic to rise to the surface and, when it breaks the water, you'll be able to hit it with an Illumina Orb. It takes one to two Illumina Orbs for Milotic's glowing patterns to appear, so you'll have ample opportunities to take a variety of photos.
Milotic may, at times, visit the surface by its own accord, but there's nothing wrong with giving it a helping hand.
Once you've completed your first run of the Elsewhere Forest Illumina Spot, you'll be able to revisit it at Research Level 2 where you'll encounter Pokémon like Lotad, Serperior and Espeon. You'll also be able to complete the LenTalk Request, Milotic's Mighty Leap.
How to take a photo of Volcarona
You'll encounter two Volcaronas in the Fireflow Volcano Illumina Spot course of New Pokémon Snap.
Capturing a photo of a Volcarona, or both, takes a bit of work, because you'll first have to get rid of the fire they've surrounded themselves with.
You'll achieve this by throwing Fluffruit at either Pokémon until the fire dissipates. It takes two Fluffruit it dispatch the flames and they will return after a period of time.
Don't worry if you're having trouble hitting the Volcaronas - it does take a bit of practise and they will stop immediately in front of Neo-One at points.
Once the flames are gone, you'll be able to throw Illumina Orbs at your chosen Volcarona until its hidden patterns appear, which is the perfect time to snap a picture.
Completing this Illumina Spot Course will unlock the LenTalk request, Vocal Volcarona, and, upon your return at Research Level 2, you'll be able to find Pokémon like Monferno.
How to take a photo of Steelix
Steelix can be found in the Outaway Illumina Spot course in New Pokémon Snap.
It can be rather hard to take a photo of Steelix as it spends most of its time jumping about the course, which can make it hard to both aim an Illumina Orb and your camera. Thankfully, you can use the Scanner to predict where Steelix will appear next.
Steelix does pop its head out of two holes - one near the beginning of the course, one close to the end - which are the perfect opportunities for a photo.
After successfully taking a photo of Steelix, you'll be able to complete the LenTalk request, Steelix Takes a Breather, and find Pokémon like Noibat, Carbink and Crobat in the Research Level 2 version of the course.
How to take a photo of Xerneas
The Ruins of Remembrance is the final Illumina Spot course you'll visit in New Pokémon Snap and it's where you'll encounter the legendary Pokémon Xerneas.
Xerneas isn't, however, going to make taking its photo easy by turning itself into a glowing orb.
To photograph Xerneas, you'll need to hit the orb with an Illumina Orb, causing Xerneas to momentarily return to its true form. Hitting Xerneas with a second Illumina Orb will cause it to glow, making for an even better picture.
Don't worry if your aim with the Illumina Orbs isn't that good - the orb will move quite close to Neo-One during the course, helping you take the photo you need to complete New Pokémon Snap's storyline.
Upon successfully taking a picture of Xerneas, you'll receive the nod of respect from the stag god and unlock The Power of Xerneas LenTalk challenge. You'll also be able to find a variety of Pokémon if you return for Research Level 2, including Woobat, Umbreon and Eldegoss.
If you'd like to learn more about New Pokémon Snap, visit our walkthrough.