007 First Light: How to Pose as a Photographer in Uninvited – Say Cheese! Challenge

TL;DR

• This is in Chapter 11: Uninvited, Checkpoint 05 – Get Upstairs.
• Completing it unlocks the Say Cheese! challenge.
• Step 1: Eavesdrop on the journalist at the central bar — she’s waiting for a photographer named Rob Minkley.
• Step 2: Talk to her and introduce yourself as Rob Minkley.
• Step 3: Go to the Press Room (left of the Gala entrance). Distract the guards — hack the microphone for one, use the Phone Dart on the other.
• Step 4: Steal the camera from the Press Room while guards are distracted.
• Step 5: Return to the journalist — she escorts Bond straight upstairs past the staircase guards.
• You can also grab the Webb Industries Press Pack intel collectible in the same room while you’re there.

007 First Light how to pose as a photographer in Uninvited is one of the most creative ways to get upstairs during the Webb Gala. Three guards block the main staircase and won’t let Bond through without a reason. But if you take a few minutes to work the room as a social spy, Bond can pose as a missing press photographer, charm the right journalist, and walk straight past those guards with her as cover. This guide covers every step of the Say Cheese! challenge from the eavesdrop to the escort.

The photographer route is one of three main methods to get upstairs in the Uninvited chapter. The others are posing as a security guard and using the Gate Crasher route. Each method unlocks different challenges, so if you’re going for full chapter completion you’ll need to do all three across separate Chapter Select runs. For a full breakdown of everything in this chapter, see our 007 First Light Uninvited all challenges guide.

Where Does This Take Place?

The photographer route is available at Checkpoint 05 – Get Upstairs in Chapter 11: Uninvited. At this point Bond has entered the main Gala room using his invitation and needs to reach the upper floor to track down the assassin. The staircase ahead is guarded by three men in suits who won’t let anyone through without a reason. Your job is to give them one.

Step 1 – Eavesdrop on the Journalist at the Central Bar

After entering the main Gala room, look toward the central bar area in the middle of the space. There is a woman standing at the bar waiting impatiently. She is a journalist or PR contact expecting a photographer. Walk close enough to trigger the eavesdrop prompt and listen to her conversation.

From the eavesdrop you’ll learn two key pieces of information. First, she is waiting for a photographer who hasn’t shown up. Second, the photographer’s name is Rob Minkley. Remember that name — you will need it in a moment.

Step 2 – Talk to Her and Introduce Yourself as Rob Minkley

After eavesdropping, approach the journalist and initiate a conversation. When Bond is asked who he is, select the option that introduces him as Rob Minkley. She will immediately accept this and tell Bond he needs to bring a camera and a press pass to complete the cover story before she can take him upstairs.

There is an NPC named Linda standing to the right of the stage who also has a press pass visible nearby. Don’t waste time trying to get it through conversation — she won’t give it to Bond regardless of what dialogue option you pick. The camera and press pass both come from the Press Room, which is the next stop.

Step 3 – Go to the Press Room

The Press Room is located just to the left of the Gala entrance, slightly west of the staircase the three guards are blocking. Enter it. As soon as you’re inside, you’ll notice a restricted area on the left being patrolled by two guards. This is where both the camera and the press pass are kept. You need to get past both guards without raising an alert.

There is also a press pass sitting on a table near an NPC named Linda on the right side as you enter the Press Room. You can grab this more easily but the camera is what triggers the Say Cheese! challenge, and it’s in the restricted area, so you need to deal with the guards either way.

Step 4 – Distract Both Guards and Steal the Camera

Two guards are standing in and around the restricted area where the camera is kept. Deal with them one at a time:

• Guard 1: Locate the microphone or circuit breaker near the closed door on the left side of the restricted area. Hack it using your Q-Watch. The noise or electrical disturbance pulls the first guard away to investigate, creating a clear window.
• Guard 2: Use a Phone Dart on the second guard while the first is distracted. The Phone Dart makes the target feel sick and sends them to find a bin, removing them from the area temporarily.

With both guards occupied or moved, walk into the restricted area and pick up the camera. It’s sitting on the table or surface in that section. The moment you grab it, you have everything Bond needs to complete the cover.

While you’re in this area, also check the table near where the guard was standing — the Webb Industries Press Pack MI6 Intel File is right there. Grab it at the same time to save a return trip. For more on that collectible, see our all MI6 Intel Files locations guide.

Step 5 – Pick Up the Press Pass

If you haven’t already grabbed the press pass from the table near Linda, do it now. It’s on the table to the right side of the Press Room near the NPC. You don’t need to interact with Linda — just pick up the pass directly from the surface. Bond now has both items needed to complete the photographer cover.

Step 6 – Return to the Journalist

Go back to the journalist at the central bar with both the camera and the press pass in hand. Interact with her. She will verify that Bond looks the part and immediately take charge of the situation. She escorts Bond past the staircase guards, talking them into letting the “photographer” through without any fuss. The three guards don’t stop you — Bond walks straight upstairs with the journalist as cover.

The moment you reach the upper floor this way, the Say Cheese! challenge is marked complete.

What Challenges Does This Unlock?

The photographer route directly completes the Say Cheese! challenge. It is one of the most involved “get upstairs” methods in the chapter, requiring eavesdropping, name-dropping, two-guard manipulation, and a social escort sequence. Worth it both for the challenge credit and for the pure Bond experience of it.

Note that this method does not conflict with the other upstairs challenges — you can do the photographer route on one Chapter Select run and then do the security guard route or Gate Crasher on separate runs without any interference. Each method is tracked independently.

Other Ways to Get Upstairs in Uninvited

The photographer route is one of three main approaches to the staircase guards. Here’s a quick summary of the alternatives:

• Pose as a security guard (Always on Duty challenge): Eavesdrop on guards near the entrance, find the Guard Rota to learn the missing guard’s name, head to the café and use gadgets to distract staff and read the tablet behind the counter for the name. Then bluff the guard at the staircase. For more detail, see our how to pose as a security guard guide.
• Gate Crasher (force your way in): Grab the chemical bottles near the reception desk. Hit one staircase guard with a Phone Dart, use the Laser Strap to blind the other two, and walk straight past them. For more, see our Gate Crasher challenge guide.
• Press Badge (Press Only challenge): Get the press badge through a different route that involves interacting with press staff. For details see our how to get the press badge guide.

Tips for the Say Cheese! Challenge

• Eavesdrop before talking: If you approach the journalist and start a conversation without eavesdropping first, you won’t have Rob Minkley’s name available as a dialogue option. Always eavesdrop on her first.
• Hack the microphone first, then dart: Trying to dart both guards is riskier because the second guard may notice before the dart takes effect. Using the environmental hack first guarantees one guard moves away cleanly, then the dart removes the second with no witnesses.
• Grab the Press Pack intel while you’re there: The Webb Industries Press Pack intel file is in the same restricted area as the camera. Picking it up takes one extra second and saves a full return trip during a cleanup run.
• Don’t alert guards on the way to the journalist: If Bond is in an alert state when he returns to the journalist, she won’t interact with him. Make sure you’re fully clear before going back to her.
• Chapter Select is your friend: Because Say Cheese!, Always on Duty, and Gate Crasher all require different upstairs approaches, you need at least three runs through Checkpoint 05. Use Chapter Select to load straight there each time.

What Happens After Getting Upstairs?

Once Bond is upstairs thanks to the journalist escort, you are now in the upper security wing area. From here the mission splits into the CCTV room objective. The fastest method from this point is the skylight route — which earns the Dropping In challenge. For a full step-by-step of that route, see our how to enter the CCTV room through the skylight guide.

Alternatively, you can grab the CCTV keycard from the glass office in the security wing and use it to enter through the front door of the CCTV room after distracting the reception guards with the vacuum cleaner.

More 007 First Light Guides

• Uninvited all challenges guide
• How to pose as a security guard – Always on Duty
• Enter Webb Industries Gala – Gate Crasher
• How to get the press badge – Press Only challenge
• How to get the VIP entrance keycard
• Data center disguise – After Hours and Underdressed
• Safe in Webb’s office – Crackerjack challenge
• All MI6 Intel Files locations
• All playing cards locations
• All gadgets in 007 First Light
• Best gadget loadout
• Trophy and achievement guide
• All missions, challenges and collectibles

007 First Light is available on PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, and Epic Games. Developed by IO Interactive.