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Photography is one of the widest fields you can find and build a career in helping you as an expert or beginner. There are different aspects with subcategories that you can niche down to as you start your photography journey. It might seem like a lot to handle when picking a niche to specialize in, especially as a beginner.
So, what are the types of photography that are available to you and how do you pick one to specialize in? We have your answer so let us take you through the entirety of what you should know to build your career.
Starting this list is portrait photography which counts as one of the most prominent types of photography in our current world. Its prominence comes from the purpose of capturing the personalities of subjects as they share their moments.
Portrait photography is the typical “point and shoot” type of photography and anyone can dive into this niche of photography. However, there are still subcategories under this type if you want to go into and build a career in it professionally.
Here is an aspect of photography under the portrait photography type and it mainly focuses on taking headshots of subjects. In this type of photography, you take pictures with the head being in focus showing the face. The pictures you will take shouldn’t go beyond the head to the neck area at most as that is the main purpose of the shoot.
It also aims to represent the facial details but in a different way than the passport photograph shots. If you are someone in the modeling industry or like to work with model shoots then this is for you.
Lifestyle portrait photography is seemingly different from headshots as are targets moments that spark emotion in reality. It is a type of photography that focuses on real-life interaction between people in situations or milestones.
Lifestyle targets the moments in the life of people enjoying their time together and unlike headshots, it isn’t restricted to facial pictures. Some examples of lifestyle photography scenes are children playing with their families either at home or during a picnic. You can also count other situations involving similar moments shared by families or friends in a realistic setting.
portrait photography takes a similar approach to lifestyle but with a few differences compared to what the latter offers. Unlike lifestyle photography which focuses on capturing moments and lifestyles of people in general, this type focuses on families. However, it doesn’t only focus on the family’s lifestyle as regular model daily group shots are included.
You can choose to shoot a family gathering or a group family portrait with the standard poses. So if you are choosing to specialize in this type of photography, you should expect a lot of families to be your customers.
Another type you can decide to specialize in is group portrait photography which is also similar to the rest above. If you specialize in the types above, then you are doing group photography but there is a catch. Unlike the other types above, group photography isn’t restricted to families or situations and this widens your client base a whole lot.
You can take group portraits at an event or at an outdoor picnic for either friends, families, or co-workers. Your shoots will also dangle between the group lifestyle and regular group model shots so dont be surprised.
Lastly under the portrait photography type is a special one from different types of photography called self-portrait photography which focuses on capturing yourself. You are the target of this type of photography and its entirety takes a different approach to other types. Most shoots under this type come out as selfies which might or might not be headshots since that is not the exact purpose.
If you are focusing on this aspect of photography, you will mostly be targeting platforms needing stock pictures. This is because of the restrictions on this type of photography as its not very common among professionals.
The concept of landscape photography is just as the name implies “landscape” showing the land mass in pictures. It’s a photography category that focuses on the land expanse and things contained in it without a main subject in focus. For example, you see pictures of a large crowd taken from ground level or moving cars taken from a bridge.
That is the result of landscape photography as it targets a wide shooting a wide area with everything in it. So if you take random pictures that fit this particular scenario then you already have landscape photography experience.
When photographing landscape scenes, it’s crucial to consider various factors like lighting, weather, seasons and perspective. Playing with these elements allows you to truly capture the essence and beauty of any environment.
Early morning and late afternoon produce golden hour lighting ideal for landscapes, with warm tones that enhance colors. Pay attention to cloud cover too – overcast skies provide softer illumination compared to harsh direct sunlight. Come equipped to shoot in various weather like fog, rain or snow for added atmosphere.
Vary your vantage point by getting high or low. Climbing hills or laying down gets a new visual on familiar areas. Zooming your lens in or out also impacts perception of depth and scale. Consider photographing during different seasons for contrasts in foliage, plant life and snow coverage.
Leading lines naturally draw the eye through compositions, whether subtle ripples in sand, winding forest paths or cascading waterfalls. Pay attention to foreground interest alongside background vistas. Consider filling about 1/3 of the frame with foreground elements to provide context and dimensionality.
When editing on your computer, subtlety is key. While adjustments to exposure, colors and contrast may perfect the scene’s mood, over-processing will diminish its realistic, natural essence. Share your landscape images at high resolution so others can appreciate fine textures like tree bark or rippled sand up close. With practice of these versatile techniques, you’ll gain a keener eye for perfectly framing any breathtaking outdoor panorama.
Going under the categories of landscape photography is the mountain photography aspect that most travel photographers specialize in. It simply means taking photographs of mountains which can’t be done any other way than with landscape shoots. Mountain photography has also taken some improvements as you can also capture nature along with it.
You might have come across some images showing beautiful sunsets with mountains as the image focus. That is mountain photography as well but with matching natural photography traits to increase the image’s appeal. So, start learning about mountains if you want to dive into this aspect of photography.
The aim of forest photography is to showcase forests just like how mountain photography showcases mountains in pictures. It means that the pictures have to be taken in landscape mode to give the best view of the forest in quesition.
It follows a similar pattern but you will need to implement different techniques in the editing of these images. However, it’s also a type of photography that you can mainly focus on if you travel a lot. So, if you are really interested in forests and can get an aerial view then why not dive into it?
One ingredient is required for you to perfectly focus on this type of photography and that is “deserts”. Desert photography mainly focuses on taking different pictures of deserts with the sands and land mass. If you thought it was the other type of desert then you will have to head over to the food category to do that.
Photographing desserts takes some special techniques to really make the treats pop in photos. More than just snapping a picture, dessert photography is an art form that captures the beauty, color and texture of these sweet masterpieces.
Lighting is key – desserts look their best when lit from both the front and above. Using large, soft light sources like reflector panels or softboxes prevents harsh shadows. Natural light near a window is great too, as long as it’s diffused to take away glare. Adjusting the white balance to be slightly warmer also enhances colors.
Composition is also important. Zooming out a bit to show the full dessert in relation to the plate or background allows viewers to better appreciate its scale. Playing with depth of field by opening the aperture and focusing on one element draws attention where you want it. Group similar desserts together for visual appeal.
Cleanliness is a must for professional-looking shots. Wipe any crumbs or spills and consider placing treats on clean wooden boards or fabric for an elegant backdrop. Fresh berries, powdered sugar, sprinkles or chocolate shavings can add texture and color as accents. Gently moving or rotating the dessert allows capturing it from multiple angles.
Photographing in natural light minimizes edits needed later. But enhancing contrast, vibrancy or lightness in post-production further flatters treats. Avoid over-processing – desserts want to look delicious, not artificial. Uploading images to social media at high resolution allows others to really appreciate tiny details.
Delicate decorative elements, smooth icings and crispy edges should all be in focus. With a few simple techniques, any baker or restaurant can showcase their sweets to create a buzz worthy of this treatopia we call dessert!
Desert photography, just like forest and mountain photography aims to showcase the image of different deserts globally. You will most likely be earning from selling stck photos or taking special pictures for documentaries.
The existence of coastal photography gives a different shape to landscape as it doesn’t have the direct focus others have. It is an aspect of photography that captures landscapes along the coastal lines in different areas. Coastal photography doesn’t have the restrictions of either wild landscapes like the forest or barren ones like the mountains or deserts.
You can have villages in your images when taking coastal landscape-type photographs if they exist along coastlines. It can also be in the cities with people being in the view of your image while you capture coastlines in your picture.
Here is a similar but slightly different type of landscape photography that many people specialize in. It involves taking landscape pictures but fitting more than one frame of images into one at the capture point. For example, you can only take a defined area based on dimensions but you can get increased dimensions with this category.
See it as taking several images and stitching them together to make a single, longer landscape image without editing. It’s especially useful when you want to take a really large street or group of buildings without leaving any out.
Nature photography comes at you with the specialization of all things nature but making them appealing to the eyes. The focus of nature photography is the non-human-creations that exist around mostly spanning animals, plants, and ironically, landscapes. So if you are focusing on nature photography, then you should prepare to capture a lot of these and more.
Now who do you think will be your customer base when you specialize in picking nature photography as a career? Well, you will be working on projects like documentaries, movies, and other similar ones so your clients will be in these industries.
The wildlife aspect of photography counts among the categories of nature photography with its focus being wildlife. Wildlife in this sense refers to animals in the wild along with their lifestyle and how they interact with their habitat.
You can see it as lifestyle photography but for wild animals spanning group shots or portrait pictures of these natural existences. However, the approach to shooting wildlife attracts much concern and care compared to humans and pets. So if you are interested in this type of photography, ensure you learn the intricacies before starting out.
Macro photography is also similar but different to several other nature photography genres and is quite unique. It involves taking pictures of extremely small animals either in the wild or domestic regions that you can access. Starting out in this genre of photography attracts different aspects of concern, starting from equipment to methods.
Firstly, macro photography can only be done with special types of cameras which are pretty expensive to purchase. It also requires you to implement methods that dont endanger the target for capturing so it doesn’t affect the shoot.
Another special category among the photography types is underwater photography which also mainly focuses on the animals in the wild. It involves going underwater and taking pictures of sea creatures right in their habitat which is really dangerous and hectic.
The reason is that mobility underwater is pretty limited and the the animals can be really dangerous at times. Another issue with underwater photography is that the type of camera required is also special and expensive. Regular cameras aren’t water resistant so you need to prepare for all these intricacies when opting for this photography genre.
Here is another genre of photography that deals with nature and it focuses on the astrology aspect of photography. Astrophotography focuses on the night sky and captures the trails of stars that fill the sky in the dark or bright night. It’s an awesome genre to focus on as several industries prioritize the images of the night sky for products.
However, you will need to teach yourself to low lighting situations as this genre of photography thrives in it. So, embrace the dark and capture the night starry sky while letting everyone see in through your eyes as a professional.
The existence of cloudscape photography is similar to nature photography with just one simple difference which is the clouds. Cloud photography doesn’t exactly have anything in focus aside from how the clouds appear in different situations and seasons. It’s also essential in cloud art which shows the artistic designs that clouds coincidentally form in special situations.
Cloudscape photography attracts a different kind of capturing method when compared to astrophotography due to the light difference. Astro photography deals with low-lighting situations while cloudscape deals with medium to high-lighting situations showing the difference between them.
Moving on to street photography is bringing the genre of photography that takes to the streets of different cities. It involves capturing the occurrences and situations as they happen in the streets showing how the locals are in that location. However, it is still restricted by the boundary of the streets regardless of whether the images are landscape or headshots.
Street photography can lead you to capture events being organized on the streets or just the regular lifestyle. However, you should know that there are still subcategories under this photography type that you can delve into.
Raw street photography is exactly what you read it as “Raw” and shows the undiluted appearance of the streets. It’s a not-so-modern type of photography adopted in recent times where the images taken on the street are not edited. These images focus on the way the streets are, exactly as it is reality without any alterations.
It’s a great photography genre to focus on as it does not involve any complicated camera settings or editing learning curve. So if you are just starting out as a photographer, learning the skill, it’s a good one to consider.
The concept of street art photography is simple, capturing and taking pictures of the art on the streets of different cities. However, this might confuse you as there are different forms of art that will likely throw you off your horses.
Street art means art on the street and this means either fine arts or creative arts that you find anywhere on the streets. So you are targeting art like graffiti on street walls, road art similar to graffiti, and also cultural street-based events. So keep your eye out for everything art on the street.
Night street photography is a bit different from the other types of street photography as it focuses on the streets at night. It means you are on the streets capturing the memories made on the street which doesn’t have to be art-related. Your priority as a night street photographer is the events that take place on the streets at night like the nightlife.
It also covers the regular lives of people on the street showing how they go about their activities when the sun is down. Not many people specialize in this photography genre so why not dive in?
Intrusive street photography is a special one even among the subcategories of street photography due to its approach. Rather than just taking pictures of people as they go about their day, you engage them as a photographer. It’s a fun photography type to get into as you get to trigger emotions from strangers around you creating appeal.
You also get to be involved in the event and get different types of emotions from the people you are capturing. However, try not to get carried away at street events so you dont forget your job.
Lastly under the subcategories of street photography is urban photography which prioritizes the images and outlook of cities. Unlike other subcategories that take the people and cities together, this genre focuses on the city itself. It mainly involves working on capturing the highways, traffic, landmarks, and other similar sections in the city.
It also takes a little tone from the geometric aspect which is also classified as architectural photography. So if you love certain landmarks in cities or you love road walks then you should take up this photography category.
A special type of photography is fine art photography which encompasses several aspects of art and its intricacies. It involves capturing images with your eye as the photographer representing the artist expressing art in a different way. Fine art photography starts its impact from the camera with more of the work done in the editing process.
Other times, it starts up from a random and very simple image and then is edited proactively to create a form of art in it. Let us check out some of the subcategories of fine art photography that you can consider when starting out.
Starting on the list of subcategories of fine art photography is conceptual photography with its special approach. Conceptual photography involves communicating ideas and concepts which are not necessarily bound by realistic restrictions. What this simply means is that it focuses on concepts as you can imagine them and not necessarily the traditional order of things.
An example of conceptual photography is recreating an interdimensional or cosmic interaction between an alien and a human. There are several other examples that will likely give you reasons to dive into and specialize in this genre of photography..
Slightly serving as a category under fine art photography and bringing some traits of conceptual photography is surreal photography. It is a type of fine art photography that expresses art in the form of unconscious ideas and emotions to pass a message. Surreal photography implements the dreamscape to create art that is dreamlike and can only be conjured in the imaginative space.
Specializing in this genre of photography puts you in the direction of prominent photographers like Kyle Thompson and Brooke Shaden. However, it’s still a complicated aspect of photography and will need you to explore it deeply.
Digital art is another category of photography that takes a different approach to just taking pictures with the camera. Most of the important workflow comes from the editing process with the image-taking serving as a simple basis. It also doesn’t take the approach of the natural and traditional photographic method as it is pretty modern.
If you are interested in taking up digital art as a career then you need to be well versed in different editing workflows. So why not take up the challenge and express your art, letting people view things from your eyes?
The world of experimental photography is pretty different from the others you might have known or practiced with th camera. Experimental photography involves capturing images in a not-so-conventional way and creating distinct pieces from it to express creativity. It also involves using techniques that seem simple but give the images you create a rather sophisticated look.
Examples of images created under the tag of experimental photography is adding motion blur to the image of a staircase or moving car. There are several other examples of experimental photography that bring art alive through the lens.
Another special one on the list of fine art photography categories is abstract photography which takes you in a different direction. Unlike several other types of photography, this doesn’t involve taking regular images but using elements to create images. You use different materials in photography which has no attachment to the physical world to create distinct images.
Most times you will implement the use of light, movement, and perspective to create an image that was previously nonexistent. Wondering how fascinating this might be? Why not dive into it and find out for yourself?
The concept of commercial photography is taking the artistic aspect of photography and combining it with business for profit making. Commercial photography entails creating images for the purpose of promoting a brand to appeal to consumers and make sales. It focuses on promoting the product or services of a brand through high-quality images taken by professionals.
Examples of deliverables are images taken to prompt a clothing brand which goes under fashion photography or food brand. So if you love matching photography, art, business, and marketing together then this is a photography genre that fits you perfectly.
Under commercial photography is fashion photography that covers the capturing of images relating to everything in fashion. It mostly handles images that deal with the showcase of clothes, shoes, jewelry, and several other fashion accessories. You will also work with several fashion brands that need high-quality images to use for their product galleries.
Some of the aspects that you will also focus on are modeling shoots and fashion events to showcase the products. So if you are a fashion enthusiast who loves photography as well then you will enjoy being a fashion photographer.
Food photography stands in the commercial category but is taken in a different way when compared to fashion photography. Its is a photography type that showcases food and several delicacies while making it appealing to viewers. This type of photography is one that is mostly raided highly by food critics, bloggers, Vloggers, and restaurant owners.
You are tasked with capturing food to help the restaurant or food brand market their food to potential consumers. Well, you probably love food but if it’s more than you think then you might want to try out this category.
Here is another aspect of fashion photography but with a slight difference from the other two above. Product photography deals with capturing the image of products that a brand plans to showcase in ways that appeal to customers. It is a kind of photography that is done with high-quality images, clear enough to show the features of the product.
Examples of product photography are Samsung doing a shot for their S10 smartphone or Asus for their Zephyus M16 PC model. If you love making things like products have the perfect look then you really should consider this niche.
Advertising photography is one that incorporates all the other aspects of eCommerce photography as it is the core of marketing. The purpose of advertising photography is to market a product or service for brands across any industry you can think of. It doesn’t have the restriction of sticking to either fashion, food, or product and can handle all at once.
You can have clients who are fashion brands while still working to capture images for a food or tech brand. So if this niche appeals to you, why not dive into it and explore the fun aspects it offers?
A professional photography is editorial photography with its high-ranked use in multiple industries and businesses. Editorial photography is one that is done for the purpose of making a print version either for distribution or for showcase. The deliverables made from editorial photography are mostly used in news, magazines, and catalogs and must be professionally done and of high quality.
Editorial photography has several subcategories which are very prominent as niches for several photographers practicing across industries. Some of these subcategories are news, catalog, sports, and magazine photography and you can start up with any of them.
The first subcategory under the editorial photography section is news photography and it is directed at communication. News photography is simply capturing images to aid in passing information about occurrences in the state, region, or country.
You will notice some photographers always accompanying reporters when they do interviews at certain locations. Yes, those are News photographers and they mostly focus on the scene of occurrence to match the journalist’s report. So if you love these kinds of work scenarios and learning information fast, you should really consider taking up news photography.
Sports photography takes a different approach as you dont necessarily need to follow a reporter around to be one. It involves taking pictures of a sporting tournament either with a reporter or as commissioned by the tournament organizers. Most times the purpose of sports photography is to create deliverables like magazines merch and other similar products.
However, you are restricted and will only specialize in capturing moments and scenes that are sports-related and nothing outside that. So if you are dreaming of capturing Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi then you need to be one to do that.
Familiar but not so much is the magazine photography and it is also as important as the other subcategories. Magazine photography is the aspect of photography that deals with capturing images that are solely for magazine-type prints. It means that the images you take will be featured in magazines either as the brand photographer or a featured professional.
Images taken for magazines are done and edited with a special workflow that makes it best for print. So, if you know the differences between images for print and digital media, you can as well try it out.
Lastly in the category of editorial photography is catalog photography aimed at creating catalog deliverables by prints. A catalog is a showcase but in print form where brands compile their products and distribute them to customers or their audience. Catalog photography simply involves taking images of these products and making them print-ready to be organized in catalogs.
Some catalog photographers also handle the design of a catalog in a similar way to designing a yearbook. So, if you have experience handling catalog designs and capturing of images then you should consider this genre of photography.
Event photography is a glamorous and glorious aspect of photography as it is closely related to celebrations and happiness. It is the type of photography that you do at celebrative occasions which can be of different kinds and at different industries. This kind of photography entails taking high-quality images of people in groups or crowds at an event.
As an event photographer, you will be involved in covering events like birthdays, weddings concerts, and even corporate events. So let us check the subcategories that are open to you if you decide to opt in for event photography.
Wedding photography is simply covering a wedding as a photographer and recording the marital moments and memories via pictures. It involves taking high-quality images of the bride, and the groom and making them the key focus of the pictures. You also include pictures of the event aesthetics which will also come in handy when creating a photobook.
Wedding photography counts as one of the common events being celebrated globally and calls for professionals to handle them. So if you love celebrative mood and have experience with wedding-type events then why not try it out?
Corporate photography is an event photography genre that takes a different approach, unlike many other events that you might know. It might or might not be a big celebration like a wedding but it’s also an important one that is prominent. This type of photography is common in the business space where companies and corporate brands come together.
Examples of these kinds of events are award-winning ceremonies, seminars, check rallies, end-of-the-year celebrations for organizations, etc. So if you prefer the prim and proper setting and approach to celebration then this one is a good match for you.
Here we have concert photography which might be a bit more hectic than the other photography styles above but still prominent. Concert photography is as easy as its name since it involves handling photography at different concerts. It is a type of photography that you do either at night or during the day depending on the schedule for the concert.
You will need to be well versed in shooting for both high, medium, and low light conditions to handle covering such events. It’s also essential that you know how to cover events for lengthy periods since concerts aren’t exactly short-term.
Lastly, under the category of event photography is party photography which assembles all the party-related events for you to cover. Party photography involves covering everything party-related, from birthdays to get-togethers, end-of-the-year parties, and many more celebrations.
You will need to be accustomed to the way each party is organized and celebrated to match your pattern to them. So if you love parties and always want to be in a festive mood at all times then why not dive into this category?
Photographing buildings, bridges and other structures requires an artistic eye for detail. Beyond simply documenting a location, architecture photography aims to highlight unique aesthetic elements and convey a sense of scale and texture.
Play with various lenses to capture architecture from different perspectives. Wide angles work well for overall façades, while zooms or macros zero in on ornate engraving or materials up close. Mix verticals with horizontals to show height or encompassing surroundings.
Pay attention to lighting. Harsh midday sun creates unflattering shadows but dawn/dusk provide soft glows. Overcast days diffuse illumination nicely too. Consider long exposures at night for a dreamy effect highlighting brilliant building details.
Foreground interest like trees, landscaping or pedestrian areas add dimension and context when framing structures. Pools, fountains or reflective glass allow capturing surfaces and shapes reflected in them.
Sharp focus throughout is key, so use tripods if possible. Post-production can enhance ambiance with selective adjustments but avoid over-processing precision engineered works of art. By pairing creative techniques with attentive composition, photographs do justice to iconic or lesser-known architectural wonders alike.
Photograph rooms uncluttered and bright to showcase potential. Wide angles show full space flow. Include landscape shots for location ambiance. Clean modern post-processing style attracts prospective buyers.
Diffuse flash or large windows prevent shadows. Macro details capture material quality and craftsmanship. White balance maintains true colors. Straight angles show symmetry while accents draw attention.
Even coverage renders home kerb appeal justly. Establishing shots orient. Zooms find curb appeal and backyard fun. Drones capture scope, aerials wow with property perspective. Good lighting flatters facades naturally.
Drones capture location/event awe from above. Precise camera controls keep steady shots. Obey all regulations carefully. Edit audio judicious use amplifies ambiance. Wise composition considers subject placement for immersive panoramas.
Have you been looking for an easy way to add fun effects and filters to your photos right from your phone? Then here is a perfect app to check out – it’s a fully featured photo editor that allows you to get creative with your images without needing any design experience.
With iFoto, you can make all sorts of adjustments to your photos like changing the saturation, brightness, contrast or applying vintage-style filters like sepia, old photo styles and tints. You can also experiment with cool patterns, color rotations, photo enhancer, cleanup pictures, dual tones and more. There are even special effect filters like sketches, oil paints and engravings that totally transform your pictures.
In addition to individual filters, the app comes with ai generative background that apply whole styles to your photos with just one click.
Once you finish designing the perfect shot, sharing your work is simple. With a few taps, you can email your photo creations to friends or family, upload them to social media like Facebook, or save them to your device’s gallery. Best of all, the full set of editing tools are completely free to use on this app. So if you want an easy way to spruce up photos on the go from your phone, be sure to check it out!
In this work of art, we have covered many types of photography that one can specialize in as a professional, from architecture and landscapes to portraits, food, and more. While each field has its unique techniques, the common thread is capturing life’s memorable moments through your artistic lens.
Whether photographing families, exotic desserts, or scenic buildings, choosing a niche you enjoy lets your passion shine through in every shot. And with new skills learned along the way, you may find your specialty leads down unexpected paths to fresh inspiration too. No matter your choice, a helpful photo editor on your mobile makes it fun to experiment with fresh styles anytime. We hope exploring these options provides you with ideas to develop your talent into the career you love.