Photography is a vast area with a lot of divisions and sub division. You can say there are endless types of photography when going more specific. It all depends what is the criteria according to which you want to categorize them. Many of you are getting into photography with one style in mind. Maybe you want to focus your efforts on headshots or portraits; maybe you want to focus on cityscapes and abandoned buildings. Maybe you want to focus your time on nature and animal photography. Others still may be interested in focusing mainly on black and white abstract photographs. The possibilities and niches within photography are endless.
Here i am blending in definitons of a few common types of Photography :
Abstract photography
It is capturing photographs by taking shape, color, lines and texture from something that is visible and real and making it appear as fantasy. I believe that a successful abstract photograph is one that connects with the viewers' emotions through visual appearance as opposed to the content of the image.
Adventure photography
We define adventure photography as photography involving anything that gets the blood moving – Skiing and Snowboarding; Expeditions and Travel; Skateboarding, Roller Blading, and Surfing; Hiking, Camping, and Climbing; Hunting and Fishing; Cycling, Mountain Biking, Adventure Racing and Tri-Athletes. Adventure Photography is about pushing to the limits.
Image Credit :Jalish O.N
Image Credit : Anirudh
Advertising photography
The advertising photographer uses a wide variety of photographs to sell not only products but lifestyles, concepts and ideas. The advertising photographer has greater creative freedom to interpret how products, services, lifestyles and ideas can be presented photographically. Advertising photographers are often experts at marketing, layout, business management and sales trends.
Image Credit :Beno Saradzic
Aerial photography
Aerial photography is the taking of photographs of the ground from an elevated position. The term usually refers to images in which the camera is not supported by a ground-based structure. Cameras may be hand held or mounted, and photographs may be taken by a photographer, triggered remotely or triggered automatically. Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, balloons, blimps and dirigibles, rockets, kites, poles, parachutes, and vehicle mounted poles.
Image Credit : Anirudh
Architectural photography
Architectural photography is the photographing of buildings and similar structures that are both aesthetically pleasing and accurate representations of their subjects. Architectural photographers, are usually skilled in the use of specialized techniques and equipment.
Image Credit : Abu Zayan
Astronomical photography
Astrophotography is a specialized type of photography that entails recording images of astronomical objects and large areas of the night sky.
Baby photography
This is an area where photographers take pictures of new-borns to kids. These are very common and important now a days. Parents love to call in a professional photographer and capture the best photos of their kids and keep it for ever. After all the best days of you your parents would love to cherish is your childhood days.
Black and White photography
It is the art of shooting in black and white despite all the cameras are able to shoot in color. Black and white photos have a refined quality about them. The simplicity and uncluttered look give the subject a polished, high-class feel. Without the distractions of color, the picture begs each viewer to recognize the individuality and uniqueness of the subject.
Image Credit : Abu Zayan
Cityscape photography
Cityscapes are just landscapes taken in an urban environment. Capturing cityscapes involves working on composition, light, point of view, perspective, etc., in order to capture the urban space in a spectacular way.
Close-Up photography
Close up photography allows you to shoot things that you may not have previously thought possible, a close up of your diamond engagement ring, bees in the garden or flower stamens. You could also record your stamp collections for insurance purposes or home in on patterns and create textured backgrounds for your new website, newsletter or project. The list of practical and creative applications is endless.
Commercial photography
Commercial photography is photographic work done for commercial purposes, such as for magazine advertising, corporate publications, brochures, restaurant menus, etc. On a basic level, commercial photography involves a client that wants to sell or promote something for which they need photographs taken.
Image Credit : Sunil Warrier
Concert photography
Concert photography is up there among the most difficult ones. You have thousands of fans behind you, and there is a band in front of you. Nobody stands still.Its jus about capturing the mood of the concert.
Image Credit :Peters Peter
Conceptual photography
Conceptual photography as a part of conceptual art is a photography genre in which the artist makes a photograph of a concept or idea. Usually the conception of the idea precedes the realization of the photography. This kind of photography often involves use of computer editing to achieve the desired effects, but many artists work without the computer.
Image Credit : Dafoosa Madagascar
Crime scene photography
It is the art of producing an accurate reproduction of a crime scene or an accident scene using photography for the benefit of a court or to aid in an investigation. It is part of the process of evidence collecting. It provides investigators with photos of victims, places and items involved in the crime. Pictures of accidents show broken machinery, or a car crash, and so on. Photography of this kind involves choosing correct lighting, accurate angling of lenses, and a collection of different viewpoints. Scales, like items of length measurement or objects of known size, are often used in the picture so that dimensions of items are recorded on the image.
Digital photography
Digital photography is a form of photography that uses an array of electronic photo detectors to capture the image focused by the lens, as opposed to an exposure on photographic film. The captured image is then stored as a computer file ready for digital processing, viewing, digital publishing or printing.
Documentary photography
Documentary photography usually refers to a popular form of photography used to chronicle significant and historical events. It is typically covered in professional photojournalism, or real life reportage, but it may also be an amateur, artistic, or academic pursuit. The photographer attempts to produce truthful, objective, and usually candid photography of a particular subject, most often pictures of people.
Image Credit :Jalish O.N
Editorial photography
Editorial photography refers to the pictures in a magazine that aren't ads. The photographs that go along with the articles - even the cover of the magazine. Some photographers shoot only editorial type work
Equine photography
Equine photography is photography that features horses as the subject. Some feature simply the horse or horses and others feature the horse with a rider. Horses are majestic creatures that can create some really wonderful works of art.
Image Credit : Noushad PT
Family photography
Its the area where the photographer captures your family in a few photographs and you can preserve your memories for many years to come.
Image Credit :Abdul Nasser
Fashion photography
Fashion photography is a genre of photography devoted to displaying clothing and other fashion items. Fashion photography is most often conducted for advertisements or fashion magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, or Elle. Over time, fashion photography has developed its own aesthetic in which the clothes and fashions are enhanced by the presence of exotic locations or accessories.
Image Credit : Binu Bhaskar
Fine Art photography
Fine art photography refers to photographs that are created in accordance with the creative vision of the photographer as artist. Fine art photography stands in contrast to photojournalism, which provides a visual account for news events, and commercial photography, the primary focus of which is to advertise products or services.
Image Credit : Anirudh
Food photography
Food photography is a still life specialization of commercial photography, aimed at producing attractive photographs of food for use in advertisements, packaging, menus or cookbooks. Professional food photography is a collaborative effort, usually involving an art director, a photographer, a food stylist, a prop stylist and their assistants.
Infrared photography
In infrared photography, the film or image sensor used is sensitive to infrared light. The part of the spectrum used is referred to as near-infrared to distinguish it from far-infrared, which is the domain of thermal imaging. Wavelengths used for photography range from about 700 nm to about 900 nm. Film is usually sensitive to visible light too, so an infrared-passing filter is used; this lets infrared (IR) light pass through to the camera, but blocks all or most of the visible light spectrum
Image Credit :Enjo Mathew
Landscape photography
Landscape photography is intended to show different spaces within the world, sometimes vast and unending, but other times microscopic. Photographs typically capture the presence of nature and are often free of man-made obstructions. Landscape photographers often attempt to document the space as well as convey an appreciation of the scenery.
Image Credit : Abdul Saleem
Lifestyle photography
Lifestyle photography is a style of photography which aims to portray real-life situations in a controlled setting. Lighting is bright, airy and natural-looking. There are many commercial applications including magazine editorial and advertising usage.
Macro photography
It is extreme close-up photography, usually of very small subjects, in which the size of the subject in the photograph is greater than life size (though macro photography technically refers to the art of making very large photographs). By some definitions, a macro photograph is one in which the size of the subject on the negative or image sensor is life size or greater. However in other uses it refers to a finished photograph of a subject at greater than life size.
Nature photography
Nature photography refers to a wide range of photography taken outdoors and devoted to displaying natural elements such as landscapes, wildlife, plants, and close-ups of natural scenes and textures. Nature photography tends to put a stronger emphasis on the aesthetic value of the photo than other photography genres, such as photojournalism and documentary photography.
Image Credit : Robert Miller
Night photography
Night photography refers to photographs taken outdoors between dusk and dawn. Night photographers generally have a choice between using artificial light and using a long exposure, exposing the scene for seconds, minutes, and even hours in order to give the film or digital sensor enough time to capture a usable image. With the progress of high-speed films, higher-sensitivity digital image sensors, wide-aperture lenses, and the ever-greater power of urban lights, night photography is increasingly possible using available light.
Nude photography
Nude photography is a style of art photography which depicts the nude human body as a study. Nude photography should be distinguished from glamor photography, which places more emphasis on the model and her/his sexuality, and treats the model as the primary subject.Nude photography should also be distinguished from erotic photography, which has a sexually suggestive component. Nude photography is also distinguished from pornographic photography, which is of a sexually explicit nature. It should also be distinguished from the practice of taking reference photographs of nude models which are intended for art practice when live models are unavailable.
Pets photography
Pet photography is a specialized subcategory of professional photography. Pet photography involves several aspects that are similar to traditional studio portraits. Mainly the studio process where the pet is place in front of the camera and studio lights and the backdrops and props change from pose to pose. Pet photography can also be done in natural lighting, outside of a studio, in a client's home for example. This is where dogs and cats are typically most comfortable.
Photojournalism
Photo journalism is a particular form of journalism (the collecting, editing, and presenting of news material for publication or broadcast) that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (i.e., documentary photography, social documentary photography, street photography or celebrity photography) by complying with a rigid ethical framework which demands that the work is both honest and impartial whilst telling the story in strictly journalistic terms. Photojournalists create pictures that contribute to the news media.
Portrait photography
Portrait photography or portraiture is a photography of a person or group of people that displays the expression, personality, and mood of the subject. Like other types of portraiture, the focus of the photograph is usually the person's face, although the entire body and the background may be included.
Seascape photography
Seascape photography is a branch of landscape photography where the sea is part of the main subject of the image. It is unique and distinct from other forms of photography for a number of reasons. Photographers require a different level of effort and skills in order to produce great photographs.
Sports photography
Sports photography refers to the genre of photography that covers all types of sports.In the majority of cases, professional sports photography is a branch of photojournalism, while amateur sports photography, such as photos of children playing association football, is a branch of amateur photography.
Still-Life photography
Still life photography is the depiction of inanimate subject matter, most typically a small grouping of objects. Still life photography, more so than other types of photography, such as landscape or portraiture, gives the photographer more leeway in the arrangement of design elements within a composition.Still life photography is a demanding art, one in which the photographers are expected to be able to form their work with a refined sense of lighting, coupled with compositional skills. The still life photographer makes pictures rather than takes them. Knowing where to look for propping and surfaces also is a required skill.
Image Credit :Enjo Mathew
Travel photography
Travel photography is a subcategory of photography involving the documentation of an area's landscape, people, cultures, customs and history. The Photographic Society of America defines a travel photo as an image that expresses the feeling of a time and place, portrays a land, its people, or a culture in its natural state, and has no geographical limitations.
Underwater photography
Underwater photography is the process of taking photographs while under water. It is usually done while scuba diving, but can be done while snorkeling or swimming.Successful underwater imaging is usually done with specialized equipment and techniques. However, it offers exciting and rare photographic opportunities. Animals such as fish and marine mammals are common subjects, but photographers also pursue shipwrecks, submerged cave systems, underwater "landscapes", and portraits of fellow divers.
Image Credit :Enjo Mathew
Image Credit : subodh shetty
Wedding photography
Wedding photography is the photography of activities relating to weddings. It encompasses photographs of the couple before marriage as well as coverage of the wedding and reception. It is a major commercial endeavor that supports the bulk of the efforts for many photography studios or independent photographers.
Wildlife photography
Wildlife photography is the act of taking photographs of wildlife. It is regarded as one of the more challenging forms of photography. As well as needing sound technical skills, such as being able to expose correctly, wildlife photographers generally need good field craft skills. For example, some animals are difficult to approach and thus a knowledge of the animal's behavior is needed in order to be able to predict their actions. Photographing some species may require stalking skills or the use of a hide/blind for concealment.
These were just a few types of photography there is out there and may be a few you can choose from. Don't be afraid to try new things and be different. Photography is all about being unique and taking a picture somebody else can't take. So go ahead and try different things. Keep Clicking !!
Content Courtesy : Wikipedia
