13 Types of photography which you must know.

    Whenever I tell people that I do photography, most of them tend to ask ‘which type of photography: Wedding photography or Wildlife photography?’. I don’t know about other countries, but is it very much common in my country India, that most people know only these two types of photography. 

  Earlier there were only few types of photography, based on popular niches at that time. But as the need of specific photos increased, types went on increasing and today many of the photographers only focus on one niche and specialize in that. Let’s see which various types of photography are there in today’s market. 

1. WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY

1. Meaning:- Wildlife photography includes photographing the wild animals in their natural habitat regarding their body features, their lifestyles, fights between them, etc.

2. What’s good:- You have to go near these animals to photograph them, that’s why you have to wander in hilly areas, marshy lands, etc. In cases like these, you get to experience RAW and untouched nature. 

3. What’s bad:- As you are working in a remote area, some sort of danger is always present. Unlike normal world, you can’t get facilities there. Less sleep, flexible schedule, etc. are the normal things in wildlife photography. On the gear side, you have to invest heavily in camera setup.

4. What’s required:- A camera with good low-light performance (generally, a camera having full frame sensor), super telephoto lenses and big sturdy tripods/monopods. 

2. EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY

1. Meaning:- Event photography simply means taking photos of any program / event, for documentation purpose. In includes family gatherings, school/college events, concerts, birthdays, etc. 

2. What’s good:- These events are happening around you, at all times. That’s why it can become a good income source. Also, this type of photography can be done using a simple camera and simple lens setup.

3. What’s bad:- These events don’t require a lot of creativity. That’s why sometimes the work can become boring. Also due to the same reason, the money earned from each event is less as compared to other types of works. 

4. What’s required:- A camera (both full frame or crop frame can work), a kit lens and an external flash is also sufficient for this type of work. But if an event and budget is more, a more advanced setup may be required. 

3. WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

1. Meaning:- As the name suggests, it includes wedding photographs featuring bride-groom, the guests, the venue and various moments happening there. In enhanced version of this, we can see the glimpse of product photography (of engagement rings, bridal costumes, jewellery, etc.) and fashion photography (portraits of various persons wearing special cloths and accessories).

2. What’s good:- You can fully use your creativity while taking photographs. You can develop your own style in this, which will help you build an brand and capture more clients. In a wedding season, plenty of work is available. 

3. What’s bad:- Insanely tight schedule is the most important thing to consider. You have to be 100% alert the whole time. If you miss any moment, it is gone forever. Also to gate good quality of images, you have to invest in high end cameras, professional level lenses and lighting equipment. The wedding photography process doesn’t end with end of the wedding. So after all the work is done, album is designed and printed, then only you get all the money. It’s a looooong process. 

4. What’s required:- If the best possible output is expected, then the list of required equipments is very long, off course as per client’s budget. But it primarily include one main camera, one backup camera body, wide angle lens, standard lens, telephoto lens, at least 2 external flash units, light modifiers and light stands. 

4. Fashion Photography

1. Meaning:- Fashion photography means taking photos of people, showcasing a newly designed costume or fashion accessories for a company. With the help of models, those costumes or accessories are showcased in attractive manner, so that people will like to buy those.  

2. What’s good:- Most of this work involves studio work, so we can work according to our convenient time frame. After some time, this becomes a profitable business. 

3. What’s bad:- Fashion photography projects are mostly available in big cities and it takes a lot of work to just get those. On the other hand the investment in studio, camera setup, lighting setup is quite heavy. 

4. What’s required:- A decent camera, particular lenses good for portrait photography work and lighting setup. Many times, you have to also take help from specialists for hair styling, costume styling, makeup, etc. 

5. PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

1. Meaning:- It simply means photographing people. In this, you can highlight the facial expressions, various features, a particular style, smile, etc. of the person in front of you. 

2. What’s good:- There is full scope for creativity. You can work according to your convenience. People like to get themselves clicked. So if you become good at it, you can generate a lot of income from this.

3. What’s bad:- Very few jobs are well paid. You need to have a good knowledge of lighting. You have to make sure that, every photo tells a life story of that person. (For ex. A comedian should look happy, in the photo also.)

4. What’s needed:- A fairly good camera, standard or short telephoto lens (if you are doing indoor photography), lighting equipment such as external flash unit and light modifiers.  

6. FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY

1. Meaning:- Food photography includes photographing the complete food dishes or raw food materials. In this type of photography, food is always shown in such a way that, it’s all aspects such as colour, texture, size, etc. are correctly conveyed to the viewer. The main motive behind doing this is to make the food more appealing to people. 

2. What’s good:- There is so much space for you to show your creativity. You can work as per your convenience. Currently, demand of this type of photography is increasing day by day. 

3. What’s bad:- Even though the demand for such photos is increasing, work opportunities are is still limited to large cities. Also due to constantly evolving camera quality in mobiles, many people tend to use their phones for taking food photos, instead of a professional setup. But still, the scope is huge in this field. 

4. What’s required:- Normal DSLR / Mirror less camera, one standard lens, one short telephoto lens and a flash or equivalent lighting setup. (Sometimes,  natural light can also be used for lighting the food.)

 

7. MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY

1. Meaning:- Taking photos of tiny small objects and make them look bigger on the screen, is roughly what Macro photography is. In this special dedicated macro lens can be used to take the photos.

2. What’s good:- In this type of photography, you see normal things in a very different way and perspective, which is not the case in day to day life. This becomes really interesting when you start exploring new things to photograph. As this is not common, people love to see such photographs. 

3. What’s bad:- It’s hard sometimes to find the theme / subject to photograph. Lot of patience is required to do Macro photography. Also you have to keep close attention on lighting setup. If you want to monetize your work in Macro photography, you need to work really hard. 

4. What’s required:- Camera with crop or full frame sensor, dedicated macro lens (for full control over the settings), lighting setup (an external flash unit) and (occasionally) a sturdy tripod.

8. TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

1. Meaning:- Taking photographs of places by travelling over there, is what Travel photography is. The local lifestyle, special places, programs, etc. points are covered in this type of photography. These photos are required in travel magazines, blogs, websites, TV shows, etc.

2. What’s good:- If you love travelling, this is the type of photography you should do. During your work, you get to experience various cultures, you can taste local cuisines, you can enjoy local programs, etc. This is the best way of earning while travelling. 

3. What’s bad:- While starting in this industry, you have to invest in your travels. You should be able to manage your lifestyle with minimum things, as you carry only few things while travelling. Also you must be ready to face any situation that may arise during your stay in different localities. 

4. What’s required:- It can actually done using a good quality camera phone, but off course with many limitations. (For the comparison between camera and mobile, check out this post :- Mobile vs. Camera: which is better?) Or otherwise, you can use basic camera and 2 or 3 different lenses, to capture the photos in different perspectives. 

9. LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

1. Meaning:- Landscape photography means taking photos showing natural beauty and diversity. For this you have to find such places to photograph, from where the view is amazing and pleasing to eye. Also you don’t want to miss the special timings for those particular places (Sunsets, sunrises, foggy mornings, etc.).

2. What’s good:- Landscape photography is only for those, who love to travel and who have affection towards nature. You will see many beautiful and pleasing scenes during your work time. And at every new place, there is a new experience waiting for you. 

3. What’s bad:- You must obey a different and very specific schedule. Because for every scene to be captured at right time, you have to start your work way earlier than that. For example, the schedule would be like waking up at 2 am or 3 am, packing your gear and travelling to the location, trekking to location (if needed), setting up the camera and wait for the moment to happen. And after all this, don’t expect everything to work just fine, so that you get those beautiful photos. You may have to return with empty memory card. Just keep that in mind. 

4. What’s required:- Good camera, lenses covering all the focal lengths, i.e., wide angle lens, standard lens and telephoto lens (because you see, landscape photography is not all about only a wide angle shot), a sturdy tripod and ND filters (optional).

10. ARCHITECTURE PHOTOGRAPHY

1. Meaning:- To take photos of any building / structure (hotel, bungalow, resort, etc.) to show it’s internal or external view, is called as Architecture photography. The main objective in this, is to show the structure as it is, but in most pleasing manner. These photos may be required for property sale and advertisement.

2. What’s good:- You can work as per your convenience. If you can find right clients/companies to connect to, the work will be regularly available to you, along with higher pay-outs.  

3. What’s bad:- The number of high paying works is less. You should be able to show the structure in most pleasing and appealing manner. 

4. What’s required:- Good quality camera, ultra-wide and wide angle lens, 3-4 external flash units (if you are working in night time) and a sturdy tripod.

11. PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY

1. Meaning:- Product photography includes taking photos of various products, for advertisement or study purpose. In this you have to make sure that, the products look as real as they can be, along with the original colour, texture and size. 

2. What’s good:- In today’s increasing online sales market, everybody wants to make their product look good and appealing to the people. That’s why the work availability is enormous. You just have to find right people to work with, who need you. 

3. What’s bad:- You don’t get to show your creativity photography skills, in this field. Because the main and foremost important objective of product photography is to show the product in their original state.

4. What’s required:- A good quality camera, standard or short telephoto lens, light setup, backdrop and a sturdy tripod. 

12. SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY

1. Meaning:- Sports photography comprises of taking photos during any sports. This includes photographs of the players, the play going on, the audience and the overall arrangement of the event. All sports are covered in this. Cricket, football, basketball, golf, baseball, bike riding, etc. are the best examples where sports photography is done intensively. 

2. What’s good:- Every time such event is organised, there is availability of work. You get to show your photography and timing skills in this genre of photography.

3. What’s bad:- The camera and lenses you require in sports photography, are very specific and thus very expensive. Also it includes a lot of hard work and that too with great speed. 

4. What’s required:- A camera with capacity of capturing more photos in less time, standard, telephoto and super-telephoto lenses and a monopod. Sometimes an external flash units may also be required (specially, in indoor sport events).

13. BABY / KIDS PHOTOGRAPHY

1. Meaning:- As the name suggests, it means taking photographs of babies or kids. The photos may be taken indoor or outdoor, with props or without props, with a theme or just candid ones. There are no rules / restrictions in this type of photography.

2. What’s good:- Photographing kids is a treat in itself. This is best example of loving your work. Every child is loved by his/her parents and they want to capture lovely moments from his/her childhood. That’s why with emotions attached to the childhood, enormous work is available in this field. 

3. What’s bad:- Even though the photos look good and cute, the actual process of baby photography is a tedious one. No one can predict how a child will react to camera or photographer. That’s why you have to be very patient throughout your work.

4. What’s required:- Good camera with high resolution sensor, standard and telephoto lens, (if possible) a macro lens to capture those tiny details of the baby, a lighting setup with external flash units or studio lights and backdrop (in case of indoor photography). 

    All these are the main 13 types of photography for you, to choose from. The sub categories can also be considered like Astro photography (photographing stars, night skies and milky ways), Long exposure photography (photographing light trails, light painting, etc.), Pet photography, etc. 

Don’t get amazed by all these types of photography. Because tomorrow you may hear about a new type explored by someone. Eventually, this may and will happen. Because as long as there is creativity and market in the world, photography sector will evolve. Am I right or am I right?

- Prasanna Joshi

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Next post:- TYPES OF CAMERA

Which one is good for you.

Keep smiling & keep clicking.

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