Photography Types – Pick Your Favorite

Photography is an expressive art form that is much more than portraits, landscapes and glamour photographs.  Professional and amateur photographers both have their favorite type of photography that helps them express themselves best.  This is similar to painters who favor oil, acrylic or watercolors.  They each give a different type of feel to the finished product; much the same as differing types of photography are used to express certain emotions in certain ways.

Photojournalism

This is a type of photography usually practiced only by professionals.  Because of the usual seriousness of the subject matter, photojournalists must perfect the art of taking photographs that maintain the integrity of the story and express the feelings of the images through the camera lens.  In this type of photography, the subject matter of the photos is limited to the facts with no embellishment.  Such photos are used to induce certain feelings in the audience, while listening to the news story and looking at the photographs.  People who practice such photography have had years to hone their craft so they can take iconic images that stay with people long after words fail them.

Documentary Photography

Much like photojournalism, documentary photography serves to capture moments in history that are meant to be added to other documentation of the era.  The main difference between documentary photography and photojournalism is while photojournalism captures a moment and one scene of a story, documentary photography serves to record an era in history, be it political or social.  It is part of a larger story, instead of being the story.  Similarly, documentary photography aims to show the truth via photographs, without embellishing the image at all.

Action Photography

Action photography is also a professional type of photography, usually involving sports.  Sports photography is definitely one of the most exciting types of photography, and any good action photographer has to anticipate when the best shots will come.  To be successful as an action photographer, one must be well versed in the subject matter to be able to anticipate actions before they occur, in order to get the pictures necessary.

Macro-photography

Taking pictures at close range is a type of photography known as macro-photography.  In the past, in order to take quality pictures, photographers needed expensive and advanced equipment, so it was limited to professionals.  However, the advancements in technology have allowed amateur photographers the ability to participate in macrophotography is they are so inclined.  Digital cameras with macro settings make this one type of photography for amateurs. Subjects often include insect wings, backs of leaves, small creatures and textile textures.  Anything that has an interesting pattern when closely examined is fair game in macro-photography.

Aerial Photography

As the name suggests, aerial photographers specialize in taking photographs from the air. Such photographs are used in taking pictures or surveys of construction or natural disaster aftermath.  The pictures are usually taken from airplanes, helicopters, hot air balloons and occasionally even parachutes.

Portraiture

The goal of a portrait photographer is to get the subject, usually families of some sort; in a pose that shows best who they are.  Portraiture is also the oldest form of photography.

Travel Photography

Travel photography spans several categories including advertising, glamour and landscape photography.  The idea of travel photography is to entice the consumer into wanting to go to the place in question so they might be able to experience such feelings as those they get from looking at the travel photographs.  It is all a matter of perception, and a professional photographer is able to make a viewer perceive what is generally intended.

I’m sure there are more I haven’t thought of but I need to get a coffee and that’s all I can think of in this state.

Roy Barker