Different Types of Photography

There is more to becoming a professional photographer than knowing how to hold a camera correctly. There are different styles and techniques to consider, especially as you might not naturally be skilled in them all.

In this post we aim to expand your knowledge on photography – and its various types – so should you choose to enrol onto an online photography course; you’ll know straight away which type best suits you.

1. Documentary photography – this style documents a person, place, object or event. It is meant to be natural and capture the essence/real emotion of the situation. It’s most commonly used in news reporting when addressing things such as the impact of war on the populace or when dealing with breaking news/events.Whilst it is more widely used this way i.e. for the news; as an amateur photographer you can still benefit from learning how to do it. This is particularly true if you like to tell stories with your photos.

   NOTE: these scenes are not edited/created, but are real moments, naturally captured on camera.

2. Street photography – this style is more emotive and is designed to capture humanity in its truest, deepest and most natural form. They are often shot in public places such as at the park or on the high street – with the subject often being unaware of their photo being taken – with the aim of capturing real life moments.This style doesn’t always focus on people though, but can examine animals, buildings and objects too.
3. Fine art photography – this style focuses more on the point of the view of the photographer, their feelings, and how they perceive the world. It is designed to give an insight into the artist; what they are like, and how they see people, locations and objects. For example, they might focus on a word or a statement, or might try to show a particular mood in the shot.
4. Landscape photography – as you can guess, this style is interested in capturing breath taking images/scenes of landscapes. They showcase the great outdoors and how incredible nature can be. Photos can range from simple lake and field shots, to showing these views under a different light.
5. Portrait photography – this involves more than taking pictures of faces. But aims to capture the little details/features i.e. their eyes, nose, smile, etc. that makes each of us unique. This kind of shot is often taken in a studio or at an event e.g. a wedding, and tries to capture a person looking open/ showing off their personality.
6. Still life photography – like still life paintings, still life photography consists of capturing natural items such as flowers, goods and objects. These can be single objects or a group of items that have been strategically placed on a table to create a scene/fulfil a theme. With the help of lighting, shadows and colours, they can be used to create beautiful photos.
7. Macro photography – this style is less well known, but is unique as it allows you to photograph items, animals, flowers and foods in microscopic detail. By doing so, viewers are able to see things they usually can’t see.
8. Abstract photography – this style gives a lot of freedom/flexibility to the photographer, as it allows them to experiment and take shots of people, objects or landscapes with the goal of creating different interpretations. The shots are often moving, isolated, taken from a distance or are not clear, in order to make the viewer think about what they are seeing (and make their own decision about what it is).
9. Editorial photography – this style suits magazine and newspaper features, as the photos are designed to tell/sell the story next to the article/feature. They aim to evoke emotions and a deeper reaction to what the article is telling you. So if for instance the story is striving for sympathy, then the photograph will heighten this emotion.

As you can see, there is more to photography than meets the eye – no pun intended – so if you are interested in becoming a photographer, why not experiment with these photography styles first and see which best suits you?