It would go beyond the scope of this guide to go into detail about every single type of photography that’s out there, but this list covers the major kinds you’ll encounter. Within each type there are specializations, and as a photographer you can decide how specialized you want to get. As a general rule, it’s helpful to be known for a certain kind of photography and to develop a personal style. This makes it easier for your work to stand out in the minds of potential clients.
Portrait photography is a style of photography that captures a person or group of people, typically posing, and aims to document them while also conveying the subject’s personality and character. For example, professional workplace portraiture will try to evoke a sense of professionalism and trustworthiness through the portrait, while celebrity portraiture may aim to create a sense of glamor or style.
It’s also frequently used to document people and groups as they look at a given point in time. For example, families may book an annual family portrait session in order to have memories to look back on and a record of the family over the years.
This is one of the types of photography that most people think of when they hear the term “professional photographer”. That’s because almost everyone has some kind of experience being photographed by a wedding photographer at some point in their lives, whether it’s on their wedding day or when they’re a guest at another wedding.
Wedding photography is highly in demand, particularly during the wedding season from early summer to fall. Wedding photographers typically book most of their work during those months, and then may work on different kinds of photography for the rest of the year.
Events frequently need to be documented by a photographer. From private parties to corporate conferences and public festivals to concerts, event organizers are often looking for professional photographers to document the day.
Even in our age of ubiquitous phone cameras, event photographers can create images that aren’t really possible to capture on a phone. Event photographers can make use of lenses that allow them to capture scenes from a distance and make it appear as though they were right by the subject, and they can also creatively use flash in a way that makes their subjects look their best.
Lifestyle photographers aim to capture real situations with an artistic eye. For example, a profile of someone in a magazine may include a spread of lifestyle photos of them doing something they ordinarily do, like making their morning coffee.
Sometimes, this kind of photography can also refer to staged images that look as though they are candid and spontaneous. For example, a brand might get lifestyle photographs taken of models using their product. These images typically look less staged and polished than corporate advertising photography.
Editorial photography refers to the images that go alongside text that help to tell the story by establishing a look or mood. It typically implies people as the primary subject, although still life images can also be part of editorial photography. Unlike lifestyle photography, editorial photography can be a lot more staged, stylized, and conceptual.
Sometimes, editorial photo series can be published without necessarily accompanying text. Although the traditional meaning of editorial photography implies a written story being supported by images, photographers often explore telling a story with images alone.
Fashion photography is a field within photography that showcases fashion items such as clothing, shoes and accessories, as worn by models. There is a huge range of styles and approaches in this field, and fashion photography can get very creative and conceptual. It can overlap significantly with editorial photography as well.
Beauty photography can be considered a type of portraiture, but with more focus on the styling of the model. Makeup and skincare campaigns are one of the most common types of beauty photography. It is often used for editorial or commercial purposes, but can also be shot as art photography. This genre of photography is usually characterized by close up shots that emphasize the models features.
Commercial photography is a broad category that encompasses all the photography taken with the purpose of selling a product or service. It is typically characterized by a polished, crisp look typically associated with advertisements, although there is a lot of creativity and experimentation in this field as well, as more brands explore different approaches to marketing their products online. It’s a lucrative field for photographers and there isn’t really any seasonality to this type of work.
Product photography can range from the simple product images on a white background that are often encountered on ecommerce sites, to more creative, stylized photos that might be used in ads or on social media. There are subcategories of product photography, like food photography, that are big enough to focus on full time.
Travel photography can encompass anything from people and buildings to nature and events. The aim of travel photography is to capture the essence of a place, and it’s often used in travel blogs, editorials, and advertisements, as well as by tourism boards around the globe.
Architectural photography is a specialized type of photography that captures building interiors and exteriors. The aim may be to capture the whole structure, or take a more artistic approach capturing specific details of the building. It is also widely used in the real estate industry.
Nature photography is all about capturing the wonders of the natural world. It is often associated with animal photography, although nature photos don’t necessarily have to have animals in them.
Landscape photography is considered to be a genre separate from nature photography since it aims to capture a broad, expansive scene, giving an overall impression of the view from somewhere rather than the details of its natural world.
Urban photography can include street photography, which captures the essence of a place through its people, storefronts, and other details, but can also include more expansive urban scenes that capture the overall look of a neighborhood or city.
Photojournalism, or documentary photography, tells stories of events through photography. Often, images can convey a scene in a more powerful way than words can. Photojournalism is a powerful component of relaying news and of documenting a moment.
Photojournalists are often thrown into the thick of a situation to document what is happening during a developing news story. Photojournalists need to have an inquisitive eye and a strong storytelling vision.
Sports photography is a specialized kind of event photography, since the demands of capturing sports are unique. Photographers need to be well equipped to capture fleeting moments with crisp, well-focused shots.
Sports photography requires photographers to always be ready to capture a decisive moment at any given time. Typically sports publications and news outlets also require a very fast turnaround on delivery so having an agile workflow is very important.
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