TYPES OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Types of Photography

For a starter you are wondering what type of photography to venture in, well today I will walk you through types of photography. The list below might not sound to detailed but trust me you will at least walk away with your favorite genre of photography.

Photographic work can be divided into dozens of categories, many with lots of sub-categories.

The following list describes some common types of photography.

Aerial photography   From a plane, helicopter, balloon or other airborne device

Adventure, Action   Adventure sports, daring feats, etc.

Amateur   Any type of photography practiced by non-professionals

Animal, Pet   Pets and their relationships with humans. Note that the human content is often as important as the animals

Architecture, Real Estate The art of making property appear attractive. Often involves panoramic photography.

Artistic  Photography in which creative composition is the goal.

Astrophotography Space photography, through a telescope

Aura A controversial type of photography which some claim can photograph a person's aura. Often confused with Kirlian photography.

Black and white Not simply photography without color, black and white photography explores shapes, tones and textures. Shadows and highlights become much more important.

Camera Phone "Convenience" photography using a mobile phone's built-in camera. While not the best quality, camera phones have opened a new world of spontaneous, on-the-spot photo opportunities.

Commercial  Product shots, advertising, etc.

Digiscoping Photography through a telescope or binoculars.

Documentary Journalism, Events, Historical, Political, etc.

Events   Concerts, parties, festivals, weddings, etc.

Forensic   Police and legal photography.

Infrared   Photography in which the recording medium is sensitive to infrared light rather than the normal visible light spectrum.

Large Format   For use on posters, billboards, etc.

Karlian    A type of contact print photography in which an object touching a photographic plate is connected to a high voltage source, creating an aura-like image. Often confused with aura photography.

Macro   The art of photographing very small and/or close-up objects.

Medical   Specialized photography for clinical purposes, i.e. to help reveal and diagnose illness.

Microscopic   Any technique for photographing objects too small to be visible to humans.

Modeling Photographing objects to be converted into 3D models

Nature   Landscapes, animals, plants, sea, etc.

Night photography   Any technique used to capture images at night. Often includes infrared photography.

Panoramic   Views of wide areas, up to complete 360° panoramas.

Paranormal   Ghosts, unexplained phenomena, etc.

People  Candid, Family, Fashion, Glamour, Passports & Visas, Portrait, Pregnancy, School, Sports, Wedding

Pinhole   Uses the most basic type of camera possible — a box with a tiny hole to let light in.

Scenic   Landscape, Cityscape

Satellite   Views of Earth from orbit.

Scientific    Any specialized photography used for scientific endeavour, e.g. electron microscopy photographs, medical photography, astrophotography, etc.

Sports   The specialized art of shooting people engaged in sports, games and adventure activities.

Stereoscopic(3D)   Involves taking two photos simultaneously to simulate 3-D vision.

Stock    Photographs taken for distribution to other people, for use in their projects. These photos tend to be quite generic, e.g. people working, landscapes, places, etc.

Time-lapse   Photographs with a very long exposure, used to illustrate something happening over time. A popular example is a street at night with car lights blurred into long lines.

Travel Photography   To showcase locations, illustrate travel literature, etc.

Ultraviolet   Photography in which the recording medium is sensitive to ultraviolet light rather than the normal visible light spectrum.

Urban, Industrial   Emphasizing urban environments.

underwater   Any type of photography taken under water with a water-tight camera housing.

Some of the categories that may have not appeared on the list are;

• street photography
• food photography 
• baby photography

on the comment below let me know what kind of photography you are into and why. Personally, I  transitioned from one category to another over the years, right now I am settled with street photography/travel/documentary. 

Author: Jessy Kigen.