What are the different types of photography?

Whether you’re an amateur photographer or a professional, if you want to take your photography to the next level you need to think about what your speciality could be. Of course, you could pick a couple from the list and become proficient across many fields, but nailing what type of photographer you want to be will help you focus your art.

Candid photography

Candid photography is the kind that we all do (or try to do) with our smartphones: taking natural pictures to capture special moments. Whether it’s someone enjoying a birthday party or a family at a wedding, the photographer needs to be in the background enough to not be distracting, and yet be there to capture the moment.

Read More: 11 Tips for Better Candid Photography

Food photography

If you’ve got a sweet tooth and a camera then maybe food photography is your calling! Join the millions who share pictures of their food on social media but with a twist: do it well. Food photography as an art form is growing fast. After all, when it comes to being published those Instagram filters just don’t cut the mustard. Use natural light, play with different compositions, and let your inner foody take over!

Landscape photography

It’s one thing going for a walk and snapping a picture of the view on your phone, it’s another thing driving to the middle of Snowdonia at 4 am to set up a tripod and wait for sunrise. Catching that perfect window of light in a crisp high definition photograph is the Holy Grail of landscape photography.

Whether you’re looking to decorate your home with stunning images, wanting to expose the impact of climate change, or want a unique desktop background, the pictures are out there waiting to be taken… it just takes a little know-how, a map, and a flask of hot tea!

Check out this guide to landscape photography:

Night time photography

For those who know how to use light when it is scarce, night time photography can shine a light (pardon the pun) on the alien worlds that inhabit the darkness. It might be a long exposure shot of the night sky or the silhouette of an owl against the moon; it takes a special skill to snap the perfect shot. Being adept at using low light, shutter speed and aperture certainly helps.

Check out this guide to Night Photography.

Photojournalism

If a picture can tell a thousand words, then why bother to read the news in the first place? Grab your camera and travel to where the action is. The most famous type of photojournalism is war journalism since that is what makes front page news. However, like any type of journalism, it’s about planning to be in the right place at the right time - whether it’s witnessing a coronation, a protest, or a sporting victory parade.

Read More: 7 Photojournalism Tips: Fundamentals for Visual Impact

Sports photography

Sports photography requires you to be right up close to the action. If there’s a goal scored, you need to have captured it. If there’s a new gold medallist, you need a picture of them crossing the finish line. It’s faced-paced and jam-packed full of action. If you go to a sporting event, you’ll spot sports photographers as they’ll be the ones perched at the top of a rig, or on the edge of a pitch praying that nothing hits their long lenses. Check out the commitment of sports photographer Yuri Cortez at 2018’s World Cup if you need any more evidence!

Read More: 10 Sports Photography tips for Beginners

Wildlife photography

Take a walk on the wild side with this challenging skill. If you made a start to your photographic career by taking pictures of bugs in your garden, then maybe graduating to photographing lions in the Savannah is the logical next step! Wildlife photography requires great skill, great planning, and a great deal of patience to get the perfect shot.

Read More: 12 Tips for Taking Stunning Wildlife Photos

Fashion photography

More glamorous than wildlife photography with the ability to be just as creative as food photography, fashion photographers need to be commercially sensitive and masters of preparation. Unlike landscape photography where you’ll usually travel alone, fashion photographers will team up with stylists, models, makeup artists and a team helping with location and lighting.

Read More: The Complete Guide to Fashion Photography: 114 Tips

Aerial photography

With the rise of drones taking off (pun intended) in recent years, so has the popularity of aerial film and photography. Any photographer wants to find a new and unusual perspective to shoot, and what’s more unusual than from the sky? Whether it’s a city, a landscape, a car race or a family event, drones no longer restrict us to shooting from high rise buildings, hot air balloons and trees - instead, literally every angle under the sun is available!

Read More: 7 Critical Things I Learned From my First Aerial Photography Shoot

Within all these genres exist sub-genres and cross-overs such as black and white photography, stock photography, urban photography, underwater photography, and more. Whichever path you choose to take, make sure you protect yourself and your camera with specialist photography insurance.