Photography is experiencing a bit of a renaissance right now. As a visual-based society it’s always been popular for as long as the tech has existed, but the advent of smartphones caused interest in the art to explode over the last decade. When you can take professional-quality photos without having to haul around cumbersome equipment and pay to have your film developed, everyone can be a photographer.
And the more photographers we have, the more types of photography develop. Here are a few essential styles that you can explore as you develop your photography skills.
1. Portrait Photography
Portrait photography has been around since the earliest days of the medium, with the oldest-surviving example believed to be Robert Cornelius’s 1839 self-portrait. And it remains a staple of professional photography to this day. For the average pro, a sizable chunk of their business comes in the form of taking portraits.
The real art of portrait photography is making the subject feel at ease. Rather than being stiff and uncomfortable, you want to capture the subject in a natural state, whether the photograph is staged or a genuine candid shot.
2. Fashion Photography
Fashion photography is like a hybrid of portrait and product photography. The ostensible subject is still almost always a human, but the goal is to glamourize their clothing, shoes, or accessories to make them more appealing to consumers.
It can be a rewarding style to work in. Financially, because professional fashion photographers are always in demand. But also creatively, as the medium gives photographers a good deal of freedom to produce dynamic and dramatic compositions.
3. Sports And Photojournalism
Capturing a news-worthy story in images remains a critical part of social discourse. Capturing athletes or coaches in a perfect instant can tell you more about the drama of a game than if you had watched it live. And capturing the moment a news story breaks can spark national conversations and become iconic moments of history.
It’s why photojournalism remains one of the categories awarded by the Pulitzer Prize. While nearly all of the categories award literary accomplishments, the impact of the perfect photos taken at the perfect instant cannot be understated.
4. Social Media Photography
By far the vast majority of pictures taken today are destined not for newspapers or art galleries, but social media. And what started out as an amateur photography style has blossomed into a major industry, with independent influencers and billion-dollar corporations alike taking advantage of this new frontier.
And a big part of this new style is the tech.
Your traditional photography essentials include lights, tripods, and film stock. For social media photography, the equivalent would be an online photo editor.
These apps help you produce professional-quality social media content no matter where your travels take you. They’re an essential part of any social media toolset.
There Are As Many Types of Photography As There Are Photographers
What’s considered the best photography changes with the times. If you could go back to the turn of the 20th century and show the photography industry your Instagram account, you’d have to forgive them for not knowing what to make of it.
As more people around the world pick up cameras, more types of photography will develop. And to take the best pictures you can, you need to keep up with the times. So to make sure you’re always current with the latest trends, be sure to check out our latest social network news.
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