Before I start listing types of photography to you, I need you to answer some of these questions, and then you can know if you are on the right track in choosing photography as a career.
Firstly, what do you enjoy doing? What are you actually good at?
By now, you’ve probably seen one or two types of photography that you like, maybe event photography or maybe portrait photo (with your iphone). So, if you’re an aspiring, semi-professional, or practising photographer you’ve probably already found a niche that you love.
If you enjoy doing a particular type of photography, it’s a good sign that you may have found the right one for you. After all, why would you keep doing something you don’t like?
Keep the type of photography you love doing in mind, write it down on a paper or somewhere, because what you enjoy doing is actually what you will be good at. You might not be perfect, however, when you continue practising you will achieve success.
So, instead of being the Jack of all trades, pick a photography style (or sub-style) below and slowly work your way up to success. In the course of the post I will ask few more questions to help you understand your style correctly, so don’t just scroll through the heading 😉
Portrait Photography or Candid Photography
Portraiture is one of the most used style of photography. Virtually anybody with an iPhone or a smartphone practices portrait photography.
The beauty in candid photography is in capturing a person’s personality, sometimes with the use different of poses. Professional portrait photographers usually photograph supermodels or famous personalities on big events or at magazine shoots, and in some cases, they also do graduation pictures, family portraits, and professional headshots for aspiring actors and models.
For a beautiful portrait, make sure to get close enough to capture the person’s facial expression clearly.
“So, if you enjoy this type of style, there can only be two solutions to this-either you do your best to improve in the category that you love until you become highly skilled in it or you learn how to love what you have a natural talent in.”
Still Life Photograph
This is another popular photography style which mainly involves taking photos of objects. It crosses over to product photography, through which advertising agencies have branded items photographed for catalogues, magazines, and even billboards.
The biggest secret of the secrets in taking amazing still life photos is good lighting, whether indoor or outdoor. Many photographers use a lightbox, in which they place the item so that it gets good light from all angles and diffused light to remove hard shadows.
So, here is another question, will you be needing additional equipment?
Some styles require you to upgrade your equipment with more expensive lenses, extra camera bodies, and a whole set of other accessories that can really add up to the bulk and expenses. If you are on a low budget, then you should consider different styles.
Food Photography
You might have seen a lot of these food photos on Instagram, and other social media platforms, today’s social media generation has influenced people to keep taking pictures of their food, whether for a timeline or for marketing purposes. For example Nusret.
Even with your smartphone or iPhone, the camera specs allow you to take great photos of food. You may not be a professional, but with proper lighting you can snap a mouthwatering food photo.
Nonetheless, there is a photography style that focuses only on food, and you can actually register with Reddish chronicles to learn food photography and be an expert on it. I think it costs 30,000 or 25,000 nairas. Contact them here.
Fashion Photography
A lot of people joining the photography business start with Fashion photography. For decades it has remained one of the most lucrative Style, due to the demand for it in advertising and marketing. Especially with all the tailors and couture houses out there.
Fashion photography usually involves supermodels and celebrities in high-fashion clothes, accessories and shoes. Due to the need to showcase the outfits, this style usually consists of a lot of full body shots. However, it also involves portrait shooting, so if you want to be a fashion photographer, you should increase your portrait photography skills.
Additionally, fashion photography can take place anywhere from the studios with full lighting setups to the great outdoors. If you want to be at the top of fashion photography, you’ll need to equip yourself with a lot of skill in dealing with different kinds of people, in posing, and in both the artistic and technical aspects of the craft.
Event Photography
Event photography is a comprehensive and popular Style that includes many specific kinds of events, such as Weddings, birthdays, corporate meetings, and Family Reunions. It usually involves a mix of different photography techniques as you may be taking pictures of everything from people and their candid moments to the venue and the food.
“What makes a good portfolio for this genre is knowing how to tell a story with your pictures, rather than just covering the event itself. It will obviously take a lot of practice, particularly in dealing with people and covering a specific type of event. You’ll also need a variety of lenses to successfully bag each shot in your “shot list” and not miss any important moments.”
Now that you know some of the styles in photography, you need to answer the questions Asked earlier. And then you can identify which style suits you, there are several other styles that I didn’t get into, I will add them in my monthly magazine. Don’t worry its totally free. : So, subscribe to be the first to know when the magazine is out.
There are other questions you need to answer such as; Does it suit your personality and lifestyle? What’s the competition like? How much does it pay? Does it allow you to work locally? I will be answering all these in the magazine.
Please let me know if this was helpful, leave a comment with yes or no. If you can’t comment here, you can do so on our Instagram page @arewa_world. Thank you
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