7 Types of Photography to Master for a Successful Career

From portrait photography to photojournalism, there are many different types of photography that can be used to capture special moments and tell stories. Learn about the seven types of photography you need to master for a successful career.

7 Types of Photography to Master for a Successful Career

Photography is an art form that has been around for centuries, and it continues to evolve with the times. From portrait photography to photojournalism, there are many different types of photography that can be used to capture special moments and tell stories. Whether you're a professional photographer or just starting out, mastering the different types of photography can help you build a successful career. Portrait photography is one of the most popular genres of photography.

It involves capturing the personality and mood of an individual or group in a photograph. This type of photography can be used for wedding and engagement photos, family portraits, fashion shoots, and more. The best portrait photographers make their clients feel comfortable so that their expressions are natural and relaxed. Photojournalism is a type of photography that tells the story of an event or newsworthy scene through photographs.

Photojournalists strive to be as objective and truthful as possible, and capturing candid moments is more important than getting perfect shots. They often attend planned events in the hope of capturing unexpected moments. Their work is often published in magazines and newspapers. Still life photography involves taking pictures of natural or artificial inanimate objects.

This type of photography can be artistic or commercial, and it's commonly used in stock photography and product advertising. Think about the product images you see in catalogs, magazines, and billboards - those are all examples of still life photography. Editorial photography is taken to illustrate a story or article, usually for a magazine or newspaper. The subject matter varies depending on the text it accompanies, but usually photographers aim to get shots that work for both horizontal and vertical compositions.

When working in editorial photography, it's important to have good communication skills and professionalism to succeed. Social media photography is a mix of almost all photographic genres, especially mobile photography. This type of photography is used to capture images for social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Food photography is another niche that overlaps with commercial, editorial, and still life photography.

Photographers specialize in taking pictures of food for restaurants, magazines, cookbooks, and more. Finally, candid photography eliminates the posed aspect of the equation by capturing people in motion or by surprise. This type of photography can range from family portraits to fine art photographs and commercial works. By learning and practicing these seven different types of photography, you can build a strong foundation for your career as a photographer.