Types of Photography

As we advance in our photographic hobby, we discover the different photographic genres. When starting out, we usually meet four or five, always the same, and in a similar way. We are fascinated by portrait, landscape, street photography or travel photography, am I wrong?

In general, this is the case, they are the genres or photographic disciplines that we usually have more at hand and with which we feel more comfortable at the beginning.

However, as we immerse ourselves in photography, we discover that there is an immense world to explore, also photographically speaking, and although it is good to specialize in something to focus all your efforts and energies, my personal opinion is that you should never give up the rest.

I mean, everything you learn in photography enriches you in one way or another. Feeding creativity, learning new techniques, and forcing yourself out of your comfort zone, is basic to not get stuck, not get bored (or not bore others 😜).

Therefore, I invite you to know the number of photographic genres or types of photography that you can get to practice in photography. And not only that, I will link you to our articles on each of these disciplines where you can go deeper.

In some cases, we have prepared a mega guide so that you have all the information you need, with tricks, tips and a lot of inspiration. So don’t forget to click on the links of the topics that interest you the most (and leave it in your favourites to always have it at hand).

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WHAT PHOTOGRAPHIC GENRES EXIST IN PHOTOGRAPHY?

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PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

This is probably one of the most classic photographic genres and one that any photography lover goes through at some point in their life.

Portrait photography captivates because although it can be infinitely complicated, it is close, it has millions of possibilities and finding models is usually relatively easy. Above all, it allows us to delve into the depths of the human being (or at least that is my feeling).

SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY

Sports photography may sound impossible to you. You think of that person with the camera chasing Messi or Ronaldo, or covering F1, and you look the other way looking for another hobby. Does it ring a bell? 😜

But the truth is that there are many sports, much closer and with many photographic possibilities. You can cover your nephew’s game, your neighbour’s artistic gymnastics, your daughter’s basketball or your cousin’s athletics.

It may not seem as glamorous as the first division, but you will have many more photographic possibilities, less pressure and more fun.

Oh, and of course, if risk and adventure are your things, you can also start photographing this type of extreme sport.

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ADVERTISING PHOTOGRAPHY

You will have seen millions of examples of advertising photography throughout your life. Advertising photography is a very creative photographic genre that aims to publicize and sell a specific product.

Being essential to attract the attention of the viewer and awaken in him the desire to buy. It is usually the work not only of the photography professional but also includes advertisers, graphic designers, models… In short, a complete production team that works together with the photographer.

PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY

Product photography is another photographic discipline to work with. Product photography is necessary above all to show products on web pages or magazines and, although it may seem like a very complicated job for which you would need a very professional team, the truth is that you can achieve very good results with little investment.

Do not hesitate to do your first steps at home with things you have at hand, if what you want is to dedicate yourself to photography professionally, this type of photography can come in handy.

Sneakers as an example of product photography discipline
Product photography.

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STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY

Closely related to advertising or product photography are the stock photographs that are sold on the internet, in the famous photo banks . They are images of all kinds of general themes that serve as a visual resource for commercial purposes.

It is one of the photographic disciplines that ends up becoming a source of income for those who dedicate time and effort to it.

FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY

Do you like fashion, and lighting, are you a super creative person, do you enjoy locating, do you like directing, do you have empathy and connect easily with people…? Maybe your thing is fashion photography. Have you thought about it?

Fashion photography is a photographic genre with more possibilities than you imagine: catalogues, catwalks, advertising, model books, stock, etc. It doesn’t seem like you can get bored with her.

ARTISTIC PHOTOGRAPHY

If yours is the intangible, the abstract, emotion or feeling, you may be interested in delving into the world of artistic photography. Expressing an emotion or feeling that manages to move the viewer beyond a search for reality is what mainly defines this photographic genre.

Within artistic photography, also known as author photography, you can also find conceptual photography, which is based on transmitting an idea or concept through an image, or abstract photography, which is the subjective representation or interpretation of reality captured. in a photograph.

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TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

Another of the most universal photographic genres is travel photography. Few of us would go out without the camera when we are lucky enough to go on a trip, don’t you think? (just imagining going out without her makes me anxious 😆).

Travel photography brings together a multitude of disciplines: portraits, landscape, street photography and architecture, among others.

Travelling opens our minds, widens our souls, teaches us to respect other cultures, to love other languages ​​and, what is even better, it teaches us and allows us to practice many types of photography.

ARCHITECTURE PHOTOGRAPHY

One of the photographic genres in which to enter in a relatively simple way is architectural photography.

Simple, because finding architecture around is not that it is easy, it is that it is impossible not to do it.

Relatively, because, like all disciplines, it requires going beyond the first image we encounter; to get good architectural images, you need a lot of practice to know the lines, the perspective or the scale.

Even if you don’t get overwhelmed, it’s nothing you can’t get by taking a look at this introductory guide to architectural photography, and plenty of practice to train your photographic eye.

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DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY

Documentary photography is one of the photographic disciplines that seek to document reality. It aims to explain a story in an image or in a series of them. It usually goes hand in hand with social denunciation, although this is not always the case.

It has an aesthetic and narrative will, that is, it seeks to explain stories, but at the same time, it takes care of the aesthetics of the images without manipulating them, of course.

PHOTOJOURNALISM

As with documentary photography, photojournalism aims to show reality but, in this case, a present reality that is news.

Its purpose is to inform in the most objective way possible, just as a newspaper should do, therefore, it usually has a lower dose of the aesthetic load than documentary photography.

LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

It is unthinkable for any amateur who loves photography, to be in front of a landscape and not want to portray it, right? Let’s go with better or worse equipment for the occasion, it is impossible not to take out the camera, frame and click.

But the truth is that landscape photography is an art, the compositional possibilities, the search for maximum sharpness, sunrises and sunsets and, above all, enjoying the outdoors, make it one of the photographic genres that it is impossible to resist.

NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY

Nature lovers also have a place in photography, more would be lacking. You don’t have to go to the Serengeti to get wonderful nature photos (although you sure would want to go, right?).

This is one of the most comprehensive photographic genres because it encompasses fauna (including birds ), landscapes, underwater photography, flowers and plants, etc.

FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY

Food or gastronomic photography is one of those photographic genres (very interesting, by the way) to which you can dedicate yourself as a hobby or professionally.

It allows you to exercise not only your culinary skills but also practice light, composition, colour, aesthetics, etc. Be careful, this is one of the most engaging types of photography 😜.

MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY

If you’ve been following us for a while, I’m sure you already know that I find macro photography fascinating.

Seeing what others don’t see, turning minuscule details into captivating images, being able to see the life of small insects, the details of a flower or a pupil or anything else that strikes your fancy, seems almost magical to me.

If you haven’t delved into this photographic genre yet, I don’t know what you’re waiting for!

AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

For all those who are lovers of heights, you cannot miss the opportunity offered by aerial photography.

Changing the point of view is almost always a success and this photographic discipline allows us to capture images that many of us cannot even dream of.

SOCIAL OR EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY

Weddings, baptisms and communions leave us with memories of a higher level every time because, luckily, photography professionals improve day by day.

Just take a look at your parents’ wedding photographs (surely very correct, but not very creative) and what a good photographer can achieve today in terms of creativity and technique in social photography.

FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY

A new member in the family or the need to treasure beautiful family memories moves many people when looking for a photographer.

Like the rest of the photographic disciplines, the quality and creativity that you can find today in family photography is amazing. And what about the photography of babies or children, quite a challenge (the most rewarding, yes)!

NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY

Related to family photography, newborn photography has carved out its own niche among photographic disciplines. Photographing newborns in their first days of life is an art that requires a lot, but a lot, of care.

CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY

Another discipline to consider is concert photography. If you are passionate about live music, it is perfect for you. Starting with small spectacles and with as bright an objective as possible, you will be able to achieve very good results.

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY OR STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

Another classic that hooks most of those who start in this art is street photography or street photography.

Perhaps because it brings together many disciplines in a single genre: portraits, architecture, landscape; or for its millions of creative possibilities, the play of light, the lines, the people…

The truth is that few photographic genres catch as much as this one (or at least it caught me a lot at the time).

NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

I always say that I love photography because it allows you to give yourself body and soul, day, and night and combine it with whatever your other hobby is.

What do you like about plants? Well, macro or landscape photography, do you like sports? So sports photography, do you like animals? Well, fauna… and so on ad infinitum, including the night, where many of us sleep and think there is not much to photograph, night photography photographers show us that it is worth spending sleepless nights looking at the sky.

Wonderful photos of stars, northern lights, the moon, the blue hour or the milky way are waiting for you. Do you dare to try it?

AQUATIC OR UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY

Aquatic or underwater photography is another of the most fascinating photographic disciplines since it allows us to obtain images that are out of the ordinary.

Because of the uniqueness of underwater light and, of course, because of the incredible creatures that inhabit it, because of its colours, its shapes…

Without a doubt, if you like to be under the surface, it’s worth taking your camera with you and becoming a fan of the bluest discipline.

NUDE PHOTOGRAPHY

We can’t stop talking about nude photography. This discipline combines portraiture, creativity and artistic photography.

Lines, lights and shadows dominate and it is a good companion to black and white.

BOUDOIR PHOTOGRAPHY

Boudoir photography is different from nude photography, although both agree that they require a high level of complicity and that they are very intimate. In the boudoir, lingerie and sensuality stand out. The motto is to suggest instead of showing.

As you can see, the line between some disciplines or photographic genres is very fine, just as there will be those who distinguish genre from subgenre, or from discipline.

But I do not intend to make a dictionary, nor establish an immovable category, but to compile the different types of photography that you can practice, to give you ideas so that you do not lack inspiration.

Please feel free to leave any comments below or share this guide with other photography enthusiasts who may be interested. Thank you and see you next time.

AND YOU, WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF PHOTOGRAPHY?

Tell me in the comments below the type of photography or photographic genre that you enjoy the most, so you give me a clue to prepare content focused on the photography that you would most like to practice.