“Photography is the story I fail to put into words.”

— Destin Sparks

 

You are fascinated by the art of capturing light through a lens and have a talent for setting up the entire frame inside your mind before it’s on the screen. 

In other words, you and a professional photographer have one thing in common – love for photography. 

But how to become a photographer is a very vague question to ask anybody. Aren’t we all photographers in a sense without having to learn photography. 

We all have taken thousands of photos and posted hundreds of those on Instagram. 

And so the first step to frame a career in photography is to pick up that camera and start capturing moments. The second is to know all about the different types of photography and pick the ones you like. 

Photography is a large umbrella under which various specializations take a shed. And so to create your dream career without getting lost, you will need to pick your style. 

This also makes it a bit easier for you to leave a mark in the ultra-competitive world of visual arts. 

In this article, we’ve compiled a list of top photography genres you can pursue to become a professional photographer.

 

Portrait Photography

This is probably the genre that most aspiring photographers start their journey with. 

Portrait photography refers to capturing the personality and mood of a person or a group using optimal lighting, environment, backdrops, as well as posses.

Moreover, the frame can be of any kind, full-body or close-ups, candids or posed. The main focus of this genre is on the subject’s face and eyes 

The stunning candid photographs on Instagram are a good example of this kind of photography. 

As a portrait photographer, you will be expected to make senior portraits, family portraits, wedding portraits, and with enough networking as well as experience, you can even get hired to shoot celebrities. 

Wildlife Photography

From clicking the stunning image of a red deer looking at the camera to waiting for hours for the perfect shot of a tiger, wildlife photography is for those who love nature and its beasts. 

This form of photography is very popular as well (especially after seeing Farhan in the movie 3 idiots) 

Wildlife photography refers to capturing the beauties of nature and yes waiting for more than 12 hours for the subject to show up is part of the job role. 

As a wildlife photographer, you will be documenting the various types of nature’s beauty in their natural habitat. To learn photography in this genre, we recommend taking internships under wildlife concern NGOs or big channels like Discovery or Nat GEO. 

Wedding and Event Photography

And you may kiss the bride… *CLICK!!!*

If you have never been to a wedding before then know this much, you will be seeing a lot of photographers. And we mean a lot. 

Most young photographers, while still being in college and learning the different types of photography, end up working with many wedding/ event professional photographers. 

This not only helps them to learn photography through real-life projects but also helps them earn some extra cash while still in college. 

As a wedding/event photographer, you are expected to take multiple portraitures of the various groups present in various settings throughout the event. You have to be quick to be able to constantly move through the crowd as well as pay attention to capturing the important parts of the day. 

You will have to shoot on a bright sunny day as well as inside a hall with low or dim light. Capture moments of joy and be present during the cringy ones as well. 

The demand for wedding/event photographers is one of the highest and they can earn anywhere from INR 1,00,000 to INR 3,00,000 in a day. Yes in a day! 

Product Photography

How many times have you seen a wallpaper of a stunning Lamborghini on your guy friend’s phone?  

Product photography is a part of the commercial world and involves clicking accurate photos of various products in a way that makes them look attractive. 

You can see examples of product photography in brochures, company websites, e-commerce stores, magazines, and advertising means. 

Product photography is usually done in controlled environments like inside a studio where the lighting or the shadow is in your control. 

This is a specialized field and you can even specialize in it further by becoming a food photographer or a jewelry photographer. 

Architectural Photography

Does your phone’s gallery consist of countless photos of modern architecture or ethnic temples? 

Architectural photography is the art of capturing buildings or similar structures in a manner that the images come out as “aesthetically pleasing.” However, this doesn’t mean that the images can be a false representation of their subject. 

The goal is to capture the beauty of the bricks in the most eye-soothing manner. 

As an architectural professional photographer, you will be taking clicks of the interior as well as the exterior of the structures in various settings and environments. Moreover, you will be capturing the subtle details that contribute towards making the design of the building unique. 

Architectural photographers are hired by architectural or real estate firms and can even work as freelancers. 

In today’s digital world, there’s always a need for high-quality photographs that capture the essence of a building perfectly and realtors are willing to pay well for it too.

Sports Photography

Sports photography is an amazing option amongst all the different types of photography. 

Why?

You will be traveling a lot for shooting games held in different countries. 

Moreover, you will be clicking photographs of various athletes while sitting at the sideline and will require long-zoom lenses to capture shots acutely. 

After all, would you be standing beside Kohli as he is about to hit the ball

Your photographs will be showcased in sports magazines, team publicity materials, as well as in the news, media, and print outlets.

 

Travel Photography

Speaking about getting to travel a lot, here’s a career in photography that literally pays you to travel. 

Travel photography is a mixture of different types of photography into one. On one project you will be working with a wildlife crew to capture the beauty of nature. On the other, you will be working with filmmakers to document the lifestyle of various cultures. 

There are two things certain with this job role:

  • You get to travel a lot and we mean a lot
  • You almost never sleep on the same bed more than a week

Fashion Photography

Here comes a career in photography that is one of the most difficult to break into but once you are in, you will be living a glamorous life. 

From taking shots of the celebrities wearing designer clothes for the top fashion magazines to doing a shoot for a new clothing line, fashion photography has a lot to offer. 

As a professional photographer of this field, you will be working closely with stylists, wardrobe specialists, makeup artists, art directors, and more. Moreover, your typical day will involve working with models and ensuring that the lighting is perfect. 

You will be spending more time in setting everything up and directing the models to pose that showcases clothing in an attractive manner than actually clicking photos. 

You may also need to travel frequently for shoots with various magazines or fashion outlets. If you choose to enter this industry, get ready to live a glamorous and fast-paced lifestyle.

Photojournalism

Photojournalism refers to combining photography and journalism and presenting it in front of the world. In other words, it refers to clicking photos of the latest or as most people call it, “breaking news.” 

Whether it is of a political rally or a disastrous incident, as a photojournalist you will have to be present at the spot as fast as possible. You might even have to wake up in the middle of the night because the news doesn’t sleep. 

It is a documentary-style of photography and the goal is to tell the story of an event through images. 

Aerial Photography

This captivating field of photography became popular due to the advancement in the types of equipment of the modern photography world. 

Before aerial drones were a thing, aerial photos were clicked using manned flights. Today, aerial photography is used for clicking shots of architectural structures, weddings, as well as events. 

Advertising and Lifestyle Photography

The realm of marketing and advertising is one that utilizes photographers very efficiently. You get to see the work of photographers on magazines, billboards, street signs, as well as within our favorite app. 

The competition is fierce and professional photographers that can create captivating frames are always in-demand by the advertising agency. 

Advertising photography in simple words means photography for an advertising agency or company. It is all about photographing objects so that they can be used in the form of an advertisement. 

The goal is to show items in an attractive and purchase-encouraging manner. It includes different types of photography such as lifestyle, product, street, as well as fashion. 

Fine Art Photography

The last one in our list of the different types of photography is the one that has no rules. 

Fine art photographers are artists and showcase their work in art galleries and exhibitions. Fine art photography is a way to express creativity and the vision of a photographer. 

The photographer or the artist can capture any subject but most professionals in this field prefer a portrait or landscape style of photography. 

Just like a painter tries to convey a message with each painting, fine art photographers also aim to trigger an emotion or convey an idea through their photographs to the audience. 

Fine art photographers usually make their names by entering various competitions.