Photography is an art, and like with any other art, being good at it takes skill. Like arts such as painting, photography also has many genres and niches that photographers can learn. Each of these genres requires a very specific skill set that lets the photographer paint a picture—photography literally means painting with light—in a way that suits the genre that he/she is shooting for; there are countless ways to photograph landscapes and people. If you are thinking about becoming a photographer or hiring one for a project, you should know what genre(s) will best fit the style that you are interested in. To help you with this, we have compiled a list of four four important photographer types to know about.
High Fashion Photographer
If you have ever seen a high fashion magazine cover or editorial, then you know that high fashion photographers are tasked with making a whole scene catch your eye while making the clothes being marketed pop. Oftentimes, their tasks are focused around selling the face of the model in an edgy manner, because people are more visually captivating than inanimate objects. If you are hiring or thinking about hiring a fashion photographer, you will need a professional stylist and a good fashion model who knows how to help the photographer do his or her job (a great model knows as much about lighting as the photographer).
Because fashion photography is so model-centric, many photographers in the fashion industry focus on photographing a particular gender, or solely taking pictures of models for their professional modeling portfolios.
Portrait Photographer
Like fashion photography, portrait photography is focused on taking pictures of people, but as a portrait photographer, you won’t be working with professionals. If you choose this genre, it will be your job to make normal people look great. This requires more coaching skills than other types of photography, because you will have to make someone who isn’t comfortable taking pictures feel good about themselves. Also, because the subject(s) knows nothing about lighting, it will be up to you to use your lighting skills to bring out their ‘good side’.
If you are getting a family photo or a self portrait taken, this is the kind of photographer that you will want to seek out. Explore the portrait photographer niches as well. Some photographers will be great at photographing babies, for instance. The photo portfolio offered by Durham Photo is a great example of having your professional portraits taken.
Journalism Photographer
These photographers are the Peter Parkers of the world; while most of them don’t moonlight as masked crime fighters, they are tasked to capture the essence of a gripping moment in history in a manner that makes you stop and read a news article. Capturing action scenes and emotional expressions of those whose last concern is the camera is what a good journalism photographer does best.
There is a reason that many newspapers maintain an entire staff of full-time photographers. If you are looking for someone to take pictures for your article, you will want to hire one of these guys to capture the moment. Like any other type of photography, there are sub-genres (sports, catastrophe, ect.), so choose the photographers wisely.
Landscape Photographer
When engaging in landscape photography, it is your job to capture the mood of an outdoor scene using natural light. Because you control neither the sun nor the clouds, timing is everything here. You will need to check the weather and determine your location and angles well in advance; advanced scouting is often required to know exactly how the light will fall.
Hiring a landscape photographer is a must for anyone who wants that perfect shot of an outdoor scene.