If you are a beginner in photography, this article will help you understand the different types or styles and learn which suits you best. It is the best time to learn, explore and improve your skills at the same time.

Portrait photography

This is arguably the most popular type of photography. Anyone can practice this genre of photography with their smartphone. Currently the trend is to capture the poses, close ups and evoking genuine expressions. Professional photographers who are in this niche normally portray famous personalities or models at shoots or events. They also cover graduation pictures, family portraits and headshots. It is important to consider lighting, shadows and distance when taking portrait photographs.

Still Life

This style of photography involves taking photos of inanimate objects. This includes product photography used by advertising agencies as well. It is necessary to consider good lighting when taking still life photographs. Many photographers use a light box in product shoots, this eliminates the shadows by illuminating item from several angles.

Landscape Photography

Those of us who love to travel have surely taken many landscape photos! Professional landscape photographers find that shooting vertically will capture tall trees, mountains and anything else you may feel compelled to capture while exploring! Landscape photographers work at all times of day as nature offers some of the most amazing stunning moments! It is best to upgrade from a smart phone to a digital camera and invest in some good lenses if you are keen to follow this path.

Pet Photography

Pet photography follows many of the concepts and techniques of portrait photography, except for the fact that you may have a lot more fun with this style! The reason being, you worry less about making the subject look good, you can experiment with different techniques like close ups with a wide angle lens.

Event Photography

This is quite a popular niche that includes a range of events from birthdays to corporate events. At these events, you will need to use a mix of styles which you may need to practice before hand. There will be food, candid moments, landscapes which you can cover. What makes a good photographer 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, dealing with people and covering the specific event.

Wildlife Photography

A very rewarding and well-paying niche is wildlife photography. As there are obvious challenges in capturing good, clear images of wild animals without intruding on their natural habitats, a wild life photographer needs to be well equipped with a good camera and safety gear. Not everyone can be a wildlife photographer which is why they are paid a good amount of money when they are required to take photos.

Macro Photography

Macro photography is art, where a photographer captures objects which make them look bigger than they really seem. It seems a relatively easy task provided you have the right equipment. There are clip-on macro lenses available, which can be fixed on to the smartphone. Macro photography may not be the niche for you if you are looking for regular photography work. It is a great genre for those who want to capture artistic, highly compelling photos of living or inanimate objects.

Weather Photography

Weather photography is basically outdoor photography that mainly showcases different - usually harsh, extreme weather conditions. Hurricanes, snowstorms, sandstorms and even thunderstorms. Most photographers who this type of extreme weather chase after the beauty of these storms. Using time-lapse, multiple exposure and other unique techniques, weather photographers can help depict the power and speed of various weather patterns.

There are plenty of other styles to explore if you are keen to find your niche. This article is just a morsel of the genres out there. It is always better to try different styles and experiment before settling for one style.