Last Updated on 01/23/2012 by Gevon Servo
Recently I wrote about styles of photography. This made me think and look into other styles of photography. Some styles of photography I have tried. Some styles I will not be able to try, but it is good to know they exist. I believe you must try everything once to discover what you want to try again.
Architectural Photography
A style I have made an attempt at is architectural photography. While on my various photo walks in different cities, I have taken pictures of buildings I have found interesting. Architectural photography, exterior and interior, is creating a portrait of a building. One might use surrounding scenery to give the buildings context. You can choose to bring out the texture and details of the building using lighting and particular angles. Generally Wide angle lenses or Tilt Shift lenses are used. If you have room to work with, a telephoto lens can flatten out the perspective of the image and eliminate distortion that can occur when using wide angle lenses. A photographer can spend a lot of time specializing in Architectural photography; picking out interesting details to make the image stand out, rather than just photographing the entire building. Architectural photography does not just consist of buildings either. Bridges, monuments and anything else constructed can be included in this style of photography.
Miksang (contemplative photography)
(Note, I do not know how ‘official’ this style is, but I really like it, and shall be looking into more, it plays into my idea of ‘PhotoMeditation’ or photography as meditation)
I know, you are thinking WTF is that. Well contemplative photography also known as Miksang is something I find very interesting. Miksang is a Tibetan word that translates as ‘Good Eye’, based on the Shambhala and Dharma Art teachings of the late Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche. In essence, this type of photography is like street photography, but on a more artistic level. With this style of photography everything is to be kept as simple as possible. The idea is to find joy and awareness by attending to the minor and seemingly insignificant–the colors, patterns and textures that exist in the close-up world. This style of photography, prime lenses like my Nikon 50mm and Macro lenses like my Sigma 70-300 DG macro, seem perfect.
Professional Sports photography
I am a geek. I am not really into sports, but I’ve been known to watch soccer and football on occasion. Sports photography, in the professional sense, is an offshoot of photojournalism that focuses on sports. It is used in advertising to help create narratives for sporting events in brand building, magazines, news papers and websites focusing on sports. The equipment for professional sports photography can be expensive. A full frame camera like a Nikon D3s or a Canon 1D Mk 4 and fast wide aperture F/2.8 telephoto zoom lenses are preferred to clearly stop action and get close to it with as little noise as possible.
War photography
War is an ugly and dirty part of our reality as humans. As long as photography has been able to, it’s been recording war images, from death, to people being freed. It is an extremely dangerous field of work to be in. Before being hired by the New York times in December 2010 a photographer, Joao Silva , was badly injured by an Afghan Mine. Capturing images during war times can be one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. War photographers throw themselves into the middle of a conflict. The gear, as well as the photographers, has to be rugged and ready to get the image at a moment’s notice. I will most likely never get any experience in war photography, but I will forever respect the photographers who expose themselves to danger.
Wedding photography
I know many wedding photographers. They record that special day for a Bride and Groom. Wedding photography is a lot of work. The couples can want announcements, portrait displays, and/or thank you cards as well as the main event. With technological advancements, photographers are also incorporating video in their wedding photography as well. There are many opinions on what a equipment and approaches to use, but wedding photography is a style that should never be taken lightly. We’ve written lots and lots on wedding photography here, and here is our Essential Wedding Resource Listing.
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