Exploring a Few of the Different Types of Photography

Pictures can convey a large amount of information to the viewer, from how tasty a restaurant’s new sandwich may be to what kinds of plants may grow in certain locales. However, many don’t look too much deeper into photos and the people who took them. 

Photography is a complex career filled with many different people who compose shots differently based on the subject matter or even the client. A few different types of photography will be covered below, from the field full of individuals who find unique ways to capture the very stars and share their beauty, to commercial photography services in Houston and what exactly that may look like.

Commercial

Commercial photography is a broad label that covers every type of photography that captures images of products, services, and brands to help them get more business. The most obvious subcategory, then, is advertising photography. 

Those specializing in this career do everything they can to make every photo they take as appealing as possible to make the best possible ads. Product photography focuses on showing a product off as much as possible to make it as appealing as possible to try and convince those who view it to make a purchase. 

Food photography is similar, but it has a much smaller window of time to get the best photos before the food or drink in question starts to look less appealing due to cooling down, warming up and being exposed to air, lights, insects and more.

Fashion and portrait photography can also be a part of commercial photography, but they don’t have to be. Fashion photography focuses on highlighting outfits, a singular clothing item, or even accessories while portrait photographers create photos of people or groups. 

In advertising, these people may be shown happily wearing clothing or enjoying a product to aid in creating an advertisement. While all photography is complex, commercial photography is even more so since the goal is to be as appealing as possible to convince people to buy a product or a service. It’s tricky to get right, but highly rewarding when done correctly.

Landscape

If you’ve ever gone to a store and looked for art to hang on your walls or gone searching for a new computer wallpaper, you have likely encountered many examples of landscape photography. 

Just about any landscape can be a subject of these photos, from blue mountains during a sunrise to a gorgeous forest in full spring bloom to the coast at sunset. Each landscape will give off a unique feeling and remind the viewer of the world’s beauty. 

For example, a picture taken within a dense forest may induce feelings of serenity and curiosity. A beach may elicit relaxation and calmness, and mountains may produce awe. Weather adds a new dimension to these photographs, as does the time of day. 

A rainy lake at night may feel comforting for example. Landscape photographers have a lot to consider before they can take that perfect shot, but the result is almost always worth the effort.

Real Estate

If you’ve ever browsed a realtor app or site, you’ve certainly encountered real estate photography, both good and bad. When done poorly, the home or business being advertised looks dark, dingy, dirty and just generally uninviting. Good real estate photography makes a room feel light and welcoming. 

If you could see yourself living in that home, or working in that office, then you’re looking at a professional’s photograph. Photographers must show up to the property and take the best photos of the rooms that they can before doing small edits to ensure they’re as perfect as possible. Sometimes, this is easy; there aren’t many ways to photograph an empty room. 

Furnished buildings, on the other hand, offer new challenges that can be a lot of fun for the photographer as they find the best angle and move the furniture so it looks as appealing as possible. 

The biggest challenge a photographer will face, however, is the state of the property itself. No amount of angle selecting or light editing could make a house in bad shape look good, but that doesn't mean they won’t try.

Astrophotography

If you’ve ever found yourself marveling at a picture of the stars, moon, or any of the fixtures in space, then you’re aware of what astrophotography is. For many, simply capturing the fleeting beauty of the night sky is all that they need as different constellations, moon phases or even planets end up as the photo’s subjects. 

Some, though, take it further and use powerful telescopes to capture what an ordinary camera cannot. The most beautiful pictures of nebulas, comets, asteroids, other planets and more likely come from either the Hubble Space Telescope or the James Webb Space Telescope. Both have captured gorgeous images of nebulas and other galaxies, and all of their results are truly awe-inspiring.

Drone

Drone photography refers to any picture captured using a drone. That sounds rather unremarkable, but if you’ve ever seen drone footage or pictures, you’d know it's anything but. Drones allow photographers to get aerial views of just about anything, which allows for a whole new set of angles to be considered along with new distances. 

For example, drone photographs could allow you to see a landscape in an entirely new way by giving you a top-down view of a forest, lake, ocean or other beautiful sight. They could also fly at a unique angle and take a more bird’s-eye-view photo of a city or landmark. They could even get a unique view of a sunset if positioned correctly. And, of course, they can also make selfies look much cooler, too. 

Without a drone, these types of photos are almost impossible to create, which would certainly make our view of the world and the many ways in which it can be beautiful much narrower.

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