Choosing the Right Form of Photography

Photography in general is a beautiful art form but there are some many different forms of photography. This article discusses those different forms in enough detail to give the reader a clear picture of each form in the hopes that they will decide the right form of photography based on their personality and interests.

Photography is a true art form that encompasses many different avenues. Portrait photography and landscape photography are perhaps,Choosing the Right Form of Photography Articles the most popular types of photography, but there are far from being the only forms of photography. Whether you are an amateur photographer or a professional chances are that you are going to have a favorite type of photography. Keep in mind that some types of photography encompass two or more other types of photography, so it should be fairly easy to pick a photography specialty based on your personality. I am going to go over different types of photography in hopes of helping you decide which one is right for you.

Photojournalism

Photojournalism involves taking photos of facts as they happened. This style of photography requires the knowledge to capture human emotion in a single photograph and can take years of practice to perfect. In photojournalism, the photo will depict just one scene or event. These photographs are used to attract readers for news stories.

Documentary

This is very similar to photojournalism, but in documentary photography the photographs are meant for historical evidence of an era, not the present time. Documentary photographers also need experiences and training to capture raw human emotion.

Macrophotography

Macrophotography refers to photos that are taken at a very close range. In order to become a macro photographer, the proper professional film equipment (pfe) is essential. Lenses and other needed equipment are expensive and require advanced knowledge to learn.

Action

Although there are different types of action photography, sports photography is the most popular. The photographer must study the subject and anticipate the next move in order to get a good shot. This holds true for sports photographers as well as those photographing animals in nature, and even taking photos of children running around the house.

Glamour

So many consider glamour photography to be pornographic, but it is an art form that shows the beauty of the human body. They focus on light and shadows to show the human body at its best. While being sexy these photos are done tastefully and respectfully.

Wedding

Many photographs of this style are post processed for creative effects. A plethora of wedding photographs are given a vintage or timeless look in post processing. This is a unique blend of portrait photography and documentary photography.

Advertising

This a career form of photography for many people and is yet another type of photography that encompasses different forms. It can include macrophotography, glamour photography, and portraiture. The photographs need to be interesting and catch the eye of consumers in print.

Travel

Travel photography can include portraiture, documentary, advertising, and glamour photography. These photographs depict life or events of a particular place in the world. This can be achieved through portraits or by landscape photography.

Portrait

This might be the most popular type of photography and is certainly one of the oldest. Subjects can be people or animals. Portrait photography serves to capture the unique personality of the subject in a photograph.

Art

Art photography can include photographs on many different subjects. Some photographers use animals or nature as subjects, others may use objects posed, or even an interesting view of everyday objects. No matter what the subject is, art photography must be aesthetic.

Difference between Commercial Photography and Advertising Photography

While both commercial photography and advertising photography are focused to increase the sale of the product, the intent differs vividly.

The billboards or the ads on the internet,Difference between Commercial Photography and Advertising Photography Articles all have images to sell the product. Then what is the difference between the terms commercial photography and advertising photography?

PixelPhant blogs are all about answering all your questions, and today we are here to draw a clear line of difference between these two most widely used photography styles in advertising.

In this blog, we are going to dissect these photography styles, along with the tips and equipment you would need to master them.

If you are all set to learn all this, here’s the ultimate guide for you to clear all your doubts regarding commercial photography and advertising photography.

What is Commercial Photography?
Commercial photography is a niche of promotional photography, where your key focus is to showcase the product in its best possible look. It can include product photography, food photography, Lifestyle Product Photography, real estate photography, etc.

You could find examples of such photography in the banners, or the stock promotional photos where the key focus is just to make the product look attractive and appealing to purchase it.

Proper lighting and other equipment are used to bring out the epitome of the product. Moreover, the product in the frame is the center focus despite the other subjects that are captured alongside the product.

Tips & Equipment
The first and the most useful tip here would be to add minimum props in the frame. Even if you are using a model in commercial photography, make sure that the show stopper is the product itself, not the model itself.
Check out for lighting conditions and make it neutral using a grey card. The product must be well illuminated but in no manner, the color shall be manipulated.
If needed, keep the composition of framing to the most helpful and assured techniques such as the rule of thirds, leading lines, golden ratio, etc.
Lastly, start creating a set of equipment which includes, fast wide-angle lens, zoom lens, tripod, lighting filters, backdrops, grey, and obviously a decent DSLR camera which can work with all this equipment seamlessly.
Commercial photography may not need each of the equipment mentioned at every shoot, so no need to go broke. Instead, start with a DSLR and prime lens, go along the journey, and purchase what becomes the necessity.

What is Advertising Photography?
Advertising Photography is another popular promotional photography where the key focus is to represent the emotions or feelings that you would get out of the product. Mostly if the product is new and wishes to attract new customers by showing what to expect (in terms of emotion and satisfaction) then advertising photography is used.

You could find examples of such photography in images where instead of producing a story can be found. This could be about looking classy, trendy, young, or could be about feeling happy, motivated, satisfied, or even complete.

As a photographer, you have much more liberty to change the lighting, shooting from irregular angles, or experimenting with the way the product is usually seen. The goal here still stays to make people like the product, but for the emotional satisfaction, they can get from the product.

Tips & Equipment
Before starting out, note down some important aspects of the product such as the message it wishes to spread, what the brand and message want to represent, and lastly whom are they targeting. Knowing all this would allow you to choose a perspective that can make the product more appealing to the customers.
Advertising photography might not require full attention towards the product, but you need to make sure that it revolves around “why will people but this and what will they feel after buying it”
Ensure that the image has its story. Also, align the image with the message and feeling that the product needs to evoke within the audience.
Regarding equipment, you might need to choose as per each shoot as it purely depends on the story or theme of the product.
How to differentiate between Commercial Photography and advertising photography
Now that you have understood what commercial photography and advertising photography is, it’s time to show you the line of difference in the following spectrum. Commercial photography is more product-centric, whereas advertising photography is more customer-centric.

A product may use both styles of promotional photography but it’s important that you are aware of the intent of both the photography style.

Conclusion
While both commercial photography and advertising photography are focused to increase the sale of the product, the intent differs vividly.

As we discussed, you can follow up with any of these two photography styles. Moreover, you can even switch between them whenever the project demands, but it’s important to remember what your end goal is.

With this, we conclude the differences between Commercial photography and advertising photography.