17 Types of Photography: Which Niche is Right for You?

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17 Types of Photography:
Which Niche is Right for
You?
PHOTO . TRENDING  July 17, 2018  789 Views
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The best thing about being a beginner and aspiring
photographer is that you are free to explore virtually every
photography niche there is. Fashion, photojournalism,
sports, events—armed with a camera, you can try it all out
and improve your skill at the same time.
But as you gain more experience in photography, you’ll nd
that it’s hard to master a speci c style if you don’t stick to it.
In fact, it may be the very thing that could be holding you
back from being successful in a particular niche.
In this article, we’ll help you understand some of the most
popular niches in photography, what they’re like, and how
you can excel in each of them.
Home  Trending  Photo  17 Types Of Photography: Which Niche Is Right For You?


Most Popular Types of
Photography
Instead of being the Jack of all trades, pick a photography
niche (or sub-niche) below and slowly work your way up to
success.
Portrait Photography
Image via Shutterstock
Portraiture is arguably the most explored niche or genre in
photography. Today, virtually anybody with a smartphone
practices portrait photography as it’s become natural to hold
and aim the camera at a person.
Also known as candid photography, the beauty in portrait
photography is in capturing a person’s personality,
sometimes with the use of poses. Professional
photographers in this niche normally photograph
supermodels or famous personalities on red carpets or at
magazine shoots, but in some cases, they also do graduation
pictures, family portraits, and professional headshots for
aspiring models and actors.

For a more compelling portrait, make sure to get close
enough to capture the person’s facial expression clearly.
Check out this article for more portrait photography tips for
beginners.
Still Life Photography
As the name entails, this popular photography niche mainly
involves taking photos of objects. It crosses over to product
photography, through which advertising agencies have
branded items photographed for catalogs, magazines, and
even billboards. You can feature just one main product or
several that follow a central theme, just like in the photo
above.
One of the secrets in taking amazing still life photos is to
have great lighting, whether outdoor or indoor. In product
photography, many photographers use a light box, in which
they place the item so that it gets illuminated from all angles
with di used light to eliminate harsh shadows.

Landscape Photography
Those who love to travel have surely taken a lot of landscape
photos. Contrary to popular belief, this genre is not limited
to horizontal photos, as it may be necessary to shoot
vertically when capturing tall trees, mountains, and anything
else that you may feel compelled to capture while exploring
the great outdoors.
Fortunately, this generation also o ers us more creative
possibilities by making it so much easier to capture aerial
drone shots for a bird’s eye view of landscapes, as opposed
to just ground level. But for more dramatic shots, you’ll need
to upgrade from your smartphone or compact digital
camera, invest in a better camera, and use the right lenses
for landscape photography.
Food Photography

If we were writing this article about a decade ago, the food
photography niche would be a lot harder to break into.
Fortunately, today’s social media generation has in uenced
us to keep taking photos of our food, whether for fun or for
marketing purposes.
With today’s camera phone specs, it may not even be
necessary to use a professional standalone camera as long
as you have a pretty decent camera phone and the right
lighting for truly mouthwatering food shots.
Just make sure that the correct white balance is set in order
to get accurate colors. You can also boost the saturation of
your images (especially the reds and yellows) to make your
food look even more appealing.
Sports Photography

Sports photography is a more professional niche that
involves a lot of high-speed shooting. Photographers who
shoot sports are normally armed with long and heavy lenses
that are capable of zooming into where the action is and
shooting at fast shutter speeds, without ending up with
underexposed images.
Sports arenas are regularly packed with photographers, but
the competition for a slot is still pretty tough. If you want to
try your hand at sports photography, crank up your ISO so
you can use a fast shutter speed, experiment with angles,
and always be prepared to aim and click that shutter.
Wildlife Photography

Another rewarding and well-paying niche is wildlife
photography. Due to the obvious challenge of capturing
good and clear images of wild animals without intruding in
their natural habitats, a job in this niche requires some
major upgrade in camera equipment similar to sports
photography and a whole lot of safety measures.
Not everybody can be a wildlife photographer, which is why
people pay a good amount of money for these types of
photos. Wildlife photography typically takes place in
challenging conditions, in some of the most dangerous and
remote parts of the world.
Macro Photography

Those who want to take truly incredible images tend to like
macro photography. Capturing objects to make them look
much bigger than they really are is relatively easy, as long as
you have the right equipment. You can simply equip your
smartphone with a clip-on macro lens accessory or, for more
ideal high-resolution results, use a macro lens with a DSLR
or mirrorless camera.
If you’re looking for regular photography work, macro
photography may not be the right niche for you.
Nonetheless, it’s a great genre for those who want to
capture artistic, highly compelling photos.
Event Photography

Event photography is a wide and popular niche that includes
many speci c kinds of events, such as concerts, birthdays,
corporate meetings, and even weddings. It usually involves a
mix of di erent photography techniques as you may be
taking pictures of everything from people and their candid
moments to the venue and the food.
What makes a good portfolio for this genre 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,
particularly in dealing with people and covering a speci c
type of event. You’ll also need a variety of lenses to
successfully bag each shot in your “shot list” and not miss
any important moments.
Fashion Photography

When people think of a job in photography, many suggest
fashion photography. For decades it has remained one of
the most lucrative niches, thanks to the demand for it in
advertising and marketing.
Fashion photos typically feature supermodels and celebrities
in high-fashion clothes, shoes, and accessories. Due to the
need to showcase the out ts, this niche usually involves a lot
of full body shots. However, it can also involve some portrait
shooting, so you may want to practice your portraiture skills
if you want to get into fashion photography.
Depending on the clothing style, fashion can take you
anywhere from studios with full lighting setups and
modeling runways to the great outdoors. If you want to
break into fashion photography, you’ll need to equip
yourself with a lot of skill in dealing with di erent kinds of
people, in posing, and in both the artistic and technical
aspects of the craft.
Newborn Photography

Newborn, baby, or infant photography is essentially the
same as portrait photography, but we’re listing it as its own
niche due to the unique challenges that come with it. Aside
from newborns being very fragile, their eyes are sensitive to
light, so you’ll need to get the right gear and learn how to
use your camera to make the most out of the available light.
Babies also have di culty regulating their body
temperatures, so your studio will have to be cold or warm
enough, depending on your precious subject’s clothing.
Did we mention that their bowel movements can also be
very unpredictable? One newborn photography session can
be the craziest in your entire career, but it can also be the
most rewarding.
Street Photography

For those who bring their camera everywhere and enjoy
exploring their artistic freedom, street photography is a
particularly appealing niche. It’s a unique genre in
photography that documents the human condition and
captures unplanned events as they unfold, usually with no
central theme or topic. The best part is that you can use
di erent types of cameras for street photography.
Usual subjects include street vendors, street food, children,
gra ti artworks, and a lot of concrete, sometimes in black-
and-white. They don’t necessarily have to be taken in the
streets, as long as they highlight or portray the reality of the
outside world.
Fortunately for many street photographers, such photos
often get featured on magazines, blogs, and newspapers.
However, there isn’t always a guarantee of steady income as
street photographers usually shoot wherever they wish and
at their own convenience instead of on a per project basis.
Photojournalism

Photo by Jamelle Bouie / CC BY 2.0
Not to be confused with street photography,
photojournalism is a vocation that typically covers speci c
scenes and stories for the news. It uses elements of street
photography to take objective photos that are more historic
in scope. And because they tend to get published in
newspapers, professional photojournalists get paid a good
amount of money for their photos, particularly if they are
a liated with newspapers, magazines, book publishers, or
certain agencies and organizations.
Photojournalism is another niche where it becomes crucial
to capture not necessarily picture-perfect shots, but those
candid moments that best tell the story.
Documentary Photography

Ever heard of war photographers? These brave people of the
press are part of the documentary photography niche, along
with other photojournalists that cover social and political
problems that are a lot more historically signi cant. Like
street photography, they capture raw, candid emotion in
real-life situations and signi cant moments in time but tend
to be given more universal captions as they don’t merely
cover local rallies or just any other celebrity.
If you aspire to take timeless photos about world issues or
of presidents for some of the greatest magazines,
documentary photography may be for you.
Stock Photography

Stock photography is another growing niche in today’s new
generation of professional photographers. Stock
photographers supply and sell photos that will be licensed
for speci c uses. Although it’s been around for centuries, the
market for stock photos has increased signi cantly due to
the growing demand for it in blogs, websites, and for digital
marketing purposes.
It’s not exactly one of the most popular, but it can be a good
source of income. It allows you to work for yourself at your
convenience. Plus, you get passive income from repeat sales
—that is, if you don’t mind taking a lot of pictures and not
being able to really explore your artistic freedom.
Weather Photography

Weather photography is basically outdoor photography that
mainly showcases di erent—usually harsh and extreme—
weather conditions, such as hurricanes, snow storms,
sandstorms, hailstorms, and even thunderstorms. Many
photographers around the world chase life-threatening
storms to capture the beauty of what we are usually quick to
hide and run away from.
When given the chance, this niche will pay you well and
reward you with possibly award-winning images, but
whether it’s worth the e ort to shoot and risk your life will
be up to you.
Architectural Photography

If you’re looking for a niche that o ers a constant stream of
projects, you may want to look into architecture
photography.
Photos of the exteriors and interiors of buildings and other
structures can be of great use to designers, architects,
leasing companies, and potential investors. It’s a mix of
artistic and technical skill and may involve some serious
knowledge in the elements of art and proper composition.
This niche can sometimes be confused with real estate
photography, which also involves photographing structures
(mainly houses, apartments, or condominiums) and their
interiors. You can technically switch between the two, as
they both use the same equipment and involve a lot of the
same skills.
If you want to become an architectural photographer, you’ll
likely need to invest in some additional gear, such as a tilt-
shift lens, a high-quality tripod, a panorama head, and a
bubble level.
Long Exposure Photography

Long exposure photography involves making use of your
camera’s technical abilities to hold the shutter open for
longer periods of time—which allows you to capture surreal
images that we won’t ever get to see with the naked eye.
This genre crosses over to night photography and
astrophotography, which can result in incredible light
streaks, starbursts, and stunning gradients (at the very least)
in what appears to be a dull black sky in real life. It also
includes the use of an ND lter during daytime to capture
velvety smooth lakes and frothy rivers.
Given that long exposure photography requires the use of
long shutter speeds, you’ll de nitely need to upgrade your
gear with a tripod, a remote shutter release, a camera with
good low-light performance, and real skill in manual
photography.
Which Niche is Right for Me?

If you’ve been practicing photography for a while now, you
might realize that you’ve tried experimenting with at least
three of these photography genres. It’s perfectly natural to
try di erent types of photography when you’re starting out,
but if you want to really excel in one, make it a career, and
e ectively market yourself as a speci c type of
photographer, you’ll eventually have to choose just one.
Here are a few questions that you can ask yourself when
choosing a niche for you:
What do you enjoy doing?
By now, even if you happen to be a complete beginner,
you’ve probably read about one or two niches that may
sound fascinating and exciting to you. And if you’re an
aspiring, practicing, or semi-professional photographer,
you’ve probably already found a niche that you love.
If you enjoy exploring a particular photography niche, it’s a
good sign that you may have found the right one for you.

After all, why would you keep doing something that doesn’t
interest you or suit your personality?
What are you actually good at?
What you love doing is not always going to be what you’re
good at. There can only be two solutions to this—either you
do your best to improve in the category that you love until
you become highly skilled in it or you learn how to love what
you have a natural talent in. This has proven to be
impossible for many of today’s successful photographers, so
it may be best to let go of what’s not right for you.
Will you be needing additional
equipment?
Some niches require you to upgrade your gear with
additional, more expensive lenses, extra camera bodies, and
a whole set of other accessories that can really add up to the
bulk and expenses. And if you’re not ready to make the
investment, you’d be better o with other niches that you
can a ord to explore with your current set of gear.
Does it suit your personality and
lifestyle?
Many of these niches will require you to go out of your
comfort zone, put you under intense pressure, and maybe
even put your life at risk. You are free to push your own
limits, but know that it will present even more challenges
and hardships that may or may not be worth the e ort and
money.
What’s the competition like?

Popular niches like fashion photography and portrait
photography have a huge market and therefore pay well,
which makes it very di cult to break into them. If you’re
con dent enough about your vision and skill, you can try
pursuing them, or you can break into a more speci c niche
within a niche—like food, toys, jewelry, or cosmetics under
product and still life photography.
How much does it pay?
Some niches pay more and o er more steady work than the
rest, so make sure to do your research about the speci c
pay scale of your desired niche so you know what to expect.
But if you don’t mind doing it for service or even for artistic
self-ful llment, then you can pretty much try your hand at
any of the niches mentioned above.
Does it allow you to work locally?
Many photographers are often obligated to y o to
di erent parts of the world for each project. However, if
you’re not into that kind of jet-set lifestyle, then you may
want to look into a di erent niche that will allow you to stay
within your area.
So which niche do you see yourself being successful in?
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Tags: event photography fashion photography
food photography landscape photography
macro photography Photography portrait photography
sports photography wildlife photography
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