I read lots of photography blogs. Sometimes daily. One blogger has come up with is funny-but-true list of the different classifications of photography — a card catalog of sorts. So, with credit to the author (See: http://180mag.ca/180editorblog.html):
Right, how do we classify photography? I can think of different classes of painting, the first that comes to mind is painting vs illustration. One being art and the other advertising I suppose. One you learn at University and one at College?
Can I list any pairs for photography?
- Amateur vs Professional
- Snapshots vs Photographs (amateur vs professional one presumes)
- Digital vs Film (really? still?)
- Commercial vs Art
- Pictorial vs Straight
Major classifications and their sub-classifications (more or less randomly listed)
Advertising Photography
- Stock
- Low Ad (Junk Mail)
- High Ad (Magazines)
- Lifestyle
- Catalogue
Commercial Photography
- Fashion and Beauty (makeup)
- Architectural and industrial
- Food
- Product
- Calendar
- Annual Reports and Business Portraits
Studio Photography (the local guys… the ones making a living)
- Wedding
- Baby
- Portrait
- School
- Model Portfolio
- Passport
Art Photography
- US Landscape (Yosemite National Park)
- European Landscape (Typology)
- Street
- Nude
- Glamour
- Fine Art
- Abstract
- Fetish
- Porn
- Portrait
- Clique (friends doing naughty things)
- Social Documentary (the homeless and other strangers being cold, hungry and dirty)
- Gothic and Alternative (corsets and fake blood, tattoos and piercings)
- Polaroid (shoot anything, desaturate and add a yellow tint)
- Toy camera (see polaroid)
- Beautiful photography
- Flowers
- Sunsets
- Trees
- Feedback Photography (Flickr and the other modern camera clubs)
Reportorial Photography
- Newspaper/Documentary
- Magazines
- Travel
- News/Documentary
- Sport/Fitness
- Geographic/Scientific
- Music (cameras smuggled into a concert)
- Citizen (anyone with a cell phone when things happen)
- Self-reporting (Facebook)
Cute Animal Photography (yes it deserves a major classification all to itself simply on volume and popularity)
