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PF 082: This is Why Some Genres of Photography Will Make You Happier Than Others - The Photo Flunky Show: Improve Photography and Creativity
Have You Noticed Some Genres of Photography Will Make You Happier Than Others?
Lee and I both tried different genres of photography. Travel, sports, concerts, food, portraits and more. We recently heard from a reader who mentioned that he felt his landscape photography was getting stale and he was interested in portrait photography.
That set me off pondering why some genres of photography make people happier than others.
I don't think there's any correct answer overall, but there may be a correct genre of photography for you. In my clearly unscientific method, I managed to divide photography into two different overall genres, and associated each with a personality trait that may explain why different photographers like different styles.
Capture vs. Control
I see genres of photography falling into one of these buckets. You either like to capture a moment, or you want control over your scene. It doesn't mean you strictly have to fall into one bucket or another. It just means that you may favor one of these genres of photography more than the others.
Think about these genres of photography for a moment:
* Event Photography
* Street Photography
* Sports Photography
* Concert Photography
* Wildlife Photography
These are genres of photography where it's important to capture a moment. Once that moment passes, it may never come again. You feel proud when you nail a shot that is once in a lifetime. It's a testament to your patience, dedication and anticipation of events.
Now think about these genres of photography:
* Portrait Photography
* Food Photography
* Still Life Photography
* Product Photography
This is where you have control. You're not just a photographer, you're also the director and producer of your photographs. You set the scene, you choose the model, you arrange the food or the product for your own shots.
While you may never have complete control, you get to do a shot over if you aren't happy with the results. If I'm doing a portrait session with a model, I can't control exactly what he or she does. However, I can direct them to get the shot I want. I can choose the lighting and the set. If needed, I can even ask them to do a shot one more time.
Try that at a sporting event.
There's never been a time at a concert, sporting event or even a wildlife session where I could ask the subject for a do-over. Even travel photography has it's limits. If you don't get the right sunset shot, you don't get to rewind and start over.
So what's your type? Capture or Control? Let us know in the comments.
Subscribe to The Photo Flunky Show
Thank you for listening to The Photo Flunky Show. Make sure you get every episode by subscribing.
iTunes – http://williambeem.com/itunes
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Transcript
THE PHOTO FLUNKY SHOW: Episode 82
Links to subscribe to the show:
You can find links to this episode and all of the other ones at
View all episodes
By William Beem
4.1
1919 ratings
Have You Noticed Some Genres of Photography Will Make You Happier Than Others?
Lee and I both tried different genres of photography. Travel, sports, concerts, food, portraits and more. We recently heard from a reader who mentioned that he felt his landscape photography was getting stale and he was interested in portrait photography.
That set me off pondering why some genres of photography make people happier than others.
I don't think there's any correct answer overall, but there may be a correct genre of photography for you. In my clearly unscientific method, I managed to divide photography into two different overall genres, and associated each with a personality trait that may explain why different photographers like different styles.
Capture vs. Control
I see genres of photography falling into one of these buckets. You either like to capture a moment, or you want control over your scene. It doesn't mean you strictly have to fall into one bucket or another. It just means that you may favor one of these genres of photography more than the others.
Think about these genres of photography for a moment:
* Event Photography
* Street Photography
* Sports Photography
* Concert Photography
* Wildlife Photography
These are genres of photography where it's important to capture a moment. Once that moment passes, it may never come again. You feel proud when you nail a shot that is once in a lifetime. It's a testament to your patience, dedication and anticipation of events.
Now think about these genres of photography:
* Portrait Photography
* Food Photography
* Still Life Photography
* Product Photography
This is where you have control. You're not just a photographer, you're also the director and producer of your photographs. You set the scene, you choose the model, you arrange the food or the product for your own shots.
While you may never have complete control, you get to do a shot over if you aren't happy with the results. If I'm doing a portrait session with a model, I can't control exactly what he or she does. However, I can direct them to get the shot I want. I can choose the lighting and the set. If needed, I can even ask them to do a shot one more time.
Try that at a sporting event.
There's never been a time at a concert, sporting event or even a wildlife session where I could ask the subject for a do-over. Even travel photography has it's limits. If you don't get the right sunset shot, you don't get to rewind and start over.
So what's your type? Capture or Control? Let us know in the comments.
Subscribe to The Photo Flunky Show
Thank you for listening to The Photo Flunky Show. Make sure you get every episode by subscribing.
iTunes – http://williambeem.com/itunes
Stitcher – http://williambeem.com/stitcher
Google Play – http://williambeem.com/googleplay
Blubrry – http://williambeem.com/blubrry
Social Media Links
We love seeing your photos and keeping in touch with you on social media. Here's where you can find us.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
YouTube
Transcript
THE PHOTO FLUNKY SHOW: Episode 82
Links to subscribe to the show:
You can find links to this episode and all of the other ones at
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