Photographic Genres

Examples of Different Genres and
the People Who Made Them Famous

• Photojournalism is the use of images to tell a news story

• Has become more and more popular

• Can be more powerful than the written story

• Famous Photographer: Margaret Bourke-White (1904-1971),
Eddie Adams (1933-2004) won the Pulitzer Prize for his
coverage of the Vietnam War





• Black and White photography uses details like lighting,
composition, and patterns to attract viewers

• The loss of color can create a more striking image than the
colorful one

• Famous Photographer: Ansel Adams (1902-1984)



• Action Photography uses a fast shutter speed to catch an action
in a freeze frame

• There are two types of action photography: blurred, and frozen
motion

• Famous Photographer: George William Beldam (1868-1937)

• Not many photos of Beldam’s remain so another example was
used.



• Macrophotography is the capturing of images at a very close
range

• This is a rather new genre due to the fact that highly
specialized and expensive equipment is often required

• This genre is often used to shoot insects, flowers, and other small
animals

• Famous Photographer: M. Plonsky



• Portraiture is the photography of people and can be at close
range to showcase the neck and up, or further away to
showcase the waist up and sometimes the entire body

• Black and White photography is often used here to evoke more
of an emotional response

• Famous Photographer: Philippe Halsman (1906-1979)



• Advertising Photography is the use of photography to create an
image that sells a product by portraying it in an often lavish
and sexy form

• Recently this genre has become more and more sexually
suggestive and colorful

• Famous Photographer: David LaChapelle



• Fashion photography is used to display clothing and other
accessories

• It is often used for advertising purposes but is mostly published
in magazines as editorial spreads

• Famous Photographer: Shaun Alexander



• Animal photography is the use of photography to showcase the
beauty and danger of animals

• Animal photography in it’s finest form captures the animal in it’s
natural unobserved state

• Famous Photographer: Nick Brandt



• Aerial photography is the shooting of earth scenes from above
while in a plane or helicopter

• This form of photography captures the natural patterns of the
earth and displays them beautifully, often by contrasting the
image and manipulating the lighting

• Famous Photographer: Yann Arthus-Bertrand