Like all creative medias there are different styles of photography. Many clients I have spoken with usually do not know there are different styles in photography, just that some photographers only shoot certain things.

Which is true many photographers niche— which is the term for choosing an area of shooting expertise be it newborn, senior portraits, or weddings.

But the styles I am talking about are the feel and look of the images. There are four common terms for different styles though I perhaps would add a fifth.

1. Life Style

Life style photography is exactly as it sounds, it captures the every days of life, from subject to the environment. This includes the home, workplace, or other locations, with images that lean more toward the candid feel.

2. Documentary

This style is usually associated with chronicling events, and using images in a story telling nature. This style focuses on the capture of emotions, and moments in a pure fashion. It does not rely on heavy editing, and is traditional style of news media and realistic photographers. This style is a mixture of candid moments, and posed moments. The photographer is still involved and not as much in the background as a photo-journalistic photographer would be.

3. Traditional and Posed

This is most common among portraitist. The subject is generally positioned in a way flattering to the light or the pose. Traditionally this types of images took place in studios but as equipment as gotten better traditional posed has taken to the outdoors and the use of natural lighting.

4. Artistic

This is the style that allows the photographer and subject the most freedom. There are no rules to this style, you can be in a studio, outdoors, there can be minimal editing or heavy editing. These images can create fantasy worlds, can be combination of images, and so much more. The limits to this style are purely that of the creator and their creative mind.

And then the fifth style I would argue is…

5. Photo-Journalistic

This style to me is my favorite because it allows the photographer to insert themselves into a day as little as possible. The job is to watch things unfold and capture them as they happen naturally. The images are usually not as heavily edited and tend to reflect the truth of the moments in look, and feeling. This gives the client more room to be themselves as the photographers take a ‘“fly on the wall” approach.

As a photographer I lean toward photo-journalistic style the most, I love being unobtrusive and capturing the moments as they are. But I can flex and take on the other styles as needed, especially when shooting weddings usually around when the bride and groom want traditional posed family photos.