Photographic genres
I currently see myself working with four main genres of photos:
- Landscape
- Architectural
- Portrait
- Street
Here I explore what I might need to produce, or could use to improve, my work in these genres.
Landscape
Including the related waterscape/seascape and sky/weather genres.
Film
- Slow, low graininess
- High contrast
- High saturation colour, or B&W
e.g Fujifilm Velvia 50, Provia 100F, Kodak E100VS
Equipment
- Decent tripod
- Good wide-angle lens (don't have)
- Swing-lens panoramic camera (slightly expensive)
- 6×12, 6×17, or 6×24 panoramic camera (serious gear, rather expensive)
Location
- Need to find good landscapes and waterscapes - need drivers license and car
Architectural
Film
- Probably varies a lot depending on the location, subject, and intended appearance
- Slow for exterior, medium to fast for interior
- Likely colour
e.g Ilford Pan F plus, FP4+, Fuji Provia 100F/400X
Equipment
- Good tripod
- Again, good wide-angle lens
- Fish-eye lens is also used (already have)
- Tilt/shift lenses (expensive)
- Large-format view camera with front and rear movements (serious gear, rather expensive)
Location
- Bathurst could serve as a starting point, but any city would be good. The larger the better.
Portrait
Do I need to set up a studio?
Film
- Slow, low graininess
- Low contrast
- Low saturation colour, or B&W
e.g Ilford FP4+, Fuji Pro 160S
Equipment
- Good normal to long lens
- Good flash and accessories e.g diffuser, soft box, etc
- Light reflector
- Studio lights (serious, expensive)
- Backdrops
Location
- Home
Street
I haven't actually done any street photography yet. It looks interesting, but I'm afraid of the reaction some people might have.
Film
- Fast
- Graininess can be good
- Most likely B&W
e.g Ilford Delta 3200, HP5+ 400, Kodak Tri-X 400
Equipment
- Range-finder camera with moderately wide-angle lens (have two Yashicas)
- SLR or TLR with waist-level viewfinder (have Pentacon Six TL)
Location
- Almost anywhere?
- Read up on privacy laws in Australia
Stock
A pseudo-category of photography. The goal is to produce photos that can be manipulated by clients, so give them as much as possible.
Film
- As little grain as possible!
- Colour!
e.g Fujifilm Superia Reala 100, Pro 160S/160C, various slide films
Equipment
- Tend towards wide-angle to capture as much as possible
- Medium format to minimise the impact of grain, allowing more cropping
- A good scanner
- Backdrops
- Lights
Location
- Studio
- Outdoors?