How to find what kind of photography you like?

[gsgary]

I think you would like shooting banal

 

[PapaMatt]

You might have to do what pays the bills. I like Nude Models and babies but they both cry too much :lmao: so I shoot real estate.

Good luck to you

 

[Austin Greene]

As LaFoto said, you have to take photos of everything to find out! I mostly enjoy photographing wildlife because you can sit watching animals for ages to do something worth a photograph, then when they do and if you catch it, the rewarding feeling is amazing!

I'm in the same boat as Forkie. I love a good landscape or portrait, but nothing is as interesting and exiting to me as that moment when you really nail a good wildlife shot

 

[gsgary]

I shoot anything and everything from sport to studio

 

[Overread]

I'm willing to bet that the majority of photographers will shoot anything and everything.
The more keen they are and the more they have the camera with them the greater the chance that they vary their subject matter.

From that most will also focus in on a select number of subjects/environments that they favour shooting within and will focus learning their skills to better themselves within those niche areas. However those niches are likely to change over time - so the 5 year photographer who "just shoots landscapes" will oneday be the 30 or 40 year photorapher who's shot landscape and macro and sports and studio and family etc...


In the end you shoot what you want - it isn't up to others to decide that for you - and to be honest I doubt that there is a test you can take to find out what you are interested in. You shoot and if you like you shoot some more

 

[Brandman]

i appreciate all of the responses, whats funny to me is that when i asked in another post what lenses to get people were really hard on me about what kind of photography i like to shoot. I am looking at the 24-70 2.8L and the 70-200 2.8L is ii. i told them i was all over the place with the things i like to shoot and they basically said they couldnt give me an answer because i "didnt know what i like to shoot" its just kind of funny to me

 

[Overread]

Its' true though - recommending gear for "I shoot anything" IS hard Because you can shoot anything with anything. Heck most replies you'd get to a question like "I shoot sports so what lens do I need" will give you answers based upon the concept that you want to reproduce a certain kind of shot (the common kind) with the gear. You could shoot sports with an 8-16mm if you wanted to create shots that needed that kind of wide angle - but that lens wouldn't typically be recommended.

In the end what you shoot is just one of the general criteria people try to get out of people so that they can give advice. If you've no idea what you shoot - how you shoot etc... then its really a case of making the choices on your own a little since there isn't much criteria for the new gear to meet with.

 

[premo]

IMO,and I might be wrong, since I'm a newbie...but
You've already found out what you like, so just stick with being all over the place since that's what you enjoy for now.
There is no need to rush .. time will tell.

 

[AlleyCat]

I agree other posters. I'd say it's similar as you won't know what flavor you like best until you've tried several ones.

From my personal experience i'd say you'll end up doing the genre that "moves" you the most. For example, some people have stronger emotions when they look at a picture of a tree/animal/..than they do looking at a picture of a building and vice versa. I prefer close-up portraits, fashion, beauty.. I like looking at other types of pictures as well, and when some are exceptionally well done, they create emotions in me, but not as strong. I still feel most drawn towards people photography, and so that's how I found "my" genre.

Hope this helps

 

[Dom6663]

I enjoy shooting everything. I haven't really found the niche I most prefer, there are positive and negative aspects about every type of photography.

If I had to choose my top two, they would be Portraiture and Macro

Portrait photography is great because you can mold and develop this idea of what you want the image to look like in your head, and your in control of all the factors, you can pose the model, change the lighting, whatever you want to do until you get the image your looking for.

Macro photography I also really enjoy because it takes often very simple things and makes them extraordinary. We really take for granted how beautiful things are, even something as simple as a green leaf in the spring, zoomed in really far you can see chloroplasts and very beautiful tiny details that make you appreciate what you see around you.

Ultimately you just need to experiment and shoot whatever you can, regardless of 'type' over time you will find something your much more keen on

 

[Josh66]

I know what I like, and (think) I know what I'm good at - as of now, they aren't the same...

Hopefully, one day they will be.

 

[gsgary]

i appreciate all of the responses, whats funny to me is that when i asked in another post what lenses to get people were really hard on me about what kind of photography i like to shoot. I am looking at the 24-70 2.8L and the 70-200 2.8L is ii. i told them i was all over the place with the things i like to shoot and they basically said they couldnt give me an answer because i "didnt know what i like to shoot" its just kind of funny to me

With those 2 lenses you can just about shoot anything