Chapter 12. What Kind of Photographer Are You? (references & examples)
Subject Matter
Here is a list of subject matter, themes, topics, and/or genres that are popular with photographers. Next to many of the genres you will find the names of photographers who have worked with that particular subject matter. The other categories I left for you to Google and discover on your own. Explore!
People – (Yourself and Others): Cindy Sherman, Rinee Dijkstra, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Seiichi Furuya, & Nicholas Nixon
Animals – (Wildlife, Pets, Insects, Fish, Amphibians, etc.): Frans Lanting,
Plants – (Flowers, Fruits, Vegetables, Trees, etc…):
Landscapes (Earth, Water, Fire, & Sky) Eliot Porter, Takehito Miyatake
New Topography: Robert Adams, Lewis Baltz,
Nature/Wildlife: Ami Vitalee, Barbara Bosworth, Lucas Foglia, Jean Luc Chapin, & Olafur Eliasson
Religion/Spirituality: Garin Horner, Abbas Attar, Jonas Bendiksen
Ideology:
History: Hiroshi Sugimoto
Philosophy:
Social Resistance: Paz Errazuriz, Alberto Korda
Incorporating Text: Victor Burgin, Ken Lum, Barbara Kruger, Martha Rosler,
Science: Eadward Muybridge,
Society: William Klein,
Cultural: Jacques-Henri Lartigue, Susan Meiselas, Alex Webb, Raghubir Singh, Martin Chambi
Cultures: August Sander, Edward Curtis
Art: Too many photographers to list!
Politics: Pete Souza, Nacho Lopez
Travel: Annapurna Mellor,
The Past, the Present, & the Future: Chino Otsuka
Memories:
Family: Adriana Lestido,
Non-conformity: Motoyuki Daifu
Stories (Narrative): Joel Sternfeld, Richard Misrach, Duane Michals
Food:
Controversial Subjects: Irina Ionesco, Jock Sturges, Leigh Ledare, Aitken Jolly, Ohm Phanphiroj, Jorge Claude Cahun, and Terry Richardson.
Manmade structures: Bernd & Hilla Becher
Cities: Andreas Feininger, Andre Kertesz
Rural: Josef Sudek, Stephan Shore, Bill Owens,
Nude: Helmut Newton, Jan Saudek, Karin Szekessy, Edward Weston, Nobuyoshi Araki
Nighttime Scenes:
Color: David LaChapelle
A Wide Variety of Objects
Non-Visible Subjects
Emotions (anger, joy, social anxiety, stress, etc.): Jill Greenberg
Psychologically Dark: Kavan Cardoza
Spirituality (religion, good vs. evil):
Identity:
Sexual Identity:
Imaginary: Alex Stoddard
Fantasy: Magdalena Russocka
Your Story:
Ideas:
Poetry:
Music:
Colors (Also Interpreted in Black and White):
Aromas:
Flavors:
Tragedy: Lori Nix,
Physical sensations:
Hopes, Dreams, Pleasures, & Fears: Haruhiko Kawaguchi
The Application of Technique
Analog Film (35mm SLR, Medium Format, & Large Format):
Black and White: Daido Moriyama,
Digital (Phone, Mirrorless camera, or DSLR):
Hybrid Processes (Film with Scanning to Digital)
Historic/Alternative Processes (Gelatine Silver, Cyanotype, Collotype,
Van Dyke Brown, and others)
Compositing (Photoshop): Carl Warner,
Lenses (Normal, Macro, Telephoto, or Zoom):
Zoom with Your Feet (Physically move closer or farther away from the subject):
Angles (Eye Level, Worm’s Eye View, Bird’s Eye View, or Dutch Angle): Bill Brandt
Framing (Macro, Close-up, Wide Shot, ¾ Shot, Medium Shot, or Point-of-View “POV”):
Single Frame vs. Diptych, Triptych, & Multi Frame presentation:
Juxtaposition:
Compare/Contrast: Gregory Scott, Richard Koenig,
Light Painting: Georgia Shattky, David Lebe, Pete Eckert, & Michael Bosanko
Multimedia/Video/Graphics/Drawing/Painting:
On-Location (Site Specific): Natalie Fletcher
Design Oriented (Lines, Planes of Color, Textures, & Patterns): Mika Ninagawa
Composition (Use of Negative Space, Rule of Thirds, etc.)
Minimalism: Rinko Kawauchi
Montage: William Notman, John Heartfield, George Grosz, Lola Alvarez Bravo, Jemma Kelly, Misha Gordin, David Hockney, Romare Bearden
Photo-essay: W. Eugene Smith & James Nachtwey
Series: Andy Warhol, Jenny Saville, Carrie Mae Weems,
Collage: Alexander Rodchenko
Creative: Philippe Halsman, Man Ray, Stephanie Jung,
Panorama: Ed Ruscha
Mood and Atmosphere:
Typology: Boris Mikhailov, Bern & Hilla Becher, Ed Ruscha, Michael Wolf, & Taryn Simon
Symbolism, Metaphors, and Analogies:
Dark/Bright High Key vs Low Key): Jay Seeley, Amy Haslehurst
Studio: Howard Schatz, Michael Grecco
Abstract (Organic or Geometric): Paul Strand, Paul Outerbridge, Luigi Ghirri
Conceptual: Laszlo Maholy-Nagy, John Baldessari, & Frank Hallam Day
Long Exposure (Nigt Photography, Panning, and use of Neutral Density Filters):
Multiple Exposure (or image layering): Frederick Sommer, Idris Kahn
Motion/Movment (Blur/Freeze vs Handheld/Tripod): Harold Edgerton, Eadweard Muybridge, Harriet James-Weed, Ray Demski,
Depth of Field (Selective Focus):
Clarity (f64 Group vs. Pictorialism): Alvin Langdon Coburn, Arnold Genthe, David Octavius Hill, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz,
Impressionistic:
Surreal: Man Ray, Herbert Bayer, Dora Maar, Toshiko Okanoue, and Chema Madoz
Dark (Horror):
Humor:
Tilt-Shift (Lensbaby or Large Format Camera):
Reflections (in water, windows, or mirrors):
Color Palette:
High Dynamic Range (HDR): Dan Burkholder
Shutter Speed (Time Exposure, Long Exposure, Panning, Fast Exposure): Paul Schneggenburger, Gerald Sanders,
Aperture (Selective Depth of Field):
Focus (soft/sharp): f64 Group, Pictorialists, Imogen Cunningham
Silhouette/Shadows: Susan kae Grant
Illustration:
Nostalgia:
Period (appears to be from a specific time in history):
Light (Quality, Intensity, Direction, and Color):
Lighting (natural, strobe, candle, or other):
Time Exposure Photography:
Multi-media (photography with other art forms): Matthew Brandt, Maurizio Anzeri, Lisa Kokin, Joseph Parra, Vasilisa Forbes,
Hybrid (Scanning film negatives):
Career Topics (Fine Art and Professional):
Fashion: David Bailey, Mario Testino, Horst P. Horst, Charlotte March, & Matthew Tischler
Sports: Neil Leifer, Charles Conlon, Heinz Kluetmeier, Al Bello
Pets: William Wegman
Aerial/Drone:
Lifestyle (Events: Weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, Vacation, Cruise Ship):
Concert:
Portrait (art/commercial): Richard Avedon, Anne Geddes, Yousuf Karsh,
Arnold Newman Irving Penn, Aitken Jolly
People (race, culture, the human condition): Bruce Davidson, Mary Ellen Mark
Food photographer:
Automotive:
Travel: Harry Gruaert, Sam Abell, Jim Richardson, Annie Griffiths, Alice Gao, & Rick Sammon
Street: Walker Evans, Gary Winogrand, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Vivian Maier, and Martin Parr, André Kertész, Brassai,
Rural Life:
City Life: Raghu Rai
Real Estate:
Photojournalist/news/AP/War Correspondent: Weegee, Robert Doisneau, Steve
McCurry, Robert Capa, Margaret Bourke-White, Gordon Parks
Documentary:
Medical:
Law Enforcement:
Advertising:
Architecture: Andreas Gursky, Nick Frank, Gabriele Basilico,
Editorial:
Stock:
Fine Art:
Tableaux: Arthur Tress, Gerhard Vormvald, Philip-Lorca di Corcia
Underwater:
Product/Tabletop:
Activism: Shahidul Alam
Social Justice: Lynsey Addario, Ruth Prieto Arenas, Malin Fezehai,
Lewis Hine, and Magnum Foundation Photographers
Racial Justince/Equality: Naresh Nil’s series, “Dark is Divine” and Ruddy Roye
Animal Rights: Nick Brandt,
Environmental: Edward Burtynsky, David McMillan,
LGBTQ+: Jess T. Dugan, Anita Khemka
Environmental:
Community Outreach (Photo Voice):
War: Don McCullin, Larry Burrows,
Diverse Subjects: Edward Weston,
Here is a list of subject matter, themes, topics, and/or genres that are popular with photographers. Next to many of the genres you will find the names of photographers who have worked with that particular subject matter. The other categories I left for you to Google and discover on your own. Explore!
People – (Yourself and Others): Cindy Sherman, Rinee Dijkstra, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Seiichi Furuya, & Nicholas Nixon
Animals – (Wildlife, Pets, Insects, Fish, Amphibians, etc.): Frans Lanting,
Plants – (Flowers, Fruits, Vegetables, Trees, etc…):
Landscapes (Earth, Water, Fire, & Sky) Eliot Porter, Takehito Miyatake
New Topography: Robert Adams, Lewis Baltz,
Nature/Wildlife: Ami Vitalee, Barbara Bosworth, Lucas Foglia, Jean Luc Chapin, & Olafur Eliasson
Religion/Spirituality: Garin Horner, Abbas Attar, Jonas Bendiksen
Ideology:
History: Hiroshi Sugimoto
Philosophy:
Social Resistance: Paz Errazuriz, Alberto Korda
Incorporating Text: Victor Burgin, Ken Lum, Barbara Kruger, Martha Rosler,
Science: Eadward Muybridge,
Society: William Klein,
Cultural: Jacques-Henri Lartigue, Susan Meiselas, Alex Webb, Raghubir Singh, Martin Chambi
Cultures: August Sander, Edward Curtis
Art: Too many photographers to list!
Politics: Pete Souza, Nacho Lopez
Travel: Annapurna Mellor,
The Past, the Present, & the Future: Chino Otsuka
Memories:
Family: Adriana Lestido,
Non-conformity: Motoyuki Daifu
Stories (Narrative): Joel Sternfeld, Richard Misrach, Duane Michals
Food:
Controversial Subjects: Irina Ionesco, Jock Sturges, Leigh Ledare, Aitken Jolly, Ohm Phanphiroj, Jorge Claude Cahun, and Terry Richardson.
Manmade structures: Bernd & Hilla Becher
Cities: Andreas Feininger, Andre Kertesz
Rural: Josef Sudek, Stephan Shore, Bill Owens,
Nude: Helmut Newton, Jan Saudek, Karin Szekessy, Edward Weston, Nobuyoshi Araki
Nighttime Scenes:
Color: David LaChapelle
A Wide Variety of Objects
Non-Visible Subjects
Emotions (anger, joy, social anxiety, stress, etc.): Jill Greenberg
Psychologically Dark: Kavan Cardoza
Spirituality (religion, good vs. evil):
Identity:
Sexual Identity:
Imaginary: Alex Stoddard
Fantasy: Magdalena Russocka
Your Story:
Ideas:
Poetry:
Music:
Colors (Also Interpreted in Black and White):
Aromas:
Flavors:
Tragedy: Lori Nix,
Physical sensations:
Hopes, Dreams, Pleasures, & Fears: Haruhiko Kawaguchi
The Application of Technique
Analog Film (35mm SLR, Medium Format, & Large Format):
Black and White: Daido Moriyama,
Digital (Phone, Mirrorless camera, or DSLR):
Hybrid Processes (Film with Scanning to Digital)
Historic/Alternative Processes (Gelatine Silver, Cyanotype, Collotype,
Van Dyke Brown, and others)
Compositing (Photoshop): Carl Warner,
Lenses (Normal, Macro, Telephoto, or Zoom):
Zoom with Your Feet (Physically move closer or farther away from the subject):
Angles (Eye Level, Worm’s Eye View, Bird’s Eye View, or Dutch Angle): Bill Brandt
Framing (Macro, Close-up, Wide Shot, ¾ Shot, Medium Shot, or Point-of-View “POV”):
Single Frame vs. Diptych, Triptych, & Multi Frame presentation:
Juxtaposition:
Compare/Contrast: Gregory Scott, Richard Koenig,
Light Painting: Georgia Shattky, David Lebe, Pete Eckert, & Michael Bosanko
Multimedia/Video/Graphics/Drawing/Painting:
On-Location (Site Specific): Natalie Fletcher
Design Oriented (Lines, Planes of Color, Textures, & Patterns): Mika Ninagawa
Composition (Use of Negative Space, Rule of Thirds, etc.)
Minimalism: Rinko Kawauchi
Montage: William Notman, John Heartfield, George Grosz, Lola Alvarez Bravo, Jemma Kelly, Misha Gordin, David Hockney, Romare Bearden
Photo-essay: W. Eugene Smith & James Nachtwey
Series: Andy Warhol, Jenny Saville, Carrie Mae Weems,
Collage: Alexander Rodchenko
Creative: Philippe Halsman, Man Ray, Stephanie Jung,
Panorama: Ed Ruscha
Mood and Atmosphere:
Typology: Boris Mikhailov, Bern & Hilla Becher, Ed Ruscha, Michael Wolf, & Taryn Simon
Symbolism, Metaphors, and Analogies:
Dark/Bright High Key vs Low Key): Jay Seeley, Amy Haslehurst
Studio: Howard Schatz, Michael Grecco
Abstract (Organic or Geometric): Paul Strand, Paul Outerbridge, Luigi Ghirri
Conceptual: Laszlo Maholy-Nagy, John Baldessari, & Frank Hallam Day
Long Exposure (Nigt Photography, Panning, and use of Neutral Density Filters):
Multiple Exposure (or image layering): Frederick Sommer, Idris Kahn
Motion/Movment (Blur/Freeze vs Handheld/Tripod): Harold Edgerton, Eadweard Muybridge, Harriet James-Weed, Ray Demski,
Depth of Field (Selective Focus):
Clarity (f64 Group vs. Pictorialism): Alvin Langdon Coburn, Arnold Genthe, David Octavius Hill, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz,
Impressionistic:
Surreal: Man Ray, Herbert Bayer, Dora Maar, Toshiko Okanoue, and Chema Madoz
Dark (Horror):
Humor:
Tilt-Shift (Lensbaby or Large Format Camera):
Reflections (in water, windows, or mirrors):
Color Palette:
High Dynamic Range (HDR): Dan Burkholder
Shutter Speed (Time Exposure, Long Exposure, Panning, Fast Exposure): Paul Schneggenburger, Gerald Sanders,
Aperture (Selective Depth of Field):
Focus (soft/sharp): f64 Group, Pictorialists, Imogen Cunningham
Silhouette/Shadows: Susan kae Grant
Illustration:
Nostalgia:
Period (appears to be from a specific time in history):
Light (Quality, Intensity, Direction, and Color):
Lighting (natural, strobe, candle, or other):
Time Exposure Photography:
Multi-media (photography with other art forms): Matthew Brandt, Maurizio Anzeri, Lisa Kokin, Joseph Parra, Vasilisa Forbes,
Hybrid (Scanning film negatives):
Career Topics (Fine Art and Professional):
Fashion: David Bailey, Mario Testino, Horst P. Horst, Charlotte March, & Matthew Tischler
Sports: Neil Leifer, Charles Conlon, Heinz Kluetmeier, Al Bello
Pets: William Wegman
Aerial/Drone:
Lifestyle (Events: Weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, Vacation, Cruise Ship):
Concert:
Portrait (art/commercial): Richard Avedon, Anne Geddes, Yousuf Karsh,
Arnold Newman Irving Penn, Aitken Jolly
People (race, culture, the human condition): Bruce Davidson, Mary Ellen Mark
Food photographer:
Automotive:
Travel: Harry Gruaert, Sam Abell, Jim Richardson, Annie Griffiths, Alice Gao, & Rick Sammon
Street: Walker Evans, Gary Winogrand, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Vivian Maier, and Martin Parr, André Kertész, Brassai,
Rural Life:
City Life: Raghu Rai
Real Estate:
Photojournalist/news/AP/War Correspondent: Weegee, Robert Doisneau, Steve
McCurry, Robert Capa, Margaret Bourke-White, Gordon Parks
Documentary:
Medical:
Law Enforcement:
Advertising:
Architecture: Andreas Gursky, Nick Frank, Gabriele Basilico,
Editorial:
Stock:
Fine Art:
Tableaux: Arthur Tress, Gerhard Vormvald, Philip-Lorca di Corcia
Underwater:
Product/Tabletop:
Activism: Shahidul Alam
Social Justice: Lynsey Addario, Ruth Prieto Arenas, Malin Fezehai,
Lewis Hine, and Magnum Foundation Photographers
Racial Justince/Equality: Naresh Nil’s series, “Dark is Divine” and Ruddy Roye
Animal Rights: Nick Brandt,
Environmental: Edward Burtynsky, David McMillan,
LGBTQ+: Jess T. Dugan, Anita Khemka
Environmental:
Community Outreach (Photo Voice):
War: Don McCullin, Larry Burrows,
Diverse Subjects: Edward Weston,