5 Ideas for Ranking the Genres of Photographers
In the previous article, I shared with you different classifications to organize the photographic genres.
This time, I will share the different rankings of photographers' genres, so that you can evaluate yourself and improve the quality of your photos.
As always, this article is written only by me. If you have any suggestions or ideas, please contact me using the form at the bottom of the page.
Table of Contents
The Story Behind This Article
When I was doing my research for the essay about the impact of social networks on the way we photograph, I read many studies about the psychological aspect of social networks.
For example, I learned that many people use social networks to satisfy their psychological needs of self-esteem, recognition, and validation.
Immediately, I thought of my classification of photographers' genres. It is a personal classification that I have never told anyone about. I thought it would be interesting to share with you my ideas on the subject. That is when I had an idea to delve deeper into the reasons on why photographers make pictures.
Since I had already covered this article in the blog, I thought that offering you different rankings of photographers' genres would be an interesting approach. You will find my own method of ranking photographers' genres at the end of this article.
I did a lot of research through books and by scouring the internet. In the end, I realized that few people have ventured onto this scabrous terrain. It is true that some reality can hurt. Some photographers prefer not to encounter the wrath of other photographers and to simply agree.
Since this blog is written by me and includes my opinions and beliefs, there may be times where I will certainly state ideas that you may not like. Too bad. In order to share ideas and expand creative ways to make our photos even more interesting, I must be honest. I would rather point out reality to you so that you can benefit from this realization.
If you care about your work and are willing to embrace change, then you are truly a photographer. You know how to get out of your comfort zone.
Let us move on to the different possible classifications.
Why You Should Classify Photographers' Genres
You may be wondering why you should classify the types of photographers and if it will actually help you improve the quality of your photos. The answer is simple.
The more methodology you implement in creating your photos, the more you will develop your photographic awareness, and you will become more efficient and creative. I guarantee you. This is a proven fact. I can testify to my own example of this.
If you can figure out what kind of photographer you are, you will not have to wonder anymore. You will be efficient. You will focus on the essentials. That is to say, creating photos that look like you and that allow you to communicate with others. Moreover, analyzing the kind of photographer you are will perhaps allow you to change your photographic approach and your photographic why.
Ranking #1: Activity
This is the simplest and most common classification. It includes two general classifications:
- Professional photographers.
- Amateur photographers.
Often when you are asked the question, "what kind of photographer are you?" the person is asking you what sort of experience you have. They want to know whether you are just starting out or whether you have been practicing for years.
In my opinion, this is a classification that does not shed any light on the nature of your photographic activity.
A professional photographer is someone who takes pictures to earn money and make a living. This is his job. A professional photographer goes through the following steps:
- He takes pictures in the field.
- He then creates photographic products.
- These products are carried out through marketing campaigns to make the prospects and buyers aware and interested.
- The photographer markets his product to a specific group of prospects.
- Finally, the photos move on to the stage of selling to buyers or clients.
- Then, the photographer maintains commercial relations with his customers to keep contacts and propose new products.
An amateur photographer is a person who takes pictures for pleasure. He may show them in competitions, to friends, to his family, and holds exhibitions in festivals. But his purpose is not to sell. Photography is not his livelihood, even if some of his photos are very good.
This ranking does not establish whether the photos are interesting, whether they make sense, or if they are worth seeing.
You may think that if a professional photographer sells his photos, it is because they are interesting or extraordinary. Well, think again. Professional photographers do not necessarily take pictures that are meaningful or those which establish fantastic communication. Many professional photographers take mundane, uninteresting photos, but they are particularly good at selling them. The professional activity is not a guarantee of photographic or artistic quality. You just have to know how to sell products and how to master communication with your buyers.
If a professional photographer creates interesting pictures that he knows how to sell well, it is because he lives from his passion. There are not that many of them.
You may meet amateur photographers who create breathtakingly good photos with an incredible story woven into their work.
Classifying photographers' genres by the extent of their activity or experience is not sufficient to reflect the quality of a person's photographic activity.
I never use it. I never ask the question of whether a photographer is professional or amateur. This question has no interest to me.
Ranking #2: Specialization
The classification by specialization is a little more interesting than the previous one, because it gives some clues about the nature of the quality of the photos that are created. It includes two genres:
- The specialist photographer.
- The generalist photographer.
This classification does not refer to whether the photographer is an amateur or a professional.
The specialist photographer genre indicates that photographers in this category choose a particular theme. Examples are wildlife photography, portrait photography or architectural photography.
When someone tells you that he specializes in underwater photography, you know exactly what he is talking about, and his pictures are likely to be of specific interest to you.
When a photographer specializes, he focuses on one area. He acquires the techniques most needed. The photographic specialization is a guarantee of technical quality, but nothing says that the photos created are interesting or meaningful.
indicates that a photographer has several extra strings in his bow. He can make street pictures, nature pictures or portraits. A generalist photographer explores many avenues. He is a jack of all trades. The consequence is that he does not master the codes of each theme. The photos can be technically successful, because the photographic principles are the same, whatever the theme: sharpness, focus, speed, aperture, sensitivity, exposure, etc.
But the problem is that the photos of a generalist photographer have little impact. Indeed, when he goes from one theme to another, he has to recreate his universe. The quality of his photos suffers because he has to relearn artistic techniques.
This classification by specialization is interesting, because it gives clues about the quality and interest of the photos created. But as long as we have not seen the photos, it is difficult to form an opinion.