When I tell people I'm a photographer, I get a lot of people asking me to take portrait or wedding photos. They're always a bit puzzled when I turn them down. But that's not the type of photographer I am. My photography consists primarily of landscapes, nature and still life (like food or product photography), although I do like to dabble in other genres.
A quick search on the internet reveals there are as many as 106 different types of photography. I find that some of those types are rather narrowly defined, and there can be much overlap between photography genres. But here is a brief overview of some of the main categories so that you can get an idea of how broad the subject of photography actually is.
People
People photography includes portrait, wedding, fashion, grad, team, dance, journalism, holiday portraits, boudoir, children, baby, event, family, glamour, headshot, sports, maternity, nude, and probably more that I haven't thought of. Photographing people often requires a larger monetary investment in equipment such as lenses, lighting, reflectors, sometimes backdrops and props. If people are paying you to take their picture, they expect you to make them look good! It helps if you have a talent for putting people at ease and patience for working with small children who may not understand what's going on and might even be frightened of the strange equipment.
Places
Photographers who enjoy travel might find themselves taking landscape, cityscape, seascape, travel, real estate, architectural, aerial, drone, or even mapping photos. Most often they are freelance, selling their photos to magazines or as stock photography. Particularly beautiful or unusual landscapes may be found Fine Art, or used in calendars, cards and coffee table books.
Art
Quite a lot of art photography is manipulated whether it's in camera with lenses, prisms, gels, props, backdrops, filters, forced perspective, and/or edited with Photoshop or other digital photo editors. It is a means of creative expression meant to evoke certain feelings in the viewer. Fine art, still life, concept, abstract, fantasy, miniatures, and composite photography can all fall into this category.
Action
Some of the most dynamic photos taken are often of people, machines or animals doing things. Sports, photojournalism, war, adventure (extreme sports or wilderness activities) can be either planned or unplanned shots.
Nature
Nature photography is often used to create art, or document events. It can be dramatic or soothing. It often emcompasses things such as pets, wildlife, insect, macro, plants, weather, underwater, and astronomy. Nature photographers often journey to remote locations and may have very specific equipment such as long lenses to get great photos at a distance.
Documentation
Documentation photography is perhaps the most underrated type of photography, but it's everywhere around us. Photojournalism is probably what first comes to mind as we see photos in our newspapers, online, on television, etc., that document events, both local and worldwide. Forensic photographs taken at crime scenes make a huge impact in the justice world. Scientific, medical, military, and engineering photos are incredibly useful for instruction manuals, textbooks, restoration and reconstruction purposes.
Commercial
Commercial photography is everywhere around us. It can consist of product photography, advertising, concept, stock, food, business, lifestyle, still life, catalogue/internet, jewellery, automotive, and so much more!
With so many different types of photography, it's not surprising to see photographers combining several types together in the services they offer. Most commonly, someone who does portraits, will often do weddings, family, grad, maternity and children. Someone who is of a more artistic bent may gravitate towards fine art, concept, and composite. On the other hand, someone who is more adventurous might do freelance photography featuring travel, action/adventure, and photojournalism. The possibilities are as endless as the people who enjoy doing photography for a hobby or a living.