Choose a specialized genre of photography – food photography, wildlife photography or landscape photography

1. Choose a specialized genre of photography – food photography, wildlife photography or landscape photography Somebody once said that food photography is not only about food – this form of photography is a recently developed craze that is attributed mainly to the growth of social media. A commercial food photographer works with only one objective in mind – to create a realistic still image of the food – one that would entice the person looking at the image to try it; one that would make the person visualize the dish just in front of him. Food photography is a specialized genre of photography. The photographer needs to understand the food and its components – in fact have a love for food and cooking so that his work is able to communicate the finesse of the dish to the viewer. There needs to be clarity, proper mix of color, lighting, darkness, texture, shape and form. It has to be just perfect because not many of us like to look at pictures of food items that are ambiguous, unclean and lack polish. Food photography, wildlife photography and landscape photography are different forms of photography that are taught in a commercial photography institute as a part of the diploma curriculum. While food photography revolves around different cuisines, food related customs around the world and use of proper condensation, steam, froth, foam and food color enhancing techniques; wildlife photography is all about learning the tricks of trade to catch wild animals in action or otherwise. The wildlife photographer needs to have an in-depth understanding of the natural habitats of the animal and the species being photographed. He also needs to be prepared to travel a lot, should be well-versed in the native language and ways of the area and should be tuned to spending days together in outdoor locations, in hiking and camping. And most of all, a successful wildlife photographer is the one who know the art of patience, is self-trained in being indiscreet, silent and possesses excellent survival skills. Landscape photography is all about capturing the nature. The photographer will click pictures of the land or the water, vast unending landscapes or a microscopic image, natural or man-made structures, picturesque images or just plain simple terrains. For sure a landscape photographer needs to be in love with nature and look for beauty even in the miniscule things and objects – living or non-living. He has to be an outdoor person and can adapt to camp and hike at any place. He needs to know the art of taking images in naturally available light, shadow and darkness. He has to be fully equipped with technical equipments and is someone who has acquired enough technical know-how of the camera like using the best lens, shutter speed, exposure, sharpness, aperture, drone photography, use of filters, use of tripods and heads etc. At a good photography institute it will be made sure that the students are imparted all required knowledge and practical training related to the different genre of photography. The course also teaches post processing techniques for all the different forms of photography.