Applications of photography LO1

AO1: Describe different applications of photography

·        Advertising;

This kind of photography is used to advertise a particular product such as perfume, clothing, cars, video games, films etc. as with all types of advertising photography it uses certain camera angles to make the product look more glamorous for the audience.

·        Promotional;

This is the style of photography that is used to promote a certain product or item of value. The purpose of this type of photography is to sell a product like a film or television show, a clothing range, perfume etc. you would normally see these types of photographs on billboards or in magazines like Empire, Vogue and Total Film.

·        Fashion;

Fashion photography is a genre of photography devoted to displaying clothing and other fashion items. Fashion photography is most often conducted for advertisements or fashion magazines such as Vogue or Vanity Fair. Over time, fashion photography has developed its own aesthetic in which the clothes and fashions are enhanced by the presence of exotic locations or accessories

·        Photojournalism;

 

This is a style of journalism where images are used to tell a news story. This method is now used in most news reports as they rely mostly on the images shown to get the story’s point across. With this type of photography there is a story in the image, meaning there are connotations to what you see and the image could be quite suggestive or foreshadowing.

·        Portraiture;

Portrait photography or portraiture is of a person or group of people that displays the expression, personality, and mood of the subject. Like other types of portraiture, the focus of the photograph is usually the person's face, although the entire body and the background or context may be included.

·        Architectural;

This is the photography of buildings and similar structures that are considered aesthetically pleasing and accurate representations of their subjects. The main aim of architectural photography is to show audiences different shots of tall skyscrapers. A trait of architectural photography is the use of controlled perspective, with an emphasis on vertical lines that are parallel. This is achieved by positioning the focal plane of the camera at so that it is perpendicular to the ground, regardless of the elevation of the camera eye. This result can be achieved by the use of view cameras, tilt/shift lenses, or post-processing. In a similar fashion to landscape photography, a deep depth of field is usually employed so that both the foreground and background (to infinity) are in sharp focus.

·        Medical;

 The main aim of medical photography is to capture and document a patient’s medical condition. It is therefore vital that the image taken provides an accurate representation of the patient’s condition. Medical photographers usually use digital cameras and flash to photograph patients in the ward, in the operating theatre during surgery and sometimes in the post mortem room. They also use a variety of specialist techniques and equipment. These include micrography, where a camera body is attached to a microscope; time-lapse or high-speed cinematography to records events which occur either too slowly or too quickly for the human brain to see, and the use of infra-red and ultra-violet radiation to record images outside the normal visible range. Endoscopy is used to photograph internal organs. A tube with a light source and a lens is attached to a camera body and fed into a patient’s orifices so that shots can be taken. This is a specialized area of photography that concerns itself with the documentation of the clinical presentation of patients, medical and surgical procedures, medical devices and specimens from autopsy. Medical photography is typically seen in medical leaflets or textbooks that can be found in hospitals/GP or in a school/college.

·        Illustration;

An illustration is a visualization or a depiction made by an artist, such as a drawing, sketch, painting, photograph, or other kind of image of things seen, remembered or imagined using a graphical representation. The aim of an illustration is to elucidate or decorate a story, poem or piece of textual information by providing a visual representation of something described in the text. Illustrations can also represent scientific images of medicine or different processes, a biological or chemical processes or technical illustrations to give information on how to use something. Illustrations can be executed in different techniques, like watercolour, gouache, ink, oil, charcoal chalk or woodcut.

·        Fine art;

Fine art photography stands in contrast to representational photography, such as photojournalism, which provides a documentary visual account of specific subjects and events, literally re-presenting objective reality rather than the subjective intent of the photographer; and commercial photography, the primary focus of which is to advertise products or services.

·        Documentary

Documentary photography usually refers to a popular form of photography used to chronicle both significant and historical events and everyday life. It is typically covered in professional photojournalism, or real life reportage, but it may also be an amateur, artistic, or academic pursuit. The photographer attempts to produce truthful, objective, and usually photography of a particular subject, most often pictures of people.