Photographer Tags

Posted by: Prof V. on: 13 December 2007

• In: photo technique | photographers
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A Photo Editor has listed a number of tags that photographers can use to “classify” themselves. This of course, assumes you aren’t already classified by society as something like a portrait photographer, landscape photographer, child photographer, etc.

So here are the tags.

Some of these are pretty out there and I’m really unsure of the meaning. Like what’s this last group all about? Well, anyway, starting at the top, I figured I’d try to see where I fit in.Oops, I’m stuck already. Color or b&w. I like both. I use both. However since I use digital, I use both in the post-processing. I suppose this would really matter if I were using film. Then it would be clearer–do I use color or b&w film? And what about sepia and cross-processing? So I’ll skip this category for now.

The next two groups are much easier. While I do have both film and digital, I must be honest and say I overwhelmingly prefer digital. I do enjoy immediate gratification. Additionally, I enjoy the immediate gratification of using available light. I don’t like to haul around lights or miss a photo opportunity because I don’t have the “proper lighting equipment” available with me.

The next two groupings are problematic again. When I do use film I have three cameras to select from and they are medium format, 35mm and a lomo. I enjoy each of them and they each have their own individual benefits. Likewise there is the grouping on street photography. If you shoot people, you shoot just that–people. Must one differentiate between gender and age? I suppose if I’m in the studio or on site my preference is to shoot pregnant women and babies. But this really leaves out another important option–landscape. My first love is to shoot on location whatever I see that Mother Nature provides to me.

And finally we come to the category which I undertand as the kinds of manipulation performed on photos–the post processing performed. Well, this certainly varies. I always use Lightroom. That’s one constant. I sometimes also go into Photoshop. From there… well, it really depends on what kind of mood I’m in.

Now based on this list of tags I’ve come up with these main tags for myself:

• mainly digital (sometimes film)
  
• available light
• expecting mothers and children
• location, location, location
  
• portrait and/or landscape
  
• still life / fine art
• raw and natural captured moments
  
• outdoor

Naturally, there is always some deviation. Whatever catches my eye, my soul, my heart…well, that’s what I shoot.

So what kind of a photographer are you. Can you be put in a peg. Apparently I’m too square for a round peg.

Tags: tags