There are several areas in which photographers may specialize.

Portrait Work

portrait photographers take pictures of individuals or small groups. Portrait subjects include pets, children etc. Photographers prefer that their subjects come to the studio to be photographed, because arranging the lighting is a lot easier. 

However, there is an increasing demand for portraits in the home, garden or workplace, especially in the case of children's portraits. Wedding and other group photographs (e.g. sports and social clubs) form another important part of the work. 

Wedding photography now offers more scope for creative pictures in a less formal style than in earlier years.

Commercial Photography

In commercial photography, a photographer takes pictures of merchandise, exteriors and interiors, machinery both indoors and outdoors to be used in advertising and selling. 

Commercial photographers are also required to take pictures for company brochures and annual reports. These reports have pictures of the interiors of the factory, products etc.

Advertising

Advertising photographers are usually provided with instructions as to what exactly has to be photographed. However they are also expected to suggest their own ideas for new angles.

Advertising photographs are taken either by the photographic departments of advertising agencies, by photographic studios; or by freelance photographers. A large number of photographers do catalogue work, while some studios specialize in `mail order' photography. 

This is the best-paid and most competitive branch; success depends entirely on ability, efficiency and the right personality.

Industrial photography

The industrial photographer's work is similar to that of a commercial photographer. However the main emphasis is on taking pictures for a single company or firm, which may lead to the improvement of factory organizations and products.

Fashion photography

Fashion photography as a career developed recently in India. Most fashion photography is done by specialist studios or freelancers who are commissioned by fashion houses of advertising agencies; they usually work under the direction of a fashion expert. 

The fashion picture is inevitably a picture made by the photographer. This is not surprising because it is in fashion photography that all the inputs of styles are given their simultaneous expression: the fabric, the stylists, the designer and the model.

Feature photography

This essentially involves telling a story in pictures and therefore a journalistic sense is needed. Feature photographers may work with reporters as a team; they may be freelancers, or then work for studios. The work is varied, and leads to assignments at any time and in any place-photographing VIPs at home, or life in foreign parts, or schools at work, anything that makes a story. 

Many photographers specialize in the photography of wildlife, sports travel, environment etc.
Press photographers must be versatile with an ability to photographs all kinds of subjects. They must know what makes a good news picture; be able to write accurate captions, work well with reporters; be quick and often work under difficult conditions.

Editorial photographers

They work mainly for magazines, nearly always as freelancers. The main task of an editorial photographer is to pictorially illustrate what is written in the article or report. Work can be varied, depending on the article or report, which needs illustration.