Genres

Photography Fundamentals

Course 1 · Chapter 9 · Genres: Using What You Know

Same Tools, Different Choices

You now have the tools: exposure (Photography Fundamentals 1), lenses (2), depth of field and focus (3), light (4), composition (5), metering and modes (6), white balance (7) and files (8). A photographic genre is mostly a typical set of choices among them. This chapter takes four genres from Wikipedia's articles and shows which earlier chapter each choice comes from. These are tendencies described by those articles, not rules.

Portrait

Wikipedia's Portrait photography article says portraiture aims to capture a person's or group's personality through lighting, backdrops and poses.

Lens. Fast, moderate-focal-length telephoto lenses are typical. For head-and-shoulders shots, the classic lengths are 75 to 135 mm on 135 film (full frame), which the page describes as about 1.5 to 2.5 times a normal lens. Short focal lengths can exaggerate the nose and shrink the ears, which the page considers unflattering. (Chapter 2: a normal lens on full frame is about 43 to 50 mm.)
Aperture. A wide aperture gives shallow depth of field, which isolates the subject. Stopping down one or two stops helps keep the whole face sharp when focusing on the eyes. (Chapters 1 and 3.)
Light. Three-point lighting uses a key, a fill and a back light, with the key about 30 to 60 degrees from the camera. High-key is mostly shadow-free with a bright background; low-key lights only part of the subject, typically with one light. Window light is best in early morning and late afternoon, and a reflector can even out contrast. (Chapter 4.)

Landscape

The Landscape photography article defines it as capturing the world's outdoor spaces, usually nature but sometimes including human-made features.

Aperture. The whole scene usually needs to be sharp, so a small aperture is typical, with f/11 to f/13 described as best for clarity and depth of field. A small aperture admits less light, so a slower shutter is often needed, which can blur moving leaves or water. (Chapters 1 and 3.)
Lens. A wide-angle lens is generally preferred for wide open spaces; a telephoto can isolate a smaller area at a distance. (Chapter 2.)
Support. A tripod is "widely regarded as essential"; a timer, remote or cable release avoids vibration. (Chapter 1's shutter-speed rule of thumb applies when hand-holding.)
Light. Natural ambient light, with dawn, dusk, sunrise and golden hour among the best times. (Chapter 4.)

Street

The Street photography article describes it as photography for art or inquiry that captures unmediated chance encounters and random incidents in public places, often aiming for a decisive or poignant moment. It does not require a street or even people.

Equipment. Classically shot with wider-angle lenses (the article gives 35 mm as an example) in urban environments. It credits the compactness and bright viewfinder of the Leica with helping photographers move through busy streets. (Chapter 2.)
Candid nature. Generally unposed, usually with unaware subjects, though some photographers interact with strangers and take posed street portraits.

Check the law and the ethics

The article says photographing strangers in public without consent is legal in most countries that protect freedom of expression, but is controversial, and limits often apply to how images are used. Its examples differ by country: Quebec generally requires consent before publication; Germany has a right to one's own picture, so publication usually needs permission; Japan needs permission to photograph and publish recognisable people; US courts have generally treated street photography as protected speech. Critics raise privacy and autonomy concerns. This is a summary of an encyclopedia article, not legal advice, and laws change (check). Look up the rules where you actually shoot.

Close-up and Macro

The Macro photography article says that strictly a macro photograph has an optical reproduction ratio of 1:1 or greater, meaning the image on the sensor is life-size or larger. It gives typical ranges: close-up 0.1 to 0.5 times, extreme close-up 0.5 to 1.0 times, macro 1.0 to 35 times, and notes many lenses marketed as macro are technically close-up lenses.

Depth of field. Extremely small when focusing on close objects, so a small aperture is often needed, which means a slow shutter, strong light or a high ISO. (Chapter 3.)
Extension tubes and bellows. Magnification m = d / F, where d is the extension and F the focal length.
Exposure. The effective f-stop is f times (1 + m), so you lose light at close range.
Close-up (diopter) lenses. Power in diopters is 1 divided by the focal length in metres.
Other. Telephoto macro lenses of about 100 to 200 mm give more working distance; focus stacking combines shots at different focus distances; ring flashes and diffusers light close subjects.

The script applies those three formulas. The light-loss column, log2 of (1 + m) squared in stops, is my own application of Chapter 1's stop definition to the article's formula (check). I ran it and the output is shown.

from math import log2

def magnification(extension, focal_length):
    return extension / focal_length

def effective_f(n, m):
    return n * (1 + m)

def diopters(focal_length_m):
    return 1 / focal_length_m

for ext in (0, 25, 50, 100):
    m = magnification(ext, 100)
    stops = log2((1 + m) ** 2)
    print(f"100 mm + {ext:>3} mm extension: m = {m:.2f}, f/8 acts like f/{effective_f(8, m):.1f}, light loss {stops:.2f} stops")
print("Close-up lens, 0.5 m focal length:", diopters(0.5), "diopters")

# Output
100 mm +   0 mm extension: m = 0.00, f/8 acts like f/8.0, light loss 0.00 stops
100 mm +  25 mm extension: m = 0.25, f/8 acts like f/10.0, light loss 0.64 stops
100 mm +  50 mm extension: m = 0.50, f/8 acts like f/12.0, light loss 1.17 stops
100 mm + 100 mm extension: m = 1.00, f/8 acts like f/16.0, light loss 2.00 stops
Close-up lens, 0.5 m focal length: 2.0 diopters

Life size costs two stops

At m = 1 (life size) the effective aperture is twice the marked one, f/8 acting like f/16, which per Chapter 1's table is two full stops. That agrees with the formula, but I did not test it with a real lens and meter, and cameras that meter through the lens may compensate automatically (check).

Not Yet Verified, and Sources

Sources. Wikipedia articles Portrait photography, Landscape photography, Street photography (read to about 100,000 of 112,846 characters) and Macro photography (about 100,000 of 110,609). All were read through page summaries; the unread tails were not checked.
Not on the pages read. Zone focusing, the stops-lost conversion in the script, automatic compensation by cameras, and any current law (all check).
Not tested. I did not test any technique with a real camera.

Exercises

Exercise 1

A 50 mm lens at f/4 is used with a 25 mm extension tube. Find the magnification, the effective f-number and the light lost in stops, using the script's formulas.

→ Solution

Exercise 2

For each scene, name the genre from this chapter and suggest a focal length range, an aperture and a time of day, justifying each by an earlier chapter: (a) a hillside valley at sunrise, (b) a head-and-shoulders portrait by a window, (c) a stranger crossing a busy road.

→ Solution

Exercise 3

A close-up lens is rated 3 diopters. What is its focal length in metres? Then a 200 mm lens gets a 100 mm extension: what is the magnification, and does it reach the strict macro definition?

→ Solution

Quick Reference

Portrait: 75 to 135 mm full frame, wide aperture, soft side or window light
Landscape: wide angle, f/11 to f/13, tripod, dawn or dusk light
Street: wide angle such as 35 mm, candid; check local law
Macro: 1:1 or greater; m = d / F; effective f = f times (1 + m)
Check: law, stops formula, automatic compensation

Coming next

Photography Fundamentals 10 is a capstone: planning, shooting and reviewing a photo walk using everything in this course.