Use Your Photographic Skills in Another Genre and Test How Good You Really Are

Is it possible to transfer whatever you have learned in one genre of photography to another?

In my latest video, I visit tulip field. Beside the classic vista photo of the converging rows of tulips, flower photography is far from what I usually do. I mainly focus on the big epic vistas from Iceland and the Faroe Islands, so trying something new was both refreshing and interesting.

I believe the basic visual aesthetics and tools you use for composing a photo are the same independent of the genre. You can even argue they are the same independent of medium. Paintings, photographs, sculptures etc. all work from the same basic principles.

Visiting this field, I fast gave up on the classic epic vista photo. However, with the big variety in colors and forms of the tulips it was all about using the compositional skills I had already learned. Focal point, leading lines, depth, edge patrol, framing, color theory etc. all came to good use. I used both the long lens to zoom into details and isolate single tulips in the sea of tulips and the wide-angle with a shallow depth of field to create a strong sense of depth.

Check out the video above where I share all my thoughts on composing the photos I shot that day.

Have you tried other genres of photography, how did it go? Let me hear below.

Mads Peter Iversen's picture

Danish Fine Art Landscape Photographer and YouTuber. He is taking photos all over the world but the main focus is the cold, rough, northern part of Europe. His style is somewhere in between dramatic and colorful fantasy and Scandinavian minimalism. Be sure to check out his YouTube channel for epic landscape photography videos from around the world.

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3 Comments

I could not agree more, specializing in one genre may help you build a career but trying other disciplines prevents boredom and makes photography fun again.

I totally use it in my illustration work

I’m at work, so I’ll have to watch the video when I get home. That’s being said, I’ve seen some of your posts on Instagram. It was great to see you trying something new. I always like seeing pros try something new, as it’s always interesting to see them challenge themselves and struggle to make something up to their normal standard. I’m a big believer in trying new things. Just this year, I’ve shot landscapes, flowers, and most recently building abstracts. Since doing building abstracts, I see the city in a completely different way. Variety is good in both life and photography.

If you ever come Tokyo, I strongly recommend looking at it through a 70-200.