Doing homework and working always consumes my time, but when I'm not doing either, I'm taking pictures. Growing up, my dad was ALWAYS taking pictures (he's a professional photographer so that's not surprising) and teaching me and my sister things about taking pictures. Having a photographer for a dad is pretty cool, who can say they got their senior pictures done by a professional for free (I can). This is just a short list of my favorite types of photography.

1. Candid Shots

Candid shots are a personal favorite. Moments that are captured spontaneously, in my opinion, have the realist effect. What I mean by that is, when you take an off-guard photo, you capture that moment in all its glory. A lot of wedding photos consist of candid shots. My dad and sister are very photogenic in my opinion.)

Tip(s): For candids, I like to use a portrait lens (a Canon 50mm is what I used for both of the shots below). I like how the lens blurs the background.

2. Nature Shots

Nature photography has a wide range of options. It's devoted to natural elements such as landscape, wildlife, plants, and close-ups of textures and natural scenes.

Tip(S): A personal preference I have with nature shots is to take the shots during sunset or sunrise (the golden hour is no joke folks). If you want to focus more on landscapes, that's what I do, I recommend having a tripod to use, especially if you need to set the shutter speed really low. Trust me on this one, it's super difficult to get a non-blurry photo on a low shutter speed without a tripod.

3. Portrait Shots

Portrait photography can be a very useful and universal project. It gives viewers a chance to connect with the subject of the picture. They can include headshots or full-body shots and can express a huge variety of emotions and imagery.

Tip(s): Increase your shutter speed. I've seen this on a few photography blogs and I will 110% vouch for it. People like to move around, blink, or change expressions as they're photographed. To avoid problems like a half-blink or motion blur, you'll need a higher shutter speed. This will also ensure sharper photos.
I'm gonna recommend the golden hour again here. The lighting looks very nice with portraits.

4. Abstract Photography

Experimental, conceptional, or concrete photography are all synonyms for abstract photography. Abstract photography uses things like color, light, shadow, texture, or shape. Like abstract art, you make what you want of this photography.

Tip(s): Experiment with white balance. With abstract photography, you don't need to follow the rules of conventual photography. Tweak the white and create something interesting and never seen before. Capture motion! Use a low shutter speed and capture a range of effects.

5. Dark Photography

This is my favorite category on photography, and I will go on the record for saying that. Dark photography has such a huge variety of what you can do. You can either do dark photography on a lighting level or an abstract level. What I mean if, let your imagination roam with this.

Tip(s): Be creative. A lot of dark photography is one of a kind.

When I wanted darker photos, I would set my shutter speed higher, but this isn't the best route to take, just an easy one. Doing this gives me a bunch of trouble and I still have to go back and edit my photos darker, sometimes lighter if I make the shutter speed way too high. After I got tired of constantly readjusting my settings or editing my photos, I read up a bunch on what to do and I highly recommend adjusting your ISO. Keep in mind, ISO can add noise to your image and noise is more likely to show up in shadows. (My dad also told me this, but when do I actually listen to my parents?)