Gallery Descriptions & Miscats Month
Animals, Plants, & Nature (APN) is the second largest photography gallery here at DeviantArt. Boasting 13 subcategories ranging from the tiniest of insects to the most impressive of weather events, there is a never ending possibility of discovery when browsing APN. But 13 subcategories can also cause some confusion when you're trying to figure out where your nature photograph best fits in. This article will divide up the 13 subcategories into three major groups:Together we'll explore the different subcategories that fall under each group, their gallery descriptions, and show you some example images of the artwork you should find there. If you're looking for some extra tips about where your work belongs, I encourage you to check out the "Where to Submit Your APN Photos!" reference guide. Let's begin!
Animals
The different animal subcategories of APN comprise the largest group of subcategories... Six in total! Included under Animals are Aquatic Life (also included under Plants), Birds, Domesticated Animals, Invertebrates, Reptiles & Amphibians, and Wild Animals. So if the main subject of your photograph is any sort of animal... One of these categories will likely fit your piece the best. However, keep in mind that APN photography should include minimal to NO human or manmade features. So if your photograph contains an animal and a human as the main subjects, you may want to explore one of the People & Portraits categories for your submission!
Aquatic Life
"Photographs of plants and animals living underwater."
Let's move on to the various Plants categories you can choose from!
Next on the list is the Nature group!
"Photographs of nature involving the sky or weather features as the most significant element."
Birds
"Photographs where birds are the primary subject." Domesticated Animals
"Photographs of animals that have been domesticated (tamed to live with humans), as either pets or livestock, and which depend on humans for survival." Invertebrates
"Photographs of invertebrates, such as insects, snails, arachnids and starfish." Reptiles & Amphibians
"Photographs of reptiles and amphibians, such as lizards, snakes, turtles, frogs and salamanders." Wild Animals
"Photographs of animals that do not typically live with people including captive wild animals." Let's move on to the various Plants categories you can choose from!
Plants
There are multiple plants categories to choose from in APN photography. Before any of you plot an uprising, I know fungi are not a plant HOWEVER since they "grow", they fit here for the purposes of this article. The two actual plant categories are Aquatic Life and Flowers, Trees, & Plants. Yes, Aquatic Life was just reviewed as part of the Animals group but the definition does include underwater plant life as well! Essentially, if the main subject of your photograph is something that grows... it belongs in one of the following categories.
Aquatic Life
"Photographs of plants and animals living underwater."
Flowers, Trees, & Plants
"Photographs of plant life, such as trees, flowers, shrubs and herbs." Fungi
"Photographs of fungi, such as yeast, molds, lichens, mushrooms and toadstools." Next on the list is the Nature group!
Nature
The nature group of subcategories consists of all things scenery. There are four APN subcategories that fit this area: Geology, Landscapes, Waterscapes, and Weather & Sky. If your deviation's main focus is natural scenery of the world around you, then one of these subcategories is for you! But artist beware... the nature subcategories of APN are a common ground for miscategorization. If the photograph's main subject is a human or man made element then it does not belong here! As with the Animal group, if a human or man made element is the primary focus of your piece, you may want to consider submitting to a different photography category such as People & Portraits, Architecture, or Urban & Rural!
Geology
"Photographs of geological features, such as rocks and natural geological formations." Landscapes
"Photographs of natural scenes that have land as their main focus, and which is usually free of man-made obstructions and human activity." Waterscapes
"Photographs of natural scenery that contains water as the main subject, including oceans, rivers, waterfalls, and lakes." Weather & Sky
Conclusion
So that summarizes all of the APN subcategories according to their group with the exception of the Other category. You should really only ever submit to APN->Other if your deviation does not fit ANY other APN subcategory or other photography category on DeviantArt!
BUT WAIT!
My photograph could fit in more than one of these categories... Which one do I choose?!
Overlap is a very common occurrence in APN photography. Many photographs can fit in multiple areas. For example, a photograph of a crocodile could fit in Reptiles & Amphibians and Wild Animals. Or a photograph of a goldfish could fit Aquatic Life and Domesticated Animals. As the artist, it is up to you to choose where you think your photograph fits best. Can you see the fish bowl for the goldish? Perhaps consider Domesticated Animals over Aquatic Life, since the fish is quite clearly a pet.
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