WHAT IS HORROR PHOTOGRAPHY?
^Katerina423 wrote an awesome definition of horror photography, and I'm going to quote that to you rather than reword it because it already says everything I want to say. So full credit for the bit in italics goes to Kat.

The Horror and Macabre Photography Gallery is a very specific genre and the gallery description states that it is intended for "photographs which focus on the frightening, grotesque and disturbing." That may seem like a rather broad definition, but it actually narrows down to a very specific type of art.

First, this is a photography gallery which means that the majority of the piece should be created in-camera. Adding blood splatter brushes, a crackled texture to skin, or cloning out the iris and pupils of your eye makes your work digital art.

Second, and most importantly, the "frightening, grotesque, and disturbing" refers to work that has an atmosphere. Again, think about horror movies. Despite the fact that there are many different sub-genres of horror, they all have one thing in common - atmosphere. That eerie creepy feeling that crawls up your spine, the bump in the night, the twisty turny thing your stomach does when the splatter of blood hits the ground...THAT is atmosphere.



BUT MY TEDDY BEAR IS SCARY!
When I first joined dA and was figuring out where everything was and what it meant, I would not only read the gallery description to help me decide where to submit but would also have a look at what was already in that gallery to gauge whether or not my work would fit in there comfortably. I'm assuming that other people do this too. In a gallery with loads of random stuff floating around that shouldn't be there, its easy to misunderstand what should be there. For example, if you had some cool photos of your friends in their Halloween costumes and you visited the Horror photography gallery to see if they would fit in there and saw lots of other Halloween costume snaps, its understandable that you would add yours to the collection. Then the next person who came along to look in the gallery would see even more halloween costume snaps and put theirs in there too. See the vicious circle?



ART SHOULDN'T HAVE RULES AND REGULATIONS
I agree. People should be free to create whatever they want (within the confines of the law, obviously) and should indulge their creative urges to the full. If you have your own gallery (like a physical gallery, where things hang on walls) or your own website, you can show what you want and don't have to label anything if you don't feel like it. But if you're showing your work in a gallery that's owned and maintained by someone else, a really huge gallery where loads of different people are all exhibiting their artwork at the same time, definitions and regulations can be a good thing because they allow people to see the stuff they want to see and avoid the stuff they have no interest in. dA is a massive international gallery with hundreds of thousands of artists displaying literally millions of pieces of art at the same time in the same place, so having a system to organise things isn't an attempt to crush your creative spirit or label you as a whatever-type-of-artist - it's a sensible way to arrange all the art so that it reaches an audience that will appreciate it.



IF MY WORK ISN'T HORROR PHOTOGRAPHY, WHAT IS IT?
The galleries listed below are the ones that I find myself relocating the most miscategorised pictures to. There are examples of work from each gallery (with a darker theme) so you can get a better idea of what belongs there. Obviously there are times when pieces of art can fit just as easily into two different galleries (a self-portrait can also be horror, or a horror photo can also be emotive or expressive, for example), so there is often a choice when it comes to where to put your work and that will come down to your own intentions and opinion. It's not always an either/or situation.

Photography > People & Portraits > Self-Portraits
Self-explanatory. Pictures where the model and photographer are the same person go here. Images of models wearing gothic-styled make-up and/or clothing are not automatically horror photos and should be placed in the appropriate People & Portraits gallery.


Photography > People & Portraits > Fashion Portraits
For images where the styling is the focus of the photo. Photos of models in gothic-styled clothing without any actual horror elements belong here.


Photography > People & Portraits > Expressive
For conceptual portraiture. Photos where the human form or face is used to communicate an idea or emotion without any actual horror elements belong here.


Photography > People & Portraits > Emotive Portraits
This is the place for photos which show an artistic insight into the subject or photographer's emotions. Emotive photographs of people without any actual horror elements belong here.


Photography > People & Portraits > Cosplay
This is the place for shots of people in costumes in a cosplay setting. It isn't the place for costume party snapshots though, as it's still an artistic photography gallery.


Photography > People & Portraits > Spontaneous Portraits
This is the place for un-posed (usually environmental) portrait shots. This may be the place for your photos of friends in costume or getting into costume but please bear in mind that this is still an artistic photography gallery, so don't put snapshots here.


Photography > Humourous
This is the place for funny photos which are still artistic in nature. Shots of your 'evil' toys and bleeding gummy bears will be a lot more at home here than in the horror photography gallery.


Photography > Urban & Rural > Gardens, Parks and Cemeteries
Photographs of graveyards are not automatically included in the horror genre. If your graveyard photo is shot in bright sunlight, for example, it is not a horror photo. Unless your graveyard picture is shot with a view to creating an atmosphere suitable for a horror photo, it doesn't belong in the horror gallery.


Photography > Architecture > Statues & Monuments
This is the place for artistic photographs of statues and monuments when shot without the creation of a horror-type atmosphere.


Photography > Darkroom > Digital
This is the place for photographs which have undergone more than the amount of digital editing considered acceptable for the regular photography galleries, including overlaying of textures. There is also a Traditional Darkroom gallery for photos heavily edited in a traditional darkroom rather than an editing programme.


Photography > Photojournalism
If you shoot a picture of an event, or a photo which aims to recount a story, it is probably more suited to the Photojournalism gallery than the Horror photography gallery - if it's an unpleasant event or something horrific looking. For an example, a shot you take of a band wearing scary costumes during a performance goes in Concerts & Musicians, a shot of a footballer breaking his leg during a nasty tackle goes in Sport and pictures of the aftermath of an earthquake goes in Natural Events.


Photography > Still Life > Dolls & Figures
So you have a doll. It looks kind of gothic. Any photo of it must be horror, right? Wrong. If there's a doll involved in a picture that has no actual horror elements, it is not a horror photo. It's a photo of a doll. If you made or customised the doll yourself, you might also want to check out Artisan Crafts > Custom Dolls or Artisan Crafts > Textiles > Plushies


Artisan Crafts > Textiles > Costumes
If your photo shows a costume that you made yourself and the image is all about showing off the costume rather than the person wearing it or the setting it's taken in, consider this gallery for your work.


Artisan Crafts > Culinary Arts > Pumpkin Carving
Yes, pumpkins are carved at Halloween. And yes, Halloween can be a scary time of year. But a picture of a pumpkin that you carved doesn't necessarily belong in the horror photography gallery. To show off your pumpkin carving skills to the max, put your photos in the Pumpkin Carving gallery instead.


Digital Art > Photomanipulation
The Photomanipulation galleries are for images which combine two or more photographic elements to create something new. There are options for Dark and Macabre & Horror photomanips so if your work is horror-y in nature, it will still find a comfy place to sit in the Photomanipulation gallery.


Digital Art > Miscellaneous
This is the place for photos which have been edited more than those in the regular photography of Darkroom galleries, but don't combine two or more photographic elements. For example, photographs with additional elements drawn onto them in a digital editing suite.


Scraps
This is the place for unfinished work,works in progress, screenshots, snapshots and anything else that doesn't belong in the regular galleries for finished art.



ANYTHING ELSE?
Some more stuff you might want to know about...

About self-harm
Remember, photos of REAL self-harm are not permitted on deviantART. If you're concerned about people thinking your horror photo is a picture of a real injury rather than a fake wound, it's a good idea to explain your materials and methods in the description of the deviation. Trying to be enigmatic by refusing to comment on whether the blood in your picture is real or fake doesn't get you anywhere either. As horror photographers, we already have to put up with rude people and their inaccurate assumptions so please do the horror community and yourself a favour and proudly take credit for the awesome make-up effects in your photos.

Reporting deviations
When you report something using the Report Deviation link on the deviation page, your report goes to the CEA team, NOT me. If you want to contact me directly about something in the horror gallery that concerns you, please note me.

Your work isn't being insulted...
...if it's relocated to a different gallery. No-one is out to get you or trying to hurt your feelings. If your work is moved out of the horror gallery and you want to talk about it, if you're not sure about submitting to the horror gallery, or you have any concerns about anything relating to horror photography on dA, you are always welcome to note me and we'll have a chat.




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