Only thing you will lose by using the [post_snippets] shortcode is pagination but otherwise it’s all same code working beneath. If you do not have a need for pagination, I would urge you to consider it as valid use. If “recent work” is not a good example but here is a better one as an example of how this shortcode works –
https://www.livemeshthemes.com/extinct/portfolio-shortcodes/
The shortcode is pretty versatile. If you want to still create a separate template with category filter, give me couple of days time and I will be able to get something done wherein you can specify the categories for a portfolio template. Since this is a popular request, I can make this process a little easier for everyone with your help. Hope you can wait.