Finding your niche in photography … or not
A photographer friend once told me that regarding my social media presence and my websites, it’s not clear what I do as a photographer. I’m all over the show — portraits, weddings, headshots, corporate stuff, product photography, timelapse. He suggested that I specialize in a niche, and then make sure I stand out in that niche as the best. For example just do product photography, and be the best at products on white. Become even more specialized.
Sounds like solid advice on the surface. Yet, I love the seeming randomness of what I do. The variety keeps burnout at bay. I get to do all kinds of interesting jobs … like on this day in Oct 2021 : photos and videos of a pro-vaccine campaign, with this moving billboard trolling in front of Fox News, before circling around the busiest part of midtown Manhattan. Best of all, it’s a paid gig. Here’s to more randomness in my professional life!
Unless you are so good at what you do these days, you can’t specialize. But I’m trying to be more specific about how deep I can go the variety of work that I can do. I also love the variety, but realize more and more there are certain photography genres I am just ok at and others I am really good at. But I wish I had more time to improve the ones that aren’t my strong suit. There’s always the urge to want to learn more about this ever-fascinating thing called photography.
Neil, how is it that I read this post at the exact moment I was thinking about specializing.
I thought about it, but then I rejected it for fear of burnout.
I think you have to meet the client’s requirements and, on the other hand, take care of yourself and provide yourself with diversity.
Does Michelangelo deal only with sculpture? Is Leonardo da Vinci just painting? Irving Penn just a photo?
An interesting idea. Personally, I’ve been told I need to niche or else they (business network) won’t take me seriously. Then told at another time (same network) they couldn’t use me, because I only photograph people, and not other stuff. In the end the niche or not was just the excuse to justify their already made decision.
You can’t win everyone. In the end, I do what I’m good at, and I’ll do things outside of that if it interests me. Recently I was asked to scan and composite some old photographs. That’s not really photography at all! For whatever reason they really wanted me to do it. They got me with their enthusiasm. It was something different, and they loved the results.
Interesting, I have heard similar explanations from other photographers. They realize they could possibly do better if they home in on one genre, but at the same time, they enjoy the thrill and spontaneity of having no niche.
As for me, I now specialize in boudoir, I’ve tried some of everything and occasionally go back to what turned my hobby into a career, street fashion.
Proverbial saying, late 18th century; originally as a quotation from the English poet William Cowper (1731–1800) in The Task (1785): ‘Variety’s the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavour.’ An earlier version is found in the The Rover (1681) by the dramatist Aphra Behn (1640–89), ‘Variety is the soul of pleasure.’ The Greek dramatist Euripides (c.485–c. 406bc) in his Orestes has, ‘a change is always nice.’
I ended 2022 with two private parties in Connecticut, a high school girls’ hockey game in Chicago (home), a ribbon-cutting for a massive highway infrastructure project, and promotional photos for a holiday drive-through light display near Detroit. I really enjoy the breadth of these gigs. The hard thing about working across an array of niches is dealing with the failures or feelings of falling short on specific gigs where a specialist would likely have succeeded. I also want to give my clients the best work, but sometimes you get called on to do things beyond your comfort and expertise. It’s a struggle to stay confident when working at the edge of your skills and experience. It’s also thrilling because you aren’t locked into stagnant patterns and approaches. Still, it opens the door to imposter syndrome on the regular.