Tangents

photography tutorials, reviews & workshops

tangents photography blog
learn : discuss : share
subscribe today
  • Tangents
  • Tutorials
    • Flash Photography
    • Wedding Photography
    • Studio Photography
    • Posing People
    • Understanding Your Camera
    • Exposure metering
    • BFT
    • Best Photo Books
  • Workshops
    • Info: Workshops
    • In-person
      tutoring sessions
    • Online
      tutoring sessions
    • Video tutorials
    • Workshops in
      New Jersey (NJ)
    • Workshops in
      New York (NYC)
    • Studio Workshop
    • Workshop results
  • Books
    • On-Camera Flash (revised ed.)
    • Direction & Quality of Light
    • Off-Camera Flash Photography
    • Lighting & Design
    • On-Camera Flash (1st ed.)
  • Reviews
    • Nikon
    • Sony
    • Canon
    • Fuji
    • Profoto
    • lighting gear
  • Projects
    • Two Perspectives
    • B&W Infrared
    • Vintage lenses
    • Time-lapse photography
  • Info
    • About
    • Contact
    • Newsletter
    • Join us on Facebook
    • Books by NvN
    • Acclaim
    • Success Stories
    • Photo Gear
    • Photoshop Actions
    • Support this Site
  • Forum

Finding your niche in photography … or not

February 15, 2022 Neil vN 5 Comments

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.

Filed Under: business & marketing, essays & discussions


 

Help support this website

If you find these articles of value, please help support this website by using these B&H and Amazon affiliate links to order your photo gear.

I also offer photography workshops and tutoring sessions, whether in person, or via online video tutoring sessions.

Stay informed via the monthly newsletter.

Please follow me on Instagram for more.

You can also join our thriving photo community in the Tangents group on Facebook, where we show our photos and discuss all things photography.

Thank you,

Neil vN

Books by Neil van Niekerk


 




5 Comments, Add Your Own

  1. 1Bartosz says

    May 6, 2022 at 5:49 am

    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?

    Reply
  2. 2Valent Lau says

    May 25, 2022 at 2:21 am

    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.

    Reply
  3. 3Jonathan Soltero says

    August 16, 2022 at 8:56 pm

    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.

    Reply
  4. 4Jonathan Ment says

    January 6, 2023 at 10:39 am

    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.’

    Reply
  5. 5David Kindler says

    January 6, 2023 at 1:26 pm

    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.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

categories

Articles & Tutorials

  • • About myself & this site
    • Books by Neil vN
    • Best photography books
    • Black foamie thing
    • Spinlight 360
    • Photographers’ success stories
    • email newsletter
  • • Flash Photography Techniques
    • Natural looking flash
    • Flash + Ambient light
    • Dragging the shutter
    • Bouncing your flash
    • On-camera flash outdoors
    • Exposure metering
    • Flash exposure compensation
    • Bounce flash examples
    • Which is the best flashgun?
    • Flash brackets
    • Off-camera flash photography
    • Flash photography basics
    • Using video lights
    • Flash photography tips
    • Photography books
  • • Photography workshops NJ / NYC
    • Models @ photography workshops
tutorials:
flash photography
Photography
Workshops

Recent Comments

  • Danny Eeltink: Good to hear Neil!!
  • Neil vN: Hi there Danny, Now, more than 5 years later, I am still on top of the world. All is well.
  • Danny: Heya Neil, I saves this blogpost from you as a firm reminder on what can happen and how you can change stuff....
  • Kenneth Fukuda: I just got one from Mr Shaw too! Virtually identical text.
  • Richard Jackson: Currently, the vast majority of electronic speedlights have AF assist beams that use patterns of...

All rights reserved. Copyright © Neil van Niekerk 2023 · Customization by The Traveling Designer

Copyright © 2023 · NvN on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in