NICHE or NO NICHE!
(pronounced either neesh or nitch....both are acceptable)
As a serious
photographer, or dedicated hobbyist, have you found your niche?
Have you discovered a subject you love to photograph above
everything else? If you can answer
that question with a confident “yes”, then stop reading and go spend this time
photographing more puppies, mushrooms, brides or whatever your passion is!
But if you are inclined to answer that question with a hesitant
“maybe” or a frustrated “no”, then continue reading to get my perspective on
how to find your niche, or more importantly, how to decide if you really need
to have a niche!
If you travel in photography circles, you no doubt have run
across discussions that give advice about narrowing down your subject matter to
what you truly love to photograph, and then concentrating on honing your skills
in that specific area or genre.
Usually these discussions end with something like, “Don’t
worry if you haven’t found your niche, or discovered your signature style, just
keep on shooting and it will come.”
And many times it does!
Your niche often evolves and will bring a certain level of comfort and encouragement
to help you move forward in a specific direction.
But I have discovered that many photographers, even many who
have been shooting for years, (or decades like me), still haven’t found their
niche!! Why not! For me, limiting the genre of
photography I enjoy, or the subjects I like to shoot, or the styles I like to
experiment with, feels too boring, too restrictive, too confining, like being
in a photographic prison! (Okay, that
last part may be a bit dramatic!)
For years I thought about this and worried about it. If I continued to photograph everything
I saw that was interesting to me, I probably would never be skillful at shooting
anything, (you know, to paraphrase the saying, “A Jack (or Jill) of all trades
is a master of none”). But I knew if
I had to limit or curtail what I photographed, the joy I find in photography
would be greatly diminished.
But today, after decades of shooting, I can proudly say I am
still ‘niche free’, (and worry free), and at the same time have continued to
maintain my love for photography! With
some critical and honest contemplation, here is the most important question I
had to answer to help me embrace being ‘niche-less’:
What is my foremost
reason for wanting to be a photographer?
Here is a short list of some possibilities for you to
consider:
·
I want to use photography as a career. This will be a business and I must do
what it takes to develop a customer base and earn money.
·
I want to have a usable skill to help my family
and community. I would like to be
the official photographer at family weddings, birthdays, sports games and
community events.
·
I want to be able to take great pictures documenting
all the places where I travel, so I can make quality photo books.
·
I want to take photos of my children’s
milestones and family growth through the years.
·
I want to develop a solid presence on social
media. It gives my self esteem a
boost when others enjoy my photography and say I’m a good photographer.
·
I want to use photography as a stress reliever
and a pleasant diversion from my everyday work and routine.
·
I want to use my photos as the starting point
for my art projects. I love the
creativity of using editing software to transform a photo into something from my
imagination.
I’m sure you can think of more reasons, and most of us
probably have several reasons, but once you nail down your primary motivation for being a photographer, you can decide if
identifying a niche will be an important part of your success and contentment,
or not. Here are some examples:
If you are looking to earn money, branding yourself and
advertising your area of expertise, (your niche), will help funnel potential
customers down to the ones who are actually looking for your particular
photographic skills.
If you are looking to build a large presence on social media,
posting images of one genre or style, (your niche), will attract a larger group
of dedicated followers who have your same interests.
If your motivation is more internal, meaning you take
pictures primarily because it brings you joy, (no niche), then you are not as concerned
with earning money, gathering followers or being motivated by other outside
influences. You may have little or
no incentive to narrow down your subject matter or define a shooting style. This leaves you free to explore,
experiment, change, evolve, discover, learn, and grow in many directions.
Of course I’m not suggesting that by having a specific
purpose or niche means you won’t find happiness or joy in your photography. In fact, if you have chosen a niche you
love and are attaining your goals, (i.e. earning money, becoming popular on
social media, or improving your skills, for example), you will also love being
a photographer.
But if you get bored easily, or just enjoy variety, I would
like to offer an alternative to developing a specific niche. And that is to simply photograph
whatever you enjoy with no qualms or qualifying ‘ifs, ands or buts’! Your interests may change from year to
year, season to season, or even day to day. But you will make connections with, and learn from a diverse
group of photographers who will help enrich your photography experiences and
expand your creativity. And yes,
your skills and talents as a photographer will still continue to increase and
expand, even if you are a Jack or Jill of many genres and styles of
photography.
In practical terms for me, this means, shooting flowers in
spring, and landscapes in the summer and fall months. Winter will probably mean concentrating on still life
and food photography indoors. At the beginning of the school year I’ll be shooting
portraits of my grandkids, and in December I’ll probably be shooting Christmas
lights. Last month I was shooting
Hindu temples in Bali and real estate photos for a friend selling her
house. And inbetween there is
street photography, black & white, high key, macro photography, and the
list goes on and on! The
expectation of what I might be shooting next and what my finished image will be,
is invigorating and exciting!
To sum up, developing a niche or not, depends on whichever
decision leads you closer to your goals as a photographer, and at the same time
adds the most to your enthusiasm for taking pictures. Imogen Cunningham said, “Which of my photographs is my
favorite? The one I’m going to
take tomorrow.” Me too!
