How To Find Your Niche As A Photographer
Every photographer remembers the moment they went from a casual photographer to an amateur photographer.
Perhaps it was when you purchased your first DSLR camera, or chose a new smartphone solely because of the camera system. They were small, fleeting moments, but they pushed us from interest to passion.
But if this sounds like something you have recently done, then there is still another step to take. The step into your “niche”.
Whether it’s wildlife photography, urban photography, fashion photography, or even abstract photography, there are hundreds of niches to choose from and a thousand more to play with. But it is up to you to find the one that sits just right.
That’s not to say we can’t help, however! Below, we’ve compiled a list of all the things you need to think about when finding your niche as a photographer, as well as a few tips and tricks for getting started.
Always Be The Student
Firstly, being a photographer is about absorbing the world around you. For instance, you don’t just see a tree and a skyline.
You see the roots, the bark, the insects, the leaves, their colors, brown, gold, and green – you absorb every intricacy and work out the best way to capture it. Just as you do this for your pictures, you should also absorb as much knowledge as you can about the art of photography itself.
Record Everything You Do
It’s also important to not just put your photographs up on Facebook or Instagram. They deserve more than that. If you put your Facebook albums into a Facebook photo book, you can keep your portfolio close, and you’ll probably look at it far more often as a result.
By looking through your work in the flesh, you’ll start to understand which are your best photos, as well as which scenes you are naturally drawn to. This will help when you try to naturally distinguish your niche.
Keep Practicing
It goes without saying that you should never stop practicing. You can’t expect to find your niche if you aren’t constantly out and about, improving your craft and capturing more scenes.
It doesn’t matter if you’re taking photographs of the same thing again and again. Every photograph is different, and each one you take will be slightly better than the last.
Experiment As Much As You Can
If you are getting bored with what you’re photographing, then there’s nothing stopping you from switching things up. In fact, experimenting with your photography is a great way to find your niche, as you never know what you might stumble into.
Try not to follow the rules as a photographer and go a little crazy. A lot of the time, people find their passions not by design, but by mistake. So you never know, you might make the greatest mistake of your life!
Look At Other People’s Work
Just as we said you should absorb as much knowledge as possible, photography knowledge doesn’t just come from books and magazines – it comes from photography itself. Look into other people’s works, follow hashtags that you’re passionate about, and keep a finger on the social media pulse.
Legendary writer Stephen King once said: ‘Great writers do two things, they read a lot and they write a lot’. It should be exactly the same for photography. Snap pictures and look at pictures. The rest works itself out!
Photograph What You Want To Photograph
Having said all of this, it’s always important to remember why you started. Because you enjoy it! Photography is fun, and it should always be fun, no matter how seriously you take it.
Don’t push yourself too hard when trying to find your niche, keep doing what you love to do, and your niche will eventually find you. The last thing you want to do as a photographer is experience photography burnout, so keep it cool and have fun with it!
Don’t!
Our last pointer is slightly out there, but it might be right for you: don’t find a niche! If you’re an amateur photographer, nothing is stopping you from simply going with the flow and taking pictures of whatever you see fit. This is especially true if you’re the kind of person who wants a bucket load of photo books on their shelf.
Uploading a variety of pictures to a photo book maker means that you’ll never get bored looking through them, and they might even be a more accurate depiction of your life. After all, no individual fits into a single niche. Life is random and wild, and that can be emphasized through your photography. If you don’t want to find a niche or fit into a certain category, then don’t!
