Since specialization of photographic energy is the subject of this post, let me also add that I specialize in Asian editorial imagery.

With that, onward. In this first article, i want to take up the subject of photographic specialties. You know you need one to transition from enthusiast to pro, but how do you find a niche?

Deciding areas in which to specialize your photographic efforts is, ultimately, a very personal decision. And it’s important, because your career will display “path dependency”—once you develop a reputation and established relationships with buyers, there will be strong pressure and incentives to keep shooting in the same niche.

Based on my own experience and photography volumes, I would suggest there are six important factors to keep in mind in picking on niche.

First, you should like it.

It’s almost cliché to say that you’ll take better photos when you enjoy the subject matter, but it’s true. If you love what you’re shooting, you will go the extra mile to get the image just right. You’ll get up earlier, stay later, expend more energy and resources, and connect better with the subject. DON’T shoot a subject just because it will sell. It will show, and you won’t maintain the motivation you need to make it in a competitive business.

Second, don’t shoot what everyone else has.

There are armies of photographers in the world. Most of them like shooting the same kinds of subjects: landscapes, flowers, birds, important monuments, famous scenes, and the like. The world has millions of these images. In the digital era, more and more advanced enthusiasts are competing to “go pro” and online image libraries accumulate more and more images. If you try to base your photography strategy on the same kinds of images that everyone else takes, you dramatically reduce your chances of making it.

You need to think unconventionally. This starts by recognizing the amazing diversity of images that are bought and sold in the world. Go to a bookstore magazine rack, pick ten magazines at random, and browse the advertisements in those magazines. Whether you like crafts, motorcycles, farming, fencing, video games or travel, there are magazines that suit your interests. Whether you live in Missouri or Mongolia, there are regional magazines, tourism agencies, and other who need photos of important sites. There are wineries, real estate businesses, aviation companies, restaurants, mining companies, and other who need photos that capture their own fields well. So why limit yourself to landscapes in Outdoor Photography?

You will face less competition, and find more enthusiastic clients and buyers, if you depart even a little bit from conventional photographic markets.

The only arena in which this logic doesn’t apply is the area of weddings and similar events. If you want to specialize in this area, then you should still consider it. The fact that lots of other shoot similar events doesn’t preclude you here. So many people need photographers for their weddings and other events that there will always be a market. The logic of shooting popular events is different than other areas of photography. You can read more here.

Third, shoot what you have.

If you already have a large collection of photos in a particular interest area, or if you already have experience shooting particular types of events, you should try build on your strengths. Why wouldn’t you? That just makes sense. The fact that you already have those photos is because you liked shooting them and because That doesn’t mean you can’t branch out. But you will make faster progress in the short term if you shoot in areas where your portfolio already has some depth.

Fourth, shoot what you know.

You will have tremendous advantages if you shoot what you know. If you are a lawyer, shoot legal subjects, legal concept photography, and similar subjects, and consider marketing images to journals and publishers in your field. Because of your experience, have a better sense for what clients in this area need. You know what kinds of images are likely to appeal to them, and you know how to empathize and anticipate their needs.

Knowledge of your subject matter also allows you to go beyond the basic shots. In any niche area, there is a need for diverse shots of less common details. Well-known nature photographers like John Shaw or Moose Peterson, for example, have said that if you want to be a better nature photographer then you need to be a better naturalist or biologist. Such specialized knowledge will allow you to go beyond the pretty picture of a bird or deer, to a deep portfolio on small mammals, including dozens of species and capturing important elements of feeding behavior, mating, shelter, and natural habitat.

So if you are biologist, shoot the species group you study. If you are a teacher, develop an education portfolio. If you are rock-climbing enthusiast, develop a deep portfolio on rock climbing. If you happen to know all the important historical sites or state parks in your state, then develop a portfolio covering those places.

Fifth, shoot topics that are cost effective.

In order to make money as a photographer, you need to keep your expenses down as well as sell images. If you sell a few images for $500, but it cost you a $4000 photo trip to get them, then you won’t last long.

To shoot topics that are cost effective means to shoot topics where either the cost per image is low, or at least the sale price of the image is higher than the cost of obtaining it.

In reality, if you are just starting out as a photographer, shooting cost effective subjects often means shooting topics closer to home. It’s hard to specialize in cultural photography of the Andean range if you live in Maine. In the short term the costs of flights, hotels, and other travel expenses are too high, and the stream of revenue you can expect from your photos is too small, or at least too far off in the future. Plus, even if you travel to the Ecuador every few months, it’ll take you years to develop the same rich portfolio that a person living there can develop in months of focused effort.

Established photographers CAN find ways to make travel photography cost effective. They write off their expenses and set up multiple assignments to cover the short-term cost of the trip. Then they get to enjoy the future sales of the images without the short-term cash outflow.

If you can’t do that, then you need to consider choosing a niche you can shoot with lower expenditures. You can shoot magazine stories on nearby cities, parks, rivers, or historic sites; local wildlife and environmental issues; local commercial photography; or even concept photography in your own house. There is an ample supply of great topics you can shoot without paying airfare and hotel expenses. And you can shoot these things daily or weekly and rapidly develop a deep portfolio in your niche.

If you are determined to specialize in Andean cultural photography, that’s great. But you should move to Ecuador or Peru, or make arrangements to spend half the year there. It’s possible if you are determined. You may also want to learn Spanish. Then you will have a major competitive advantage over most other photographers in your niche.

Sixth, be sure your niche has a market.

A final, critical bit of advice is to choose a niche that has at least a critical mass of potential clients or photo buyers. You need to need to balance shooting what you like with shooting for a market, being unconventional with shooting in an interest area established enough to have a market for your photos. This goes back to the fact that photography is a business. When you shoot, you need to be shooting with your market in mind, and trying to produce the right content, quality, and style to fit your market.

You should be able to answer the question: which buyers would be interested in the photos I’m taking right now?

If you can find a niche that you like and know a lot about, that you can shoot at a reasonable cost, and that has an established market of potential clients who aren’t already drowning in similar images, then you’ve got a winner. You should focus on shooting in that niche, developing a deep portfolio, and promoting you services and photos within your target market.

I do think it is worth pointing out that “salary” and “Income” to a self-employed person or to a company are not always equal (or declared), plus how many of these people who earn less than £5k a year are doing it on a part-time basis? What is the definition of “photographer”? Someone who has sold the rights to one image on Alamy could call themselves a “Pro Photographer”, someone who snaps the odd wedding could do the same.

The main reason for average low income is the same as any freelance industry where there is a low barrier to entry therefore a glut of low-experience people entering. It creates a buyers market and drives down fees for all but the top 2%.

Having said that it wouldn’t take too much for a determined person to earn a healthy side income, I have been thinking about it myself. For example a couple or few paid wedding gigs would put you over National Geo’s bottom end. The main factors are similar to any business:

• How are you different? The top photographers differentiate by style, portfolio, reputation, contacts,  clientele …
• Specialism or generic? You might not make a big splash by being “another photographer” but perhaps a real estate photography specialist would get noticed?
• How do you advertise? Word of mouth is obviously the best route, so many are in yellow pages etc already, but how do you start that word of mouth trend?
• Etc

None of these are unique to photography, you could see the same problems facing any freelancer or small business.

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