10 Tips to Become the Best Photographer in Your Niche
Photography is a hard game to get into these days as more and more people think they are photographers with their £600 phone or their new family camera and therefore don’t feel they need a Photographer. However, at the end of the day, Photography is a talent and takes a lot of practice and skill so it’s worth pursuing and hoping people will recognise.
However, if you have a niche sort of photography that you particularly like and want to only pursue that path, then it can become even harder to find work and to find a way to keep your passion alive. However, we’ve decided a produce a list of ten tips to help you: 1. Earn money in your niche 2. Be the best in your niche category.
Make Sure You Know What You’re Doing
This one seems like an obvious tip, if you are someone who believes you have a talent for photography, then maybe you may feel you already know what you’re doing. However, there’s no doubt that you should still attend classes, still learn from those better than you to make sure you know what you are doing to optimise your photographs.
See If There Is a Market For It
This one is key to ensuring your photographs will sell AND to ensuring that there is work out there for you. Simply put, do people actually want to see your photographs? If you do your research and struggle to find any work or anybody interested in your niche, then expect there to be limited work and expect there to be limited opportunities to advertise your work.
Research Previous Work
Whilst researching to see if there is an audience for your work, it may well be worth researching the topic itself. This almost falls under the ‘Make Sure You Know What You’re Doing’ category, however, it centres more around the idea of using the web or using books to research techniques and previous works in your area.
Practice Within That Niche
The old saying “Practice Makes Perfect” is something that can never be underestimated. Yes, some people may be born with a talent and the right eye to take better photography, however there is also no doubt that with persistence and learning where you go wrong and right, you’ll improve your photography skills tenfold.
Know Your Audience
Whilst researching your topic, it would be plenty worthwhile trying to find out what sort of people will be willing to look/buy your photography/services. This all depends on your niche and obviously if you do wedding photography, then maybe going to festivals isn’t your audience and many more examples.
Keep a Synergy
When it comes to a niche and it comes to exerting your own style upon people so they know what work they’re getting, there’s nothing more important than giving people a reason to choose you over someone else. If you find a style within your niche that you prefer when it’s colour types, angle, perspective or more, then try and stick to it so people know what they’re getting with you. If your synergy is just damn-good photography, then obviously go with that!
Be Willing to be Self Critical
When learning the techniques, when first setting and even when you think you’ve perfected it, you can never take the perfect photograph first time, every time. You have to be willing to look at a photography and maybe reorganise your content, whether it’s asking the subjects to take their positions again and apologising or if it’s rearranging your objects to compensate for the lack of light, it is worth allowing yourself to see the faults and get good results eventually.
Use the Right Equipment
This one may seem like another obvious tip, however you may not know what the right equipment is and therefore may need a reminder to have a look. For example, a wide-angle lens would be perfect for scenery, but a brilliant macro lens would be better for wildlife and insect photography.
Have a Real Passion For It
Something you have to try and recognise as early on as possible is how much of a passion you have for this niche. Is this niche worth all the research, is it worth all the effort, is it worth all the practicing? If it’s something you are truly passionate about, it’s something you will enjoy and you will put more energy into.
Be Willing To Try Something New
Finally, be willing to try something new. This doesn’t necessarily mean giving up on your passion, it can mean try taking your shots a little differently, see if trying someone else’s technique works better. What is important is to find the perfect technique and your signature style that fits you perfectly, that way you will easily optimise your final photographs.
