Should A Photographer Specialise or not ...
Should I specialise in a specific type of photography ??
Ok so this is a question that been running around my brain for a little while .. do client's expect me to be a single type of photographer or is it OK to be a more generalist. There are of course some things you need to be a specialist for ... I'm not sure I'd want to try to be Formula 1 photographer, or try to capture the Grand National but for the things I can take a photo of why not ...
I like to think of my camera as an instrument that I can play ... much like a guitar, which by the way I also do. The resulting tune is therefore a picture and to stretch an already tenuous analogy even thinner the various buttons and knobs are the frets and strings ...
What do you mean a camera and guitar are similar ?
Ok so bear with me ... if you think about it both photography and music are a form of expression, a type of art. Both can move people, and the results can mean different things to different people, or to the same person at different times.
As a guitar player I play really bad Dad Rock ... you know Oasis, Beatles and the like. I've been doing it for years and I'm a bit rubbish at it but it's fun. I also learn a lot from each of the songs I learn to play. There are patterns that repeat and you would be surprised how similar some songs can be. Master 5 or 6 chords and that's most of it in the palm of your hand.
So to stretch my musical legs every now and again I'll maybe try my hand a bit of Jazz or Funk, maybe play acoustic rather than plugged in, I can use one pedal or another ... you get the drift.
So how does that make you a better photographer ?
The point is that every time I do that I can bring something I have learnt to the tunes I play.
And isn't that the same for photography. I mean I love taking pictures at barmitzvahs, weddings and portraits but if that's all I took pictures of I might go slightly mad ... so I diversify and shoot indoors and outdoors, with strobes and flashes, zoom and prime lenses. I took that even further and even built a brand for boudoir and contemporary portraiture ... here
But is it OK to also say I can take pictures of products, interior design and decor maybe even landscapes ... after all I both borrow and lend the techniques across all of these fields.
Does it confuse you ?
So does it confuse you ?
Does it detract you if I say I'm a specialist or generalist ?
Do you even mind as long as I can deliver the job ?
