# What's your Niche?



## Yemme (Jul 16, 2008)

I found my Niche in photography...it took me 3 months Tried taking pictures of almost everything but the only thing I love is architectural.  I love structures.  I notice we have different areas in the gallery.  When did you find your place in photography?  Do you limit yourself to one style in photography?  Also if anyone here shoots nudes..um of the opposite sex, how do you keep from getting aroused? (Forget all the artsy replies...be honest)


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## Garbz (Jul 16, 2008)

There are no niches. Every aspect of this art has been explored. That said I prefer taking night time panoramas, but I am not the only one.


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## Bifurcator (Jul 17, 2008)

Yeah, hehe, everytime I think I find "my niche" in photography I abuse it and have to find another one. 

Now I just do what I like at the moment - day by day.

Videography, 3D CG,  and photography for those were  hit the hardest and lasted the longest (~20 years) for me.


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## Robin (Jul 17, 2008)

I do like architectural photography but I don't have my 4x5 (which is home in the states while I live in the UK) so I've been considering buying a tilt-shift lens. Not sure I want to spend the money though, we'll see. I also like food photography (is that weird and highly specific?) and I'm getting into sports photography which I never would have thought.


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## abraxas (Jul 17, 2008)

Desert and mountain landscapes.  It's all been done and by better than I'll ever be, but I don't care.  It all hasn't been done by me.


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## Do'Urden's Eyes (Jul 17, 2008)

right now im really into macro... im working on being a little unconventional with it. its a hard freakin 'genre'. getting sharp focus is probably one the hardest things i try to do because of the extremely shallow DOF through the viewfinder. but every once and a while ill NAIL a shot and all the back aches and insect bites are worth it.


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## Robin (Jul 17, 2008)

How could I forget macro? I love it too...


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## Hooligan Dan (Jul 17, 2008)

For a hobby: Photographing action figures

For work: Spot news; fires, accidents, pretty much any frantic/dangerous situation I shoot well and love shooting.


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## Samriel (Jul 17, 2008)

I'm still trying to find my niche, so I'm dabbling with a lot of different types of photography. I like shooting nudes, especially abstract ones, and have shot nudes with a few models, mostly of the opposite sex. As to how to keep yourself from being aroused:
1. Never forget: You're only a photographer, he/she's only a model.
2. Have a concrete vision of what you want to do. That way you will be focused on your work. Best have some sketches or something similar prepared.
3. Don't take pictures of your girlfriend/boyfriend (makes it harder to remember 1 and 2...).

Although this might sound strange and perverted to some, I believe that a certain degree of sexual interest in your subject might be necessary if you want to take an erotic nude - your erotic feelings can help you envision and complete your work faster and better (at least they help me). Just remember not to cross the line. And of course, when shooting romantic, portrait, abstract etc. nudes, it's usually better to keep the eroticism a bit further away (although I believe most nudes will have a hint of it present).
Although I haven't been shooting that many nudes yet, it seems to get easier staying calm with every new experience. I guess it's also a matter of getting used to it. 
As these are words from a beginner, take them with a grain of salt.


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## Overread (Jul 17, 2008)

Well I know which nish - or area at least - that I am getting into - wildlife!
That is what really prompted me to get the DSLR, a chance to get out and capture sights of the wild - so a good amount of landscape will probably creep into my photos as well.


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## Yemme (Jul 17, 2008)

Thank you all for responding...  I'm new to photography so I wanted to know if it was normal to find what you love and only shoot those images.  Is it a bad idea? or I should have more than one joy?  I have experiment with directorial and portraits.. hated it... Never photographed animals so I'll try that one day.  I haven't experimented with lenses yet... the prices disgust me.  But one day I'll bypass handbags and shoes for lenses... 



Samriel said:


> Although this might sound strange and perverted to some, I believe that a certain degree of sexual interest in your subject might be necessary if you want to take an erotic nude...



Thank you for being honest.  I just can't image not having any attraction.  Thanks for the relationship tip... I guess most people start out that way.  I understand the whole photographer thing but I am and will always be a woman first.  If an attractive man steps before me naked....  I don't know how you men do it... women can hide there "emotion" men can't.  By the way snooped in your gallery... nice work, your images remind me of that famous Asian photographer who took nudes of asian women.. can't remember his name!!  Ok that's enough blab.. thanx again.


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## Overread (Jul 17, 2008)

when you start chances are you got the camera for a reason - to photograph something that interests you - so its perfectly normal to follow that single aspect. I encourage you to try new things and ideas as they help to broaden you skills and understandings (something that a school or uni course would force you to do).
As for what you don't like - no real point doing it as chances are if your interest is not there the best you can get is technical perfection - creativity won't be there at all.


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## Village Idiot (Jul 17, 2008)

I take pictures of one legged hookers doing circus tricks. It's kind of like clowns except they don't scare the little children.


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## phototrainer (Jul 17, 2008)

I love photographing horses and dogs and it has lead to some great opportunities to get photographs I would never have dreamed of getting and meetpeople from all walks of life. 

Recently my focus has widened to encompass sculpture and creating art from art. I was initially asked to photograph a sculpture exhibition and then by another exhibition to do something with those photographs to create art of my own to exhibit. It was an teresting project which ment looking at other artists work and then working with that to produce some thing new. I had some great sculpters to work with who taught me a lot.

I have found that when I have moved into another area/niche of work, it is not just about developing photographic techniques, but learning about the niche. E,g, when I started with horses it was after working with a trainer who taught me about how a horse moves correctly, posture and horsemanship. It has been a great benefit to learn aout any field prior to starting to work in it. 

Having said that my wife would kill me if I started to learn all I could about nudity and understanding nudity and erotica prior to photographing nudes. She is a great wife.


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## Jon, The Elder (Jul 17, 2008)

We shoot horses.


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## Stranger (Jul 17, 2008)

I enjoy macro the most. I would really like to learn to shoot better portraits and learn to pose and all that. 

I agree learning about your subject matter helps. I quickly learned to spectate insects before i go in to shoot them. I now know when my presence is arousing a group of bees and also when i could pretty much reach out and touch them without them taking notice. Recently it has been butterflies, im learning how to move in on them a bit better now without them fleeing at a single movement


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## THORHAMMER (Jul 17, 2008)

If you shoot from the heart, no matter what subject you shoot you will have your niche, your own unique way of shooting and your style. 

Besides that It seems some of the more influencial shooters over time have all found areas to specialize in. 

There may be others shooting some of the same stuff you shoot, but they wont shoot the same shots at the same angles with your composition and processing. 

If you think what your shooting is allready been done to death and you cant improve on it, just move along and find something that really speaks to you.


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## toofpaste (Jul 17, 2008)

Yemme said:


> Also if anyone here shoots nudes..um of the opposite sex, how do you keep from getting aroused? (Forget all the artsy replies...be honest)


 









Couple wraps around the leg should do it


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## Joves (Jul 17, 2008)

To tell the truth Yemme when I did back in the film days, I never noticed they were nude. You get so busy getting the shot you want, you dont notice. 
 Right now Im shooting mostly nature, landscapes and, stuff abandoned in the middle of nowhere. I am working at getting back to shooting people though.


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## Yemme (Jul 17, 2008)

Overread said:


> when you start chances are you got the camera for a reason - to photograph something that interests you - so its perfectly normal to follow that single aspect. I encourage you to try new things and ideas as they help to broaden you skills and understandings (something that a school or uni course would force you to do).
> As for what you don't like - no real point doing it as chances are if your interest is not there the best you can get is technical perfection - creativity won't be there at all.



I really will try the animal pictures.  A cat or dog to start.


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## Yemme (Jul 17, 2008)

Village Idiot said:


> I take pictures of one legged hookers doing circus tricks. It's kind of like clowns except they don't scare the little children.




Um..ok...


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## Yemme (Jul 17, 2008)

toofpaste said:


> Couple wraps around the leg should do it



Ouch!:lmao:


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## Yemme (Jul 17, 2008)

Stranger & THORHAMMER thanx for the advice.  

phototrainer take some images of the wife.  Practice makes perfect.  

Joves... say it isn't so... So how do your get someone to pose for you for free???  Are men willing to take it off as much as women are?


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## Chiller (Jul 17, 2008)

Cemeteries, and creepy stuff


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## Joves (Jul 17, 2008)

Yemme said:


> Joves... say it isn't so... So how do your get someone to pose for you for free??? Are men willing to take it off as much as women are?


 Actually during the 70s&80s it was fairly easy. I knew alot of girls who wanted to be in Playboy so I shot their portfolios. Unfortunately none of them made it because, I could have used the money if they had been accepted. Now there is ModelMayhem but I havent tried using anyone there yet.


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## Yemme (Jul 17, 2008)

Oh I've seen MM... I browse honey... Love the site.  Can't join ... since this is a hobby.  But the women are so free... great works of art.


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## Yemme (Jul 17, 2008)

When I said free I meant free spirited... Some models want hundreds per hour.


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## Joves (Jul 17, 2008)

Yemme said:


> When I said free I meant free spirited... Some models want hundreds per hour.


 Yeah this is why I miss the old days. Especially the punk rock days, god that was a blast.


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## uplander (Jul 17, 2008)

My Niche is wildlife / handheld. You really got to be fast and lucky. The shots aren't technically perfect but when they hit on all cylindersthe sense of the action they are priceless.
Like this one





I sell more pics tho on the dog field trial circuit with shots like these though




and this


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## Yemme (Jul 17, 2008)

Joves I'm gonna PM you my favorites from MM...  I wonder if I can PM yet mmmmm...  Some women and men on there are fierce.  I&#8217;ll only give the numbers for the women.  

Uplander I love the last one... too cute.


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## Robin (Jul 18, 2008)

Yemme said:


> Thank you all for responding... I'm new to photography so I wanted to know if it was normal to find what you love and only shoot those images. Is it a bad idea? or I should have more than one joy?


 
I think it's fine to have a specific interest in photography but I also think it's important to try new things now and again. I never thought I'd be interested in sports photography because... well, I hate sports. But I'm actually finding it a lot fun! Like someone else mentioned, it's easy to go through phases where you might be really into one field of photography for even several years but then find another field interesting and obsess over that for a while.

That said, there's also nothing wrong with disliking a certain field of photography. I could never, ever do wedding photography because I just couldn't take the pressure.


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## Yemme (Jul 22, 2008)

I guess people do get fed up with an area in photography and take a sabbatical.  Hopefully that won't happen to me.

Weddings do look like pressure... It's a one time event, you get the shot or you don't.


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## toofpaste (Jul 22, 2008)

Weddings, I imagine, are Nightmares, even if you're prepared.

That's why I'd rather my job to be post-pros.


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## BoblyBill (Jul 22, 2008)

Storm landscapes would my confort zone.


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## JerryPH (Jul 22, 2008)

I've been into taking pictures most of my life, but into photography about a year.  I don't have a niche, but I do have preferences.  I prefer portraiture and event photography like weddings, graduations, birthdays, etc...

As for weddings in particular... some look at them as high pressure, I look at them as high-level challenges and a ton of fun.  I haven't found a greater challenge in photography yet.


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## Yemme (Jul 23, 2008)

Well to me I would be scared.  Being an amateur I can understand my fear.  But what happens when a bride complains about your workmanship?  You didn&#8217;t capture the essence of the day.  That's what really scares me about weddings.  Pleasing the clients whose taste differs from the next.  You have to stay on your toes&#8230; talk about pressure.


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## reg (Jul 23, 2008)

Yemme said:


> Also if anyone here shoots nudes..um&#8230; of the opposite sex, how do you keep from getting aroused? (Forget all the artsy replies...be honest)



Honestly:
The ones who would make you aroused aren't the ones who are willing to pose nude.


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## toofpaste (Jul 23, 2008)

Exactly...I mean...it's her...(because we know that it's only the female that is interested in the picture[no sexism intended]) wedding...it only happens once, hopefully. Def. a LOT of pressure.


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## Yemme (Jul 23, 2008)

reg said:


> Honestly:
> The ones who would make you aroused aren't the ones who are willing to pose nude.



Say it isn&#8217;t so&#8230; .. I see some photographers use the same model over and over and again.  I thought there was a love thing going on.  I just know if a man is attractive he's attractive no art form would make me forget it.  :blushing:


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## Yemme (Jul 23, 2008)

toofpaste said:


> Exactly...I mean...it's her...(because we know that it's only the female that is interested in the picture[no sexism intended]) wedding...it only happens once, hopefully. Def. a LOT of pressure.




I know what you mean.  The men basically just want to now that their faces are visible, you can see who's who.  Some women get angry with the angel of the shot.  He didn't choose my best side. Why would he/she take a picture of this?  Why isn't there a close up of this?  They know nothing of photography.  They just know what they want...  that would make my head spin to deal with that.  And being a woman it's hard to say but it's true.


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## reg (Jul 23, 2008)

Yemme said:


> a man



Oh.... men. That's different. Men love getting naked photos done.
Lucky - I always have to *pay *to be able to shoot an attractive member of my opposite sex!


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## toofpaste (Jul 23, 2008)

Yemme said:


> I know what you mean. The men basically just want to now that their faces are visible, you can see who's who. Some women get angry with the angel of the shot. He didn't choose my best side. Why would he/she take a picture of this? Why isn't there a close up of this? They know nothing of photography. They just know what they want...  that would make my head spin to deal with that. And being a woman it's hard to say but it's true.


 
Exactly. So stereotypical, but true to some degree. I mean, even with my love for photography I probably wouldn't care much.


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## sabbath999 (Jul 23, 2008)

Samriel said:


> I'm still trying to find my niche, so I'm dabbling with a lot of different types of photography. I like shooting nudes, especially abstract ones, and have shot nudes with a few models, mostly of the opposite sex. As to how to keep yourself from being aroused:
> 1. Never forget: You're only a photographer, he/she's only a model.
> 2. Have a concrete vision of what you want to do. That way you will be focused on your work. Best have some sketches or something similar prepared.
> 3. Don't take pictures of your girlfriend/boyfriend (makes it harder to remember 1 and 2...).
> ...



Virtually every subject I shoot is nude, and I have never been even slightly aroused by any of them.

Oh wait, I shoot pictures of animals.

Still... all in all I guess it is a good thing they don't arouse me


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## Leech (Jul 23, 2008)

People and other human figures like Dolls and mannequins. I love love love love love shooting people :heart:.  I see a lot in the moments of concentration looking for what I want through the lens.  I've really come to appreciate faces of all types .  I'll occasionally shoot other things, but I often feel the photos are just barely textbook, with something missing from them.


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## Claff (Jul 23, 2008)

I've pigeon-holed myself to shooting mostly single-car on-race-track shots. I can sell those easier than anything else. I'll shoot other stuff but don't often post it since the wife shoots pretty much the whole scope of an event very well without my help.


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## toofpaste (Jul 23, 2008)

sabbath999 said:


> Virtually every subject I shoot is nude, and I have never been even slightly aroused by any of them.
> 
> Oh wait, I shoot pictures of animals.
> 
> Still... all in all I guess it is a good thing they don't arouse me


 
Apparently you haven't shot a platypus. 

Oh yeah...


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## Yemme (Jul 23, 2008)

reg said:


> Oh.... men. That's different. Men love getting naked photos done.
> Lucky - I always have to *pay *to be able to shoot an attractive member of my opposite sex!




What type of men are willing to get naked?  I need to be schooled on having a man pose naked for *free *and then afterwards leave me alone.  What's a great opening line...


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## Yemme (Jul 23, 2008)

sabbath999  :lmao: Funny are you!!!

Leech - Do you prefer faces to bodies...?

Claff - What's your favorite car?


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## Bifurcator (Jul 23, 2008)

Hooligan Dan said:


> For a hobby: Photographing action figures



You should post a few!  I for one would dig it!


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## Claff (Jul 23, 2008)

Yemme said:


> Claff - What's your favorite car?



Loaded question whose answer could change many times a day! One day I'd like to have a Lotus Seven or one of the more faithful knock-offs. Also have a soft spot for older Corvettes, random small English convertibles, and, more recently, Mazda Miatas.

I don't shoot any of those though. Me and the missus cover a minor-league NASCAR series that use what are pretty much Nationwide Series cars or old Nextel Cup (pre-Car of Tomorrow) cars. When they're done right, they can photograph very well:






















But I digress


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## Yemme (Jul 23, 2008)

That's hot!... I bet you love what you do...


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## GerryDavid (Jul 24, 2008)

Claff said:


> I don't shoot any of those though. Me and the missus cover a minor-league NASCAR series that use what are pretty much Nationwide Series cars or old Nextel Cup (pre-Car of Tomorrow) cars. When they're done right, they can photograph very well:



How do you get into that?  I think its something I would enjoy.


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## Nein-reis (Jul 24, 2008)

I love shooting people.  I run a studio in Bountiful Utah, is just outside of SLC and on a main street so I get higher income clients also.  I shoot couples, kids, business portraits, missionaries (hey... its Utah), family groups etc...  I love shooting them, but my real passion lies in Weddings and graduating Seniors.

Weddings are one of my favorite things to shoot, I would love to do one every day.  There is something about weddings and capturing the huge array of emotions that play out through the day.  Wedding images are also a true art, all my idol photographers tend to be incredible wedding photogs.  

And Seniors are just fun to shoot... they always have different hobby's and personalities that are great to uncover and really let shine in a photograph.  I've met some really fun seniors.



As far as hobbies I like shooting cars (I'm not incredible at it) but I love fine european cars.  But my Niche is most definitely people.


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## rjackjames (Jul 24, 2008)

For me I think landscapes and panoramas will be my main focus....I love taking pictures of great landscapes and panoramas, I try to do some macros. Also I try to do Night panoramas and night shots.


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## Claff (Jul 24, 2008)

GerryDavid said:


> How do you get into that?  I think its something I would enjoy.



It's not hard to start. Like the racers, it's easiest to start at the lower levels and work your way up. At your local half-miler you can buy a pit pass and shoot around the people working on cars, and at some you can get on-track shots without needing a special pass.

Once you have some shots you can contact a racing trade paper (Gater Racing News, National Speed Sport, Area Auto, etc) and say you'd like to send them some stuff. Solicit feedback and then work that into "I could shoot better stuff if I had credentials, hint hint" and they'll most likely go to bat for you, again starting small at the local tracks, but once they know what you're capable of you can say "hey I like shooting at Podunk Speedrome but I'd like a crack at East Podunk Superspeedway" - if your area big track hosts Indycar or something not quite NASCAR Cup you'll have pretty good chances of getting in, and just like before, start small and work your way up.

Keep a good attitude. We shoot for a half a dozen race teams every week, with zero advertising/selling. We shoot a lot, put the best stuff on our site and people sought us out saying how much they'd _love_ to have our pictures every week, please let us pay you. It doesn't hurt that we've been around this particular series for ten years, spent a lot of time around the pits being visible, and work hard to make sure we're on everyone's good side so the word of mouth surrounding us is overwhelmingly positive. Once you get a client, take care of him, get him his stuff good and fast and, since this is a pretty close-knit series where everyone knows each other and everyone talks to each other, if one team is looking for a photog then your name will get brought up more often than not and with no "he's good, but..." stuff. Keep shooting for the paper so you get in the tracks for free, shoot a bunch of stuff, budget a day or two after the race to take care of the paying customers, and most importantly keep everybody happy so they keep paying you and bring you more business.

Or something like that.


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## Alpha (Jul 24, 2008)

My niche is taking good photographs 

I'm staging a hostile takeover of what editorial fashion market there is in my area. In fact, there's such a small market that I may just have to open one. Guess you could call that my niche.


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## SimplyMo (Jul 25, 2008)

my niche in photography changes just as often as my mood does... it all just depends on what i feel like shooting...
but to be more specific---i'm usually in the mood for shooting people--candid--photoJ style--in the moment...


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## snedelchev (Jul 25, 2008)

portrait photography is my niche. i was tried most of the photography, but portraits is best


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## Yemme (Jul 25, 2008)

Nein-reis said:


> Weddings are one of my favorite things to shoot, I would love to do one every day.  There is something about weddings and capturing the huge array of emotions that play out through the day.  Wedding images are also a true art, all my idol photographers tend to be incredible wedding photogs.



How do you stop from joining the party???  I like weddings &#8230; well the eating and drinking portion honestly.  How often do you make it to the open bar?


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## Yemme (Jul 25, 2008)

Alpha said:


> My niche is taking good photographs



I should make that my niche also, my images suck :x.


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## Alpha (Jul 25, 2008)

Yemme said:


> I should make that my niche also, my images suck :x.



Even in New York, you might be surprised how many "professionals" shoot images that suck.


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## Bifurcator (Jul 25, 2008)

I wouldn't!  But what sucks even more is when they think they're hot and then go and make a coffee-table book out of them.


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## Josh66 (Jul 25, 2008)

I don't think I have a niche...

I seem to take pictures of people more than anything else, but they're mostly just snapshots.

When I'm "trying to be artistic" I like still life, I guess...lol.


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## Alpha (Jul 25, 2008)

Bifurcator said:


> I wouldn't!  But what sucks even more is when they think they're hot and then go and make a coffee-table book out of them.



Ain't that a *****.


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## purplepic (Jul 25, 2008)

I've always shot animals and waterscapes and candids. I want to move toward macros once I get the fundage to purchase a decent camera (or at least one thats not so outdated in a bad way) as well as some studio still lifes.


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## Yemme (Jul 25, 2008)

Bifurcator said:


> I wouldn't!  But what sucks even more is when they think they're hot and then go and make a coffee-table book out of them.


:lmao::lmao:...that's cold!


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