It seems that having a photo niche is the way to go in this fast paced billion image upload days on the worldwide web. By having an in depth coverage of a specific subject means your images will be unique and have selling potential from those clients that need that particular subject matter. But is any subject nowadays buffered from competition. I think not. Any subject you have will be challenged by photographers from all over the world that will have similar interests and photo skills.
Having a niche also depends on what are your ultimate goal in photography is. Do you want to be a commercial, editorial, portrait, fine art, nature photographer etc... I am not saying finding a niche is a bad thing what I am saying is that jumping in to early and focusing on a narrow subject matter can bore you out of photography all together. Each photographers personality is different with unique gifts and energy levels that focus their attention. Shooting a narrow subject range increases your chance of burn out and loss of inspiration to create better photos.
I think as you start out in photography you need to shoot imagery that obviously interest you and fits your personality. And as you grow as a photographer you will try new techniques and lighting which will stimulate your confidence to shoot more daring subjects and concepts. Gaining valuable experience through trial and error gives you a grounded work ethic that keeps you looking more and more for those unique moments when your subject is revealed and you capture that special moment. No matter what area of photography you choose to stake your future in, you will have an infinite amount of choices to make concerning subject matter. So in one way, even if you choose a narrow niche to focus on, you will always be discovering new ways to shoot old subjects and this will keep your interests alive.
A career in photography can take many twists and turns and if you focus to early on just one field of photography you could burn out before your career even begins. Besides, shooting many subjects early is fun and inspiring and in exploring new subjects you just might find that one that interest you above all others and gives you the motivation to make it your life's work.
Eventually you will find your purpose but their is nothing wrong with being a generalist and shooting alot of interesting subjects in the beginning. If you are bored with your images they will not inspire your clients. You will be in a rut and your images will suffer. To keep your enthusiasm level up you have to shoot subjects that keep your creative juices flowing.
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