What's your Niche?

[Yemme]

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)

 

[Garbz]

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.

 

[Bifurcator]

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.

 

[Robin]

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.

 

[abraxas]

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.

 

[Do'Urden's Eyes]

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.

 

[Robin]

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

 

[Hooligan Dan]

For a hobby: Photographing action figures

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

 

[Samriel]

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.

 

[Overread]

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.

 

[Yemme]

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...

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.

 

[Overread]

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.

 

[Village Idiot]

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

 

[phototrainer]

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.

 

[Jon, The Elder]

We shoot horses.