Trouble deciding which way to go?

[thenewguy]

Hello Everyone,

I am new to this forum. I have been struggling with this question for a little bit now, it seems that everywhere I look people are asking me what kind of photography I do and I don't always know what to say. I feel like I am being pressured to choose something and stick to it, when in reality I feel that I need to explore the many areas of photography to get a feel for how they work and how they will fit me. I have not had a chance work many of these areas yet, but am becoming increasingly frustrated because I love photography, but feel like I am alone in the dark because I do not have a particular area I am portioned to. I feel that at the right time I will find an area that I enjoy more than others and I will excel at it. I initially started school studying architecture, but quickly decided that photography was the right choice for me.

I am attending a University studying photography and am not working at any professional level yet, but I hope to be soon. Can anyone tell me whether or not they have experienced this or not, is this normal?

 

[KmH]

From a business perspective, it is better to specialize or concentrate on a genre than to try and cover all the possibilities.

Specializing lets you create a brand.

Also, step #1 in contemplating starting a business, of any kind, is having a well researched and written business/marketing plan.
Starting & Managing a Business | SBA.gov

 

[vintagesnaps]

Who's doing the asking? If they're not photographers they might just be interested or curious; if you're in school I would think you could talk about what you're studying, that you're trying all kinds of photography which will help you narrow it down, etc.

I sometimes just tell people what I'm working on currently, although sometimes I don't get questions but looks - they look at me, up and around, can't figure out what I'm taking pictures of and I just smile and nod and they go on their way.

 

[Ilovemycam]

Hobbiest, if your not a pro.

 

[orljustin]

"Right now I'm working on X for school". Eazy peazy.

 

[12sndsgood]

I just tell people I shoot a little bit of everything which at this point is true, speacializing seems to be the way to go but i'm still shooting diffrent things to find out wether i want to do that or not and slowly narrowing things down.

 

[imagemaker46]

Why do you have to choose any style or type of photography, just work at getting good doing all of them and then you can just say, I shoot everything. I'm pretty good at shooting most all areas as a photojournalist, the strong point being sports, but there isn't a lot of money in sports, people see me as a sports photographer and I miss out on picking up other types of photography. Don't pigeon hole yourself with one area.

 

[DiskoJoe]

Hello Everyone,

I am new to this forum. I have been struggling with this question for a little bit now, it seems that everywhere I look people are asking me what kind of photography I do and I don't always know what to say. I feel like I am being pressured to choose something and stick to it, when in reality I feel that I need to explore the many areas of photography to get a feel for how they work and how they will fit me. I have not had a chance work many of these areas yet, but am becoming increasingly frustrated because I love photography, but feel like I am alone in the dark because I do not have a particular area I am portioned to. I feel that at the right time I will find an area that I enjoy more than others and I will excel at it. I initially started school studying architecture, but quickly decided that photography was the right choice for me.

I am attending a University studying photography and am not working at any professional level yet, but I hope to be soon. Can anyone tell me whether or not they have experienced this or not, is this normal?

Emo photography? lol, just messing with you kid. If girls ask tell them you exclusively do nude photography.