Portrait, Fashion, Fine Art, Photojournalist, Still Life, Lifestyle and Car Photographer. There’s more but this is just to illustrate something that happened recently. A photographer who’s top 3 for me in one of these categories tells me he also shoots in another category which I don’t have a problem with, I just don’t think he realizes that in the other category he’s number 54 on my list.
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
So the photographer essentially told you he didn’t know you were omniscient (:-)
Using that reasoning it’s safe to say I’m number 1 on your list of unpublished photographers with no known niche or recognizable talent. It’s good to be number 1…
@1: actually it means the photographer doesn’t realize PE thinks he’s good at one thing and bad at another.
while no.54 is pretty far off already..
when you consider a logjam situation..
that might float to a top 5 pretty fast..
dude: Yes, that would be the first thing to glean from today’s post…
In your list, aPE, is versatile a style? Does generalist = master of none? What of the photo essayist?
I get calls from long time clients, saying, “I know you usually do ‘x’, but can you also do ‘y’?”
I also just read the statement in PDN about T&L stating that the photographer must be able to shoot everything.
So, it sounds like often times it may be good to be versatile, multi-talented, or a jack of all trades, just don’t appear to be.
I guess it depends on whose buying, and maybe it’s important to remember you can’t satisfy everyone.
I suspect the value of versatile would have a lot to do with location and market. If you’re in a small to medium sized town you would have a pretty good chance of getting steadier work if you had two or three areas.
But in NYC I suspect it’s a lot more important to know what the editors want, what you’re good at, and to push that specialty. Niche is always easier to sell when the competition is big. Walmart concentrates on smaller towns for a reason.
Kim Taylor
So I think the big question is what number are You on his list?
Darrell: I do not even presume to be on the list! :-)