Should Photographers Specialize or Generalize?

The most important decision photographers have to make is whether to specialize or generalize. While generalizing may increase your chances of work, it can also harm your reputation. The good news is there's a clever way to do both.

I completely understand why photographers may want to dabble in various different areas of the industry. First, it's more interesting, and second, it can open up many more revenue streams. The real downsize of generalizing is the negative perception that some clients and customers can get from it. Many of these people won't think you're doing lots of things because you enjoy a variety. Instead, they will jump to the conclusion that you're casting your net far and wide because you're desperate. When someone wants a problem solved, they'd rather get a specialist. I'm sure if you had a bug infestation in your house, you'd be more confident hiring the professional who does the job day-in, day-out over the guy off Craigslist who seems to be doing all sorts of random stuff to get by?

This very topic is the subject of The Futur's video this week. Chris Do, the founder of the Futur, explains in detail the issues with both specializing and generalizing and offers the best solution I have heard in a very long time. Thankfully for us "variety is the spice of life" kinds, we can actually do both. The important factor to note is how you present what you do to the world. Do stresses the importance of specializing externally, so clients and customers think you are a specialist, while still generalizing internally, so your practice is enriched by all those different creative avenues.

The video goes on to talk about the halo bias and how this concept comes into play when specializing and how opportunities may come as a result of this. The video is just under eight minutes long and is well worth a look if you're at a crossroads in your photography career. You really can have your cake and eat it too; just be sure your clients don't see any unwanted crumbs on your chin.

Lead image by Lê Minh via Pexels, used under Creative Commons.

Paul Parker's picture

Paul Parker is a commercial and fine art photographer. On the rare occasion he's not doing photography he loves being outdoors, people watching, and writing awkward "About Me" statements on websites...

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12 Comments

Specialize .. BUT have multiple sources of income in that special area ( for example selling tutorials, workshops , etc )

In all fields of work, I know people that have to specialize to stay focused, and I know people that are more comfortable with multi-tasking. Do you want to be a heart surgeon or a general practitioner? I think that is a choice each photographer has to make.

Specialize if you want to make money. Generalize if you want to enjoy photography. Doing the same thing over and over and over and over again gets boring after a while.

On a level I suppose yes. But actually show them something you are good at, they will think you are good at all, is kind of a good perspective. I think when clients want a photographer, they just want a good one, or often they want a cheep one:) Unless it is some high end project. So better look at the marked and do what can create an income, and love one thing more:)

The photographer should... get paid.
"In the long run, we are all dead" may be true but everyone needs to survive in the short run.
Survival is critical to the realization of long term goals.

Specializing can be a great thing for the right person. For me, I specialize in architecture and can get paid handsomely for it but I still enjoy product photography, commercial photography and editorial portraiture.

Those incidental interests allowed me to make ends meet until I could get my career to a high enough profile to be able to say "I am an architectural photographer.

In a small market generalize, in a larger market I think you'd need to specialize.
Early in a career I would generalize until I find what I want to specialize in.

I would note that even those who have "specialized" still shoot projects outside of their specialty for a lot of reasons.

This is something I have been thinking about a lot lately. Most professionals in my area seem to generalise. Some only do a few different genre's that are somewhat related, while others have portfolios with about 10 different albums of various genre's, and as a result, their websites are a bit of a mess. I think its important to have a brand that is coherent and recognisable.

I generalize. Because of that, I work as much or as little as *I* want, and am not subject to the whims of any market, political situation or anything else (except this unfortunate pandemic). It has always been this way, and I make enough to make me happy.

Having said that, we're talking photography. You want to talk about medicine? Yes, I would prefer to have a cardiologist operating on my heart, instead of my GP. But in a life-or-death pinch, I would not complain about the GP cutting me open.

We can take this to any expreme we can think of. I had an appliance repairman work on my dishwasher. In the process, I told him that I needed to have a plumber out because the valve that turns the water on and off to the DW needed to be replaced. He said, "I can do that." And he did, and did an excellent job. Saved me a lot of money.

The difference between the Jack of All Trades and the Master is that while Jack and Jill may not make a lot on any given job, s/he's not likely to be sitting at home, wondering when the phone will ring.

Generalize. You'll never be out of work.

When I generalized I worked a lot on many different type of projects, like product and catalog work, location portraits for editorial and copy work for artists. Worked regularly for good money. When I eventually specialized in automotive work the jobs were bigger and fees usually had another zero but were not as often, now that market is hurting for a few years, so I sort of wish I kept generalizing!

I think you can definitely specialize in a few areas, just don't become "too" generalist, or at least don't specifically market yourself on your online portfolio in those other categories (even if you can do them).

My two main things are landscape and portrait photography. There isn't much of a conflict, b/c the audience is quite different.

Now if I was somebody that was like an event photographer, portrait photographer, architecture photographer, food photographer, sports photographer... ok that's a little much going on. But I understand those who have to do this in some areas just to get work coming in.

I'd say pick two...events/portraits... or events/sports.... or architecture/landscape... they kind of go together.