> Basic principle seems to be to find a niche and become know for quality > product.
Seriously, Stan, this is excellent advice. Most photographers do exactly the opposite--and fail in business. They don't want to specialize. They want to do "everything." Two observations: 1. In many cases, even people who are good at one thing and suck at everything else don't want to specialize. They don't want to "limit" themselves. Sometimes their interests and tastes make them gravitate to one specialty but they're not even aware of it--it takes someone else analyzing their work to even make them realize what their own specialty is! 2. In other cases, photographers who build a successful specialty undermine themselves by trying to break out of it. They don't WANT to become "typecast." However, one of the best things you can do to succeed as a photographer is EXACTLY what you're advising. Find a niche and become "THE" photographer in that niche. We have to remember how photography is bought--if people have a job, they want the person who's BEST for that job, not some ratty generalist who says he (or she) "can do anything." If you're hiring a wedding photographer, you want someone who specializes in weddings, loves doing weddings, and has a great track record of happy customers. Same with commercial photography. The person doing the hiring wants to look good for their own boss or client. At the very least, if the shoot turns to sh*t, they want to be able to say, "well, I hired the best person for the job." If you want to succeed at photography, pick a specialty for which there is a market and specialize. Rant mode off, --Mike * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Mike Johnston's online articles about photography: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/m-johnston.htm http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/opinion/mikejohnston/index.htm http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/opinion/html/sharpness.htm - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
