Finding Your Voice & Niche
The other day a friend on Facebook, who I met on a photography workshop a few years ago, asked me if I had ever written about finding your niche. My first reaction was no, but then I realized that over a year ago I wrote a post on Finding Your Voice. I decided to update it with some other thoughts that might answer her question on finding your niche. One of the things that still is true for me is to learn from other photographers, so I would like to set the context by sharing two perspectives by Jay Maisel and Karen Hutton.
Stay open and try everything. I was struck by this piece of wisdom when watching Jay's video. He doesn't have a plan. He goes out for his walks with an open mind and lets what is there come to him. When I am less motivated I make a plan, like looking for patterns, to help me get out the door. But I must say, that there is something very freeing about being open. I am amazed by what I can find if I do this. I found that by adopting the attitude of exploring I am able to see what draws me in, which is often a clue about my niche.
Tune into what you love. Karen Hutton has a ten step approach to finding your voice, which to her means defining your unique point of view and a way of seeing the world. It is about learning about you. Of the many ideas she shared, tuning into what you love, struck me the most. She asks us to think about our favorite way to feel. I personally like to feel in motion, up early to meet the day, and exploring. That is why Camera Walking resonates so much with me. The key is to find ways to translate your feelings into your photos. I love taking photos of the EMP (now called MoPop) and the Monorail, so I felt fortunate to be standing under it when it came through the tunnel. Also I loved the look of wonderment on the child's face in the front seat of the Monorail.
Look for unusual perspectives. We all have our own point of view, and while out Camera Walking take the opportunity to show a new aspect of you, or tell the story in a different way. This not only clarifies what you love, but it helps to stretch us to see the world differently. This sometimes means looking up, as this image seemed to suggest to me.
I enjoy taking photos of the Space Needle, so this one is an unusual view of Seattle's icon through the rain spotted glass.
Experiment and learn. All of the good photographers I know and follow talk about experimenting with elements, color, light, shapes and patterns, and much more. It is not just focusing on technique, but it has more to do with expanding your way of seeing. We all have our preferred way of shooting. I love tight, close-up shots, so much of my photography reflects that, but expanding my ability to see other subjects and shooting them in a different way is making me a much better photographer.
Take a workshop. Another way to discover your niche is to learn from others. I have taken many workshops, some for up to ten days at a time, others for just a day, to try out my skills with an experienced photographer. I love challenging myself, but it is also a way to sort through what I do and do not love. Although I really enjoy taking landscapes and people shots on my various workshops, I know that I still prefer close-ups and city reflections. I wouldn't have know that if I hadn't got out of my comfort zone during a workshop. The photo below was taken during a Creative Live workshop with Rick Sammon seven years ago. It was one of my first photos with a model.
Tell the story. Karen shares that the best art touches us emotionally, and our images tell the story of each of us. She asks, "what do you want them to say? What will make your heart sing and make your inner self shine more?" These are important questions that we sometimes miss, but I would suggest that if we answer them our images will become more compelling and we will be more inspired to go out searching for more.
I believe that finding your voice and niche in photography is a journey; one that is enjoyable and challenging at the same time. I hope that this post will inspire you to grab your camera and go out Camera Walking to help you find your voice as well. I love to hear from you, so comment below, post on Camera Walking's Facebook page, or send me an email.
