There are numerous photographers and photography blogs in the world that will say over and over that you have to niche and specialize that you can not be a jack of all trades. Are they right? That answer is a little harder because what is right for one creative is not necessarily going to be right for another.

Specializing will make you an expert in your area, your images can and will eventually be top of the line and you will be worth every dime you charge for your expertise. You will have the ability to get comfortable in your style, area, and develop a long and potentially lasting clientele.

Yet jacks of all trades work in a variety of fields with a variety of specialities. They can one day be photographing new borns to the next shooting high speed action and events. No two days are the same for them and they thrive with the variety of experiences. The down side is they are not an expert in any niche, some they won’t enjoy or take on at all, and others they will salivate for.

Another downside is they may not have the most stable clientele since they are representing many genre’s within photography. That can make their business and income unsteadier than the photographer who chooses to niche and build a steady client base that knows them for their particular work.

I am definitely considered a Jacks of All Trades Photographer. I have worked in nearly all the niches, newborn, wedding, portraiture, sports, and events, etc. I have found I generally do not prefer newborn sessions, I love the feeling of creating so portraiture, studio, and modeling appeals to me, as does high action and event photography.

It’s why I have spent years traveling as a photographer doing different kinds of portraits and of course shooting rodeo action. As my work has continued I have bounced all over including commercial and marketing work which has lead me to develop an interest and additional talent for graphic design.

I do have a very diverse clientele and there are day’s I wish I had niched and had a consistent and expected clientele. Yet I wouldn’t give up the experiences I have had for the world. I have learned my style forwards and backwards, I have mastered my camera and I have worked in many challenging situations.

2019 Bullriding Photo at a Kentucky Rodeo.

2020 Marketing/ Branding/ Modeling Session for Cinched Up Designs

2020 Pet Photos/ Harry Potter Puppy Portraits

2022 Renaissance Faire Jousting Performer

2022 Chamber of Commerce Event with Speaker Shari Jo Watkins

All the challenges made me a better photographer. Am I considering niching? Yes, but it isn’t picking any one area but rather a specialized clientele. I feel the need to return to my roots— equine photography— in more than just an event here, random photo shoot there. So in 2023 I am gearing and trying to build a larger network of equestrian clientele because that is where I started a long time ago in a field photographing my sister riding, then my sisters events.

Since the pandemic my business has been in a flux and while I love not specializing a part of me would like to niche for the experience, to compare it to my life as a freelancer. I figure there is no time like the present, I have honed my skills through a variety of work and while certain things I can’t imagine walking away from — performance and live event photography— I can definitely niche partially.

No matter what kind of photographer you decide to be, be the one that is best for you. Do not let the professionals of the world tell you, you aren’t a real photographer if you do not specialize. Because after all ‘A jack of all trades is a master of none, but often times better than a master of one.’

Jack of All Trades is A Master of None

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