We can all name famous landscape photographers, famous street photographers and famous war correspondents. These professionals have chosen a niche and excelled in it. Do you know what your niche is?
A photography niche is the specialty photographers become known for. Your niche can be whatever type of photography you enjoy the most - and one that best suits your personality.
If you decide to pick a photography niche, your aim will be to become known as one of the best in that specific area; your clients will expect a superior experience to one they’d get through a generalist photographer.
So what is your photography niche?
A list of photography niches
1. Portrait photography
One of the most popular and enduring photography niches, portrait photography can be anything from family portraits to corporate headshots or graduation photos.
The secret to becoming an epic portrait photographer is in being able to perfectly capture a person’s personality. Of course, you also need the right portrait photography equipment.
2. Event photography
Event photography has plenty of opportunities to niche down even further, from weddings or concerts to corporate events.
Event photography tends to combine a range of photography techniques from stills photography to portraiture. The best photographers manage to tell a story with their pictures, shooting the venue and props before the event, capturing the guests, and documenting the aftermath.
This is a demanding photography niche since you’re dealing with large crowds, tight deadlines, and only one real chance to get the shot. You might also be looking at weekend work and late nights. But it can also be highly rewarding, both personally and financially.
3. Fashion photography
Whether you’re photographing boutiques around town or you’ve got a prime position in front of the biggest runway shows, fashion photography can be a lucrative niche.
You’ll need to be proficient in portraitures as well as evocatively capturing full body shots. You may want your own studio or you could be a nomadic photographer attending the best modelling runways in the world.
4. Landscape photography
Great if you love the big outdoors and you relish working alone, landscape photography can be extremely rewarding - but arguably harder to make a steady income.
Why not niche down even further into drone photography? This type of photography is rapidly gaining traction and can be promoted via calendars, postcards, and other prints. Or you can submit these photos to stock image websites or nature publications.
5. Wildlife photography
Along the same lines as landscape photography, wildlife photography is great for selling prints or stock photos.
You’ll need good knowledge of your environment and the wildlife you’re capturing, as well as the right investments in your equipment to enable you to capture crisp shots.
6. Photojournalism
Also known as press photography, photojournalism delivers many benefits and can even take you all over the world.
Along with a love for journalism, you also need a good repertoire of photography skills, since you may find yourself shooting everything from portraits and street photography to landscapes.
As with many other types of photography, you may want to consider niching down further so you become known for one particular area of photojournalism, such as political portraiture or war correspondence.
7. Product (social media) photography
Social media has revolutionised the photography industry with more demand for brand photos than ever.
Product photography doesn’t just involve taking shots for social media. Your photos can also be used for catalogues, magazines, and any other kind of advertising or marketing medium.
Taking remarkable product photography requires a professional setup that typically includes high-quality lighting equipment, including a lightbox to diffuse light and eliminate harsh shadows.
8. Sports photography
A fast-paced type of photography, sports photography requires adept skill behind a camera as well as superb-quality equipment. You’ll need long and heavy lenses that can capture the action from afar with fast shutter speeds.
While jobs for stadium sports photography can be limited, there’s plenty of demand among local sporting clubs.
9. Food photography
An incredibly popular type of photography, food photography has gained traction with the advent of social media platforms like Instagram.
Restaurants and cafes are always on the lookout for photographers who can produce high-quality content for their own social channels.
While everybody can be (and is!) a food photographer these days, it takes a high level of skill to sharply capture images of sumptuous dishes and drinks while getting the right white balance and saturation.
10. Street photography
Moving away from marketing, street photography is a more stylised art that can be challenging to break into - but rewarding if you do (think Humans of New York).
The best street photographers manage to capture candid shots and evoke emotions through every image. These shots can be sold to publications or printed and sold privately.
11. Stock photography
Though not particularly “sexy”, stock photography can be a great way to practise your photography and break into the industry.
It can be easy to make money by putting your photos up on stock websites - just beware that you will not hold the copyright for them. Most website charge a flat rate for every time your image is downloaded.
12. Travel photography
It’s the niche many people dream of pursuing but travel photography is not always easy to crack into.
You can try your hand at creating your own travel blog, but it might take a while for the financial rewards to show. Or you can sell your travel photos to other travel publications and agencies.
12. Real estate photography
Real estate photography gives you a sneak peek into some beautiful homes while also providing an endless stream of opportunities. Realtors always need professional pictures!
Have you found your ideal photography niche?
Does the idea of one of these niches light you up? It’s time to start investing in your chosen niche! Learn everything you can about the specific skillsets you need and invest in the right equipment today.
