How to "Make it Big" As a Small Town Photographer

The jet screams off the runway as the worldthat is needed to specialize. In fact, if you have that
renowned commercial photographer is taxied awaypopulation and do not specialize you will be hurting
to the next $100,000.00 shoot. "You must specializeyour business.
to make it in this world", they say to the assistantWhen will specializing kill your business?
sitting to his left. "that is, if you ever want to makeCradle to grave. It's a idea in photography circles, and
it".more specifically small town photography circles, that
What does it mean to "Make It"?points out who your clients are.
Success is a funny thing. It's definition is as individualThe average portrait photographer handles the
as each person who strives to define it. For some itfollowing types of business:
is money, others time. What I call success is a happy- Photographs of children
home and paid bills.- High school senior photography
As a small town photographer both can be a struggle- Wedding photography
at times.- Family portraits
Experts in the field tell us that we must be- And the cycle continues.....
specialized. But they always leave out one littleEach of these areas could be a specialty if the area
problem. Sometimes where you live is morecan support it.
important than your degree of specialization.But I want to be perceived as an expert.
Does the area really matter?This is the fun part of being a "Cradle to Grave"
Can it really matter that much? Yes. Yes it can. Thephotographer. You are the expert. There is nothing
area in which I work has an exciting population ofyou can't do, and hopefully do well, as long as a
about 15,000. My own town tops out at 9,000camera and people are involved.
people. I am not sure, but i think they even countIf the small town photographer were to specialize in
animal to get to that number.one area, they would be counted the inferior
Why don't niches always work?photographer because they can't do X or Y. If I only
For many photographer there is not enough people inphotographed families, they would be disappointed
their marketing area to pick a niche and stick to it. Iwhen I said I wouldn't photograph their newborn
would love to only photograph High School Seniors orbaby.
babies, and leave the rest to someone else. I couldBut what about making a profit?
easily be the best baby photographer in my area, butIn any business, profit comes with clients. Without
with under 200 new births annually it just isn't enoughenough clients a business can never be profitable. If a
to support a business.small town photographer can't do it all, their clients will
When do you need to specialize?soon find a photographer who can.
Don't get me wrong. Specialization is a wonderfulSo, what does "making it" mean to you?
thing. If I were to live in Chicago, St. Louis, or evenMaking it definitely means different things to different
Kansas City I would choose a niche and work it forpeople. The next time you hear you have to find a
all it's worth. A large population, or rather a sufficientniche, make sure that the niche you find can support
population with the income to afford a specialist is allyou dreams and desires.