If you’ve heard any advice in the last 2-3 years on how to market your business or define your ideal clients/audience, you’ve undoubtedly heard that you MUST niche down to reach the right people and ultimately succeed.
It was drilled into my mind. By community leads, podcast episodes, social media messages… The list goes on. It was the universal truth of business: niche DOWN, down, down, down.
Especially as a photographer and writer, I’ve been furiously trying to hammer out the details of my biz so everything is clearer and my audience is obvious. But here’s what happened.
I went way too far. My drill pushed that screw so far down that it’s below the wall’s surface. I tried to narrow down my niche so much that not even a drop of water could fit through the hole of the kind of clients I expected to reach.
I thought I needed to pick one kind of photography. OK. Brand. But then I was told I needed to niche down more. OK, outdoor-focused. Nope, more. OK, athletic and active lifestyle brands only. Nope, more. OK, only women’s outdoor athletic and active lifestyle brands. Nope, now you need to pick a location. The dizzying acrobatics of trying to figure out a fine line between what I would and wouldn’t photograph… left me so uncertain of what I COULD even photograph.
So here’s what I am doing about it.
I’m niching UP. Yep, you heard right. I am climbing the ladder OUT of the enormous hole I dug myself into, and my photography is now focusing on an overarching topic- Movement and Motion (with an emphasis on the outdoors).
If you’re a brand, welcome! If you’re a family, welcome! If you’re a business owner looking for headshots, get on in here! The only caveat? We are going to move a lot. And we are going to have fun. We aren’t afraid to get a little dirty and raw, and to be honest with our images. Whether it’s for your brand, your family, or for your furry four-legged loved ones, we are going to get out there and do it to it.
I get the itch to only focus on one thing. Then I get that itch to switch it up. It confuses me, it confuses my audience. So I am breaking out of the box. Quite plainly… If my style is what you’re looking for, let’s chat.
Let’s play. Let’s capture those little moments where hair is wild in the wind and children are laughing. Let’s get out on the track and run repeats until the sweat is beaming down your face and dripping from your chin. Let’s crack open a few brews by the pool. The only requirement for a photoshoot with me? We are going to DO things. We start with an activity, and we roll with it.
My job as a photographer and writer is to tell a story.
When was the last time you read a story that wasn’t moving you forward? That wasn’t cascading among movement and emotion? Doesn’t sound like a story to me. So let’s go have fun, pick an activity that means something to you – whether your family likes to rollerblade at sunrise and grab coffee downtown, or your brand needs photos of you in action, doing what you do best. I’m here for it.
Tired of trying to fit in boxes, appease algorithms, and play by the rules. I’m over here ready to break them and break free. Let’s go!
