Do not limit yourself

Some time ago, I read this post by Jack Hollingsworth on (not) being a generalist photographer. It made me think. Mostly on how many levels I do not agree.

For starter, why only two named famous photographers are allowed to be generalist? I am sure if they were told 20 or so years ago that they have to specialize and God forbid, they listened, maybe they were not so successful now? Why what works for them would not work for somebody else?
And, honestly, looking at Joe McNally’s work, you get an idea in what he specializes. Even if he claims to be generalist, there are things he does best (photograph people) and things he doesn’t get (landscape, read through Hot Shoe Diaries for example).

When you think about it, most working photographers are generalist in a sense. A wedding photographer needs to be good in portrait, photojournalism and photographing food and interiors. Successful professionals, like David Ziser, need to do more than just senior portraits or weddings, they do both, plus family portraits and baby sessions.
The stock photographers are generalist. If they want to diversify their portfolio, again, they need to know how to shoot people portraits, food, landscape, interior, what have you.
It almost seem to me that fine art photographers are the least of generalist, they either specialize in wildlife, landscape of portrait. Or blown tires. ;)

So my bottom line would be – you don’t need to know how to photograph just about everything, but you cannot focus too narrowly, because you will simply not be able to support yourself, or as Jack Hollingsworth call it, be sustainable. And when you go to see a client, you prepare the portfolio adjusted to his needs.

And, on the side note, somebody else nailed it down on his blog– as generalist, you simply have more subjects around you.