Hi I'm Jake. I'm a photographer.
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travisalexphoto asked:How did you find & define your Niche'?
my niche is #style #progression #hype and #strobist
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how did i find it? i’ll get serious for a second.
honestly dude, i started answering only to myself (while caring about others), and making work only for myself (while making it also work for my clients), and finding my own style of shooting and observing.
there was a long time in 2007-09 when i was 20-22ish where i shot what i thought others wanted to see, not in my style. i was making shitty copies of other people’s work. it looked horrible. because it was derivative. and it was also of-the-moment. which sucks. don’t make work you can pinpoint to a trend.
i finally recognized this. so i started to say “fuck it” and stopped caring about trying to please people and taking the shot i thought people wanted to see. THEN things started happening.
another example that’s way easier to understand: music. top 40 aside, the music you probably love will likely sound unique and fresh and unlike anything else ever. from CSNY to Andre 3000 to
Coldplay, these artists all have their own style and way of seeing/hearing. that’s why you like listening to those bands… chances are you’re not saying, “this is so derivative, it’s great!”. chances are, the music you love takes you to a new place. and photography should do that too. i’m not saying that i myself do that, i’m saying the greatest dudes/girls of our century are doing that.if you’re looking for visual, photographic inspiration, if you live in a city, go to a BOOKSTORE or LIBRARY and look at anything made before…. 1970. ok. 80. maybe some 90’s. to generalize greatly (don’t penalize me here, MFA’s!) stiedl books are an excellent starting point. don’t look at the internet. and certainly not some aggregating cool-hunting tumblr.
so, to swing back around, i suggest that you go find your own spot. stop making the work you think people want, stop trying to emulate. find your niche. your way of visually/contextually understanding, observing, seeing.
a last major point: like musicians, or writers, or any artist, it takes time and hard work and alot of crazy ups and downs to make it happen. some people will find it very soon, some people will take years, some people will never find it. so know that. keep it in your head. but keep your head up.
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travisalexphoto said:
Thanks for you answer. I appreciate you taking the time to do so. You are the man Jake.
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twostarhotel said:
You’re awesome!
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