What I Love About Being a Generalist Photographer

The priceless little things that keep me going

Image by author

Are you a specialist or generalist photographer? Which approach appeals to you best? Over the last seven years, I’ve shot anything from ants to airplanes, babies to buildings, and weeds to weddings.

While I haven’t run the whole gamut of photography niches, you could say I’ve taken a more generalist than specialist style.

Of course, I’m not here to praise or disparage one approach, as we need so much more context to those conversations than the standard black-or-white conclusions people love to draw.

But I’ve enjoyed my status as a generalist photographer. And upon reflection, here are some things I grew to love about that.

The skill transfer is almost seamless

Thankfully, I forced myself to shoot in manual mode the first day I got a camera. And I’ve never looked back.

As I progressed on my photography journey, I realized a similar skill set applies to most niches I’ve had to shoot in, and mastering those skills will serve many photographers well.

For example, understanding the rules around the exposure triangle — the relationship between ISO, shutter speed, and aperture — has…