This Advice Changed My Photography Forever

[@adammacfie8591]

I love it when someone comes along and says what you're thinking deep down, but don't translate it into a reality. You, Skyler, just brought me that clarity in 8:36 seconds. Thanks mate.

[@Swiatlowrazliwy]

Thanks for that Skyler! I find it really encouraging ❤

[@RJ_Moonshot]

Wow. This is probably the best I've ever heard this explained. I have failed to succeed with a camera in my hands many times because I've always done "whatever" believing the camera was my passion.

[@daleelliott7390]

This really spoke to me. I feel now I'm figuring out what my style is to create work as a photographer that reflects what I'm passionate about. Food has naturally been one of my biggest passions and it's really only been since the start of the year I've thought it to be the niche to work on. Then comes the moment you realise you need to stand out and make your food photos unique. Another big passion of mine is cinema so I've decided to borrow from the style and aesthetic of some of my favourite filmmakers who've influenced me with their colour palette, lighting style etc

[@skylerburtphotos]

That sounds like a good plan. Search out some clients and blend their style with that as well and you have some gold

[@Frederik.Balcaen]

This is great advice! Thank you for sharing it! I'm about to start a career in video and photography and have been looking for tips and advice everywhere. And while I have received some great tips and advice from various people, this is the first advice that is a real eye opener to me. I'm photographing since a long time but never saw how I could make money with it. Like so many other, I always saw photography as my passion. I learned that I had to niche down but didn't know to what. Your advice now gives me a clear view on what my next step is: finding out what I really love to photograph. And then put in the hard work to get good at it. Thank you for not only sharing this advice but also all the other things on your channel. It's always a pleasure to watch and learn.

[@skylerburtphotos]

Thanks for the amazing comment! I'm glad the video helps, if even in a small way. Wish you all the best on your new journey.

[@FotografMariaEkblad]

Wow, never thought about it this way. 😊 And I've been a full time photographer for a couple of years and now when I think about it, I photograph what I really AM interested in.

[@jettubby17]

One of the best photography videos I've seen all year. You nailed it. You're exactly right. Do what you're passionate about because that's what you know the best and if you can photograph it, there you go. 🙏

[@skylerburtphotos]

Thank you. The rest is marketing your work. But that's a whole different beast.

[@jettubby17]

@@skylerburtphotos exactly! The accoutrements.

[@Huangcolin]

Thank you for this amazing advice, something just clicked in my head. I'll check in in a year's time to see if I follow through.

[@bryan3am]

As you said, this may be obvious advice but it’s SO true and so helpful. Thank you for the reminder and great video!

[@rociofenoglio188]

Im 27 and dropped my office work where i was doing amateur photography to jump into a freelance life. Im learning and working to became professional and this really enlighted me. Thanks!

[@skylerburtphotos]

I'm glad to hear you made the jump. It takes a good amount of courage

[@kenlewphoto]

Definitely great advice and people don't normally think about it. I hated that early on phase of my career where I didn't know what I wanted to focus on or even know that I should focus on something. If I saw this 20 years ago, I would have saved myself 10 years for sure. Thank you for doing this for others.

[@skylerburtphotos]

When I was teaching, it was the number one thing students hated the most. I did too, but I should have listened. I have a few terabytes of images and video that I was once proud of and no one will ever see.

[@kenlewphoto]

Now I’m curious of what the world won’t see from you. It’s probably images that are not relevant to your current focus, but still part of your path to becoming your current creative self! I hope some day to see some of your proudest past hidden work maybe in a video that explains your journey to your present work. An evolution video maybe? :)

[@barrytakespictures8947]

I love this, I just want to be a sports photographer but weddings pay the bills. As soon as I can figure out how to make money with football and boxing…it’s going down lol

[@thearabicdp]

I'm in the same place, although not weddings I'm doing events. I'd love to do more real estate or even travel photos.

[@skylerburtphotos]

Do you have a football or boxing portfolio?

[@skylerburtphotos]

Also, do you want to photograph the action or the products? They would be very different portfolios and career paths. One might have you working for a newspaper or publisher and one would be in the studio / set

[@MikelangeloPhoto]

glorious timing of this video. Thank you.

[@drpepper998]

I agree with niche down method. The problem with this is you can shoot a ton of stuff that you're passionate about very well. But then you have to market it to someone that wants to buy it. If nobody wants to buy it then you end up shooting whatever you can to make ends meet until you can or you switch the niche to one that someone is buying.

[@skylerburtphotos]

You're right. Marketing is what makes a good photographer. It's easy to take photos, but it's hard to sell. It's true we all have to do things for the money ( cough, cough sponsored posts). But some jobs for me are a hard no. Speaking generally, most hobbies have products and a variety of companies to shoot for. Sometimes, you find that there are markets you didn't know could exist. I could have never predicted that IG would become the new billboards, and magazines/newspapers would die. Also, in-house photography departments are on the rise again for companies, and influencer marketing is a thing now (hate or love).

[@drpepper998]

@@skylerburtphotos Yes, totally agree. I'm in the real estate and home improvement sphere and get them to believe that image and brand matter to thier ROI is a tough thing.

[@renatofdearaujo8997]

thanks for the great tip

[@sjamz]

Thank u for the enlightenment 😊

[@hugomartinsphoto]

This was fascinating! Thanks for the insight!

[@jklphoto]

Excellent advise. First visit to your channel. Well done!

[@skylerburtphotos]

Thanks, Welcome aboard!

[@raulm.644]

I would do 👍🏼👍🏼 if it would be possible 😅 Wow, I love your videos and way to work…thanks for this very inspiring video, i really hope many people will see that 🙌🏼

[@eiszapfenkobold]

For cleaning the table and food you could consider a small airbrush. The airflow is adjustable so you can avoid moving your objects but you can blow the crumbs away quite easy. We used a laser light like for building leveling to position objects.

[@skylerburtphotos]

Thanks for the tips! I can't believe I never thought about using a laser before, and I have one that I use for triggering my lights collecting dust. Awesome!

[@swany65]

Great tip...however I think thin wafers wouldn't be a candidate for that technique.

[@drunkhas]

Walked in expecting some advice, walked out with a rather smart stop motion hack

[@mohamedeltaleb]

Thanks for sharing this…. May I know the screen you using for tethering ?

[@skylerburtphotos]

Its my Samsung tablet

[@stephanevaneck6739]

Golden advice!!!

[@nrinka]

I have this idea to just bake sweet foods, photograph it in an artsy way and sell prints. I started out a baker and learnt that I preferred baking for the camera than for people or for sale. Can a sweet food photographer be a niche? is this niche enough? outside of photography, the only thing that interest me is nature, antique stores, museums, library and long walks.

[@skylerburtphotos]

Yeah, for sure! You'll probably want to get good at capturing liquid as I foresee a lot of commercial clients asking for dripping and pouring chocolate shots.

[@brsaravia]

good advice , thank you

[@thearabicdp]

It's so tough to choose. I started so late as well. i don't know what to do with myself!

[@skylerburtphotos]

Outside of photography, what are your hobbies?

[@thearabicdp]

@@skylerburtphotos gaming, boxing, Street photography

[@skylerburtphotos]

Street is pretty general still. Do you have a boxing or gaming portfolio? There are lots of products in both of those genres that you could photograph and work for

[@Jdikmen]

Great advice!

[@brandoncastillo4763]

Are those shadows on the wafer real or those were created on post?

[@skylerburtphotos]

They are real

[@pogolas]

I like playing football. I don't enjoy shooting football games though.

[@kingmuhu]

thanks!

[@risperl9388]

That only works in US. The rest of the world has to work in many different niches so we can make for a living. However, you can not know your niche until you try all of them. There’s always a way to find what you like, but you can’t skip this. Everyone has his own way 😊

[@giolee1274]

Fantastic advice. Thank you. May I ask, what software are you using for your stop motion video?

[@skylerburtphotos]

Thanks! The software is DragonFrame

[@giolee1274]

@@skylerburtphotos cool. Will check that out. Hope you do a tutorial on the software. I love your videos and the way you teach. Super easy to follow and understand. Keep up the good work sir. God bless

[@hankdinardo4308]

Great video can I ask what monitor and stand that was?

[@skylerburtphotos]

Thats my Samsung tablet

[@MIFADEN]

I’m a beginner and I’m learning and practicing and making cooking videos and photography but I still feel I should be trying something else!! I tried portraits for my family members and they love them but still, I can’t figure out what genre would be best for me?

[@skylerburtphotos]

Outside of photography, what are you passionate about?

[@MIFADEN]

@@skylerburtphotos To be honest, I don't know! making videos I think🤔

[@skylerburtphotos]

😆 you have to be passionate about something outside of video as well. Other than the camera, what interests do you have? Sports, activities, hobbies, things like that.

[@MIFADEN]

I have many but mostly cooking.. I don't cook ALL the time but I feel happy when serve a meal to my family and/or friends and they enjoy it.

[@just_eirik]

I don’t understand why you said “it can’t be people”. I’m pretty sure portrait photography is a thing. And what about wedding photography? That sounded odd to me.

[@pinkace8221]

great advise, but what's happen if your niche it's too narrow and get saturated by same passionate niche photographers?

[@skylerburtphotos]

Can you give me an example?

[@skylerburtphotos]

My genre of food is probably one of the most saturated genres, but I photograph for very specific clients where I'm competitive with far less people if that makes sense

[@pinkace8221]

@@skylerburtphotos Thank you for taking the time to reply to me! I was exactly pointing out what your latest reply is saying. I am a food photographer too and it is not easy to compete and get into a highly saturate niche especially if you are starting out and you are passionate about food! If you are an establish photographer and you have your clients base it is a little more easy to specialised but new photographers out there starting from scratch it is not so easy. They have to raise they bar very high and compete with establish ones and plus find a niche within a niche to differentiate them selves from other photographer, not to mention prices... My question is, how many clients there are in the narrow specialised niche? It is a sustainable business model? This is just my opinion and I like sharing different points of views! I love your channel! :))

[@skylerburtphotos]

I hear what you're saying. Sometimes, it can really feel daunting when you see a ton of photographers in your niche. I feel it all the time. You're not alone. But a little secret is, for most photo shoots, every photographer has to make a proposal (where they submit an estimate and their portfolio) so there is an opportunity for new photographers. Those proposals are not based on experience. Yes, some photographers have repeat clients, but usually only a few, and it is pretty rare. Good photographers are truly just marketers, and the number of good photographers who are also good marketers is pretty small. What I'm trying to say is that your portfolio doesn't have to be better it just has to be unique to you. The rest is the hard work of marketing. Pick 10 companies, agents, and art directors that might want to hire you and send them an email or a DM once a month. Do this every month until someone responds. In my experience, it takes about 6 months to a year. But, if you do that, you are probably ahead of 99.5% of all photographers in your genre. Sorry for the long reply. I'm going to make a video on this subject soon because it's a very common anxiety we all feel.

[@pinkace8221]

@@skylerburtphotos Thank you again for taking the time to reply to me, I really appreciated the long response, it is a valid reply and I will take your advice on board and I will keep watching your amazing videos!! I wish more people are taking the time as you do to help other fellows photographers!! 🙏

[@RussP-m3j]

I agree! Same is true for all careers! But people do not follow this very often! True for love partners too!!!!!

[@benharris3949]

Solid advice. Two things though, firstly it’s pronounced “nee-sh,” secondly it’s “e-specially” not “ex-pecially” Nothing will undermine your point faster than mispronouncing the key word 😅

[@A2ZLiveEntertainment]

I disagree, if you can’t look past blemishes you’ll never find the gold. I’ve also met very successful people who are super rough around the edges, this guy is very polished as a comparison.

[@skylerburtphotos]

Thank you for the pointers. It's not pronounced neesh, though. At least not in USA from merriam "NICH\ (rhymes with pitch). \NICH\ is the more common one and the older of the two pronunciations. It is the only pronunciation given for the word in all English dictionaries until the 20th century"

[@benharris3949]

@@skylerburtphotos I stand corrected. As a speaker of British English I accept that we have different ways of pronouncing the same word.

[@jenniferknox1599]

❤

[@thamirx]

Can I photograph the internet ?

[@skylerburtphotos]

Maybe? You could make videos, though. I see a KZbin career in your future 😁

[@alexanderow1268]

totally WORD !!! 😉