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In this episode of CREATE. PHOTOGRAPHY, Daniel Sigg will discuss the specialist – generalist debate in photography.

Featured image is a droplet image I captured a couple of years ago.  Droplet photography is a highly specialized photography technique that might fit in the sub-genre of table top photography. It requires specialized equipment (external photography flashes, droplet device (although it can be done manually too), and macro lens).  It is a combination of high-speed flash photography, and macro photography and is definitely highly technical. But can be very artistic.

There is no clear yes – no answer to the question of whether we should specialize as photographers. I think it is a good idea to follow our passion, set goals, and align our passion with those goals. Perhaps if our passion is to photograph people and events, and our goals are to make a living from our passion, aligning our passion with those goals would be to try to become a professional or semi-professional wedding photographer.

So following our passion should be at the start of answering that question.

And while there is no clear cut answer to the question whether we should specialize in our photography, one concept I like in particular is the one of external specialization and internal generalization. So the idea that we are a specialist to the external world, but internally, we remain a generalist. This way we remain open to ideas and possibilities, and this might also help us creatively.

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