Have you ever tried to catch a rabbit? It’s not easy, even in an enclosed space. Now how about catching one of several rabbits in that same space? Not very easy or next to impossible? That’s the way I feel when I read someone saying that I should choose a photographic speciality. How can I eliminate so many different subjects in favor of only a few or even one. Every now and then, in the course of a conversation of what we like to photograph, someone in the group will say that I have quite a varied group of subjects and styles on my website RealityDefined.com. While this is true and I admit that I need to sort through and update my site, I see no real reason to limit what I photograph to one particular area or subject.

I guess you could say that for a while I specialized in creating images for textbook illustration. That’s what I did for thirty or more textbooks. I loved those projects and I loved seeing the textbooks once they were published. But that was not everything I wanted to make images of. I never wanted a “real” job and that is what photography has given me. A chance to do projects that I wanted to do and enjoyed doing like the textbook work. Being a photographer meant that I could also do personal projects. That is where chasing rabbits comes in.

For me, there are just too many different things to photograph and too many different ways to photograph them. Yes, a nice coherent portfolio is great and I applaud photographers who put them together but I guess, like having a “real” job, that’s just not for me. I guess it’s a matter of to many subjects/styles and too little time. After 30+ years of loving photography I haven’t done everything I want to do yet. So, I’ll keep chasing rabbits. Creating those images that I have in my mind. Someday I just might find that one niche that fills all the creative needs that I have and I won’t want to photograph anything else. For now, don’t bet on it.