Prove Your Niche
One frame. Clear intent. A specialty, defined in a single image.
Welcome to This Week’s Edition of The Carty Method Magazine!
This week, photographers were challenged to prove their niche in a single frame.
No explanations. No supporting images.
Just one photograph that clearly communicates what they do, how they see, and why their work stands apart.
It’s an exercise in clarity where intent, execution, and identity must align instantly.
Assignment Brief
CARTY gives a tight brief at the end of his photo review shows, outlining exactly what shooters must create for the following week’s review.
Here is this assignment exactly as he shared it:
“This week’s assignment: Prove Your Niche.”
“If your work needs an explanation, it isn’t finished. One image should be enough to tell me what you do.” ~ The Carty Method
This assignment pushes photographers to think like professionals, creating work that speaks clearly without relying on context or captions.
Why This Matters
Your niche is your visual signature.
Editors and clients make decisions quickly. When your work can communicate your specialty at a glance, you demonstrate confidence, direction, and professional intent.
By limiting this assignment to one vertical image, photographers are forced to simplify, refine, and commit to their lane.
Thus, practicing a skill that translates directly to editorial and commercial work.
Let’s take a look at how this week’s photographers defined their lane.
Israel Cardona III
What was the most intentional decision you made while creating this image?
The most intentional decision was using a black background and controlled lighting to remove distractions and focus entirely on the subject’s presence, strength, and confidence.
How does this image align with the work you want to be hired for?
This image represents the kind of work I want to be hired for: clean, intentional portraits that build personal brand and communicate confidence and professionalism.
What personal interests or experiences influenced your decision to pursue this niche?
I’ve always been fascinated by how an image can change how someone sees themselves and how others see them.
That’s what drew me to creating portraits that build confidence and presence, not just memories.
What advice would you give to another photographer still defining their niche?
If you try to do everything, you’ll be remembered for nothing. Pick the work you’re best at, and build your reputation around it.
What’s one thing you’ll carry forward from this image into future shoots?
I’ll keep focusing on simplicity, using clean backgrounds, intentional lighting, and purposeful posing to strengthen the message of the portrait.
Social Media Handles:
IG: cardona3.photography
Website: www.cardona3.photography
Denise Tuggle
What was the most intentional decision you made while creating this image?
The most intentional decision I made while creating this image was to embrace simplicity.
I wanted the product to be the clear focal point, free from visual distractions, so its form, texture, and details could speak for themselves.
This approach allows the audience and potential clients to immediately see my ability to present a product thoughtfully and effectively.
Demonstrating both technical skill and a clear understanding of brand-driven imagery within my niche.
How does this image align with the work you want to be hired for?
This image aligns seamlessly with the type of work I want to be hired for because it reflects my commitment to clean composition, controlled lighting, and precise attention to detail.
The use of subtle shadows and intentional spacing highlights the product in a refined, polished way.
I aim to be known for imagery that feels elevated yet simple work that is visually clean, intentional, and meticulously executed.
What personal interests or experiences influenced your decision to pursue this niche?
My decision to pursue this niche was strongly influenced by my desire for creative control throughout the entire visual process.
My background in marketing and graphic design, where I regularly supported clients with layout, branding, and design decisions, gave me a deep understanding of how imagery functions within a larger marketing strategy.
That experience naturally led me to product photography, where I can merge visual storytelling with strategic design to help brands communicate clearly and effectively.
What advice would you give to another photographer still defining their niche?
Take your time and allow your niche to develop organically.
Choose a direction that genuinely excites you, as that passion will translate into stronger work and greater consistency.
Growth comes from exploration, refinement, and patience.
What’s one thing you’ll carry forward from this image into future shoots?
One key element I will carry forward into future shoots is the use of simple, controlled lighting.
This approach creates a clean, bright, and polished aesthetic while allowing the product to remain the hero.
Thoughtful lighting is foundational to producing imagery that feels professional, refined, and market-ready.
Social Media Handles:
William Sedgwick
Social Media Handles:
IG: will_sedgwick1
Website: www.sedgwick.pixpa.com
Necumba Booker Jr
What was the most intentional decision you made while creating this image?
The product.
How does this image align with the work you want to be hired for?
Its exactly what I’d like to do.
What personal interests or experiences influenced your decision to pursue this niche?
I started Photography shooting people for my own clothing brand.
What advice would you give to another photographer still defining their niche?
Just find out what type of photos inspire you that are not the normal instagram trend and test out a few whichever comes easiest to you is probably your niche.
For me, I have always had a business mindset on helping others grow or increase their business while not just copy and pasting others.
More like using the “Virgil 3% Rule” so for me my mindset for life fit my niche already.
What’s one thing you’ll carry forward from this image into future shoots?
The loose planning phase.
Social Media Handles:
IG: bynecumba
Website: www.bynecumba.com
Linkedin: Necumba Booker Jr.
Lyncia Taylor
What was the most intentional decision you made while creating this image?
The location and that I wanted to capture him in a Cowboy Hat.
How does this image align with the work you want to be hired for?
I want people to feel free to come to me in the full expression of themselves.
What personal interests or experiences influenced your decision to pursue this niche?
I like the feeling I get from capturing the exact moment or shot that the client or I wanted!
It’s just makes me feel good.
What advice would you give to another photographer still defining their niche?
Listen to Carty. He really is here to help.
It may sting a little at times but he’s here to help me or you to get to where you need to be.
Not just in order to be a full time or part time photographer but to be good at what you do.
What’s one thing you’ll carry forward from this image into future shoots?
The framing.
l’ll try not to cut off any of the vital parts of the scene.
Social Media Handles:
Kyle Gagne
Social Media Handles:
Website: kylegagne.com
Natalie Bennett
What was the most intentional decision you made while creating this image?
For this session, I wanted to play with a simple, bold colour story using red, black, and white.
I chose both the backdrop and the floral dress to frame her jet black hair and make the whole image look and feel strong and striking.
Her porcelain skin added a soft, bright contrast that balanced the deeper tones and really drew the eye to her face.
Every choice was made to keep the look clean and intentional, while letting her natural beauty be the focus of the image.
How does this image align with the work you want to be hired for?
This kind of session is exactly the direction I want to grow in as a portrait and fashion photographer, because it lets me be intentional with both styling and storytelling.
Working with a strong color palette, thoughtful wardrobe choices, and a model whose features really shine in that setup allows me to create images that feel polished, modern, and expressive.
What personal interests or experiences influenced your decision to pursue this niche?
I chose portrait and fashion photography because it combines everything I care about most: people, creativity, and art.
I’m a people person at heart, and I love connecting with someone, learning their story, and helping them feel confident in front of the camera.
What advice would you give to another photographer still defining their niche?
Try to shoot as often as possible, even if you are making images that are not solely in your defined niche.
Stay curious, keep learning, and don’t be afraid to experiment and make mistakes.
Most importantly, remember why you started; let that love for photography guide you when things get challenging.
What’s one thing you’ll carry forward from this image into future shoots?
From this photo session I carry the knowledge that the use of simple elements.
Things like a bold backdrop, a statement dress, and clean lighting, highlight a person’s natural beauty and personality without distractions helping to make a powerful statement.
Shoots like this help me build a body of work that feels consistent, creative, and fashion-forward, while still keeping the focus on the person in front of my lens.
Social Media Handles:
Website: nataliaphoto.kavyar.site
Wedding Website: photographybynatalia.lightfolio.com
Levi Wells
What was the most intentional decision you made while creating this image?
My decision process was heavily based on what story I wanted to tell to my viewers.
My goal was to highlight the main dish while using each ingredient as a piece of the story to how the dish was made.
How does this image align with the work you want to be hired for?
I want my work to provoke an immediate emotion that compels the viewer to take action.
We eat with our eyes first.
Strong imagery that ignites the appetite is the service that I want to provide to my clients in the food and beverage market.
What personal interests or experiences influenced your decision to pursue this niche?
I have a strong passion for creating food imagery that encourages a more immersive experience that leaves a lasting impression for the consumer.
I love to travel and taking pictures of my food allowed me to capture the memory and revisit the experience.
I believe you can connect with different cultures in a special way when you experience their local cuisine.
Taking my craft to the professional level will allow me to serve a bigger purpose while sharing my love for food photography.
What advice would you give to another photographer still defining their niche?
I would tell a photographer that is still searching for their niche to analyze what excites you when money or necessity is not the objective.
I believe your niche is a combination of what you would do if you had freedom of time and money as well as if that activity can be used to provide value to someone else.
What’s one thing you’ll carry forward from this image into future shoots?
I will make sure that I add time to “play” and try new ideas into every project.
I have discovered that the best images are often found after the main shots are captured and creativity is allowed to breathe.
Social Media Handles:
IG: leviworx
Amund Thompson
Social Media Handles:
IG: amundphoto
Website: www.amundphoto.com
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👉🏾 Carty a Pro Photographer, Director, and Educator based in Toronto, CA.
His goal is to educate and connect a global network of visual creators.
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See work at 👉🏾 SteveCarty.com
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Watch the replay of these photo submissions below.
This article comes at the perfect time! Its such a smart take. My Pilates practice often feels like this, proving intent with just one movement. So true.