I fully agree with you assesment of Zucker (I think of his portraits as "still lifes with people"), and I'd add that his greatest talent in in marketing--he's more adept at convincing others that he's a great photographer with his words than with his photos.
As a practical matter, you should be looking at the kind of work that sells in your area to the market that you want to reach. That will still probably encompass a range of styles, but it will give you a good idea what your competition is. Then you can see how your style fits into that market (and how you want to develop your style to be marketable). Being distinctive will help you to stand out from the masses, but being TOO different is not a profitable way to go. I have a more photojournalistic approach than most wedding/portrait photographers in my area, though I still do formal portraits and poses (the bread and butter shots).
