Stepping out of your comfort zone

Through out my life I have been pushed to to step out and do things that I am not comfortable with. At the time I hated every minute of it, but I learned that most of the time when I stepped out of my comfort zone I really enjoyed what ever it was that I was trying to do. With this knowledge I have convinced myself to try more new things. It could be as simple as new color of nail polish to as big as a giant career change. All things that I have tried I have never regretted trying once I got through the newness.

I feel that I have gotten stuck in a rut when it comes to my photography. I mainly photograph my pets, (they don't argue with me like my children and they are easy to bribe when I have milk bones on hand) so I figured it was time for a change.

I was given the wonderful opportunity to second shoot a wedding with Whitney Montgomery, the owner of WAM Photography. It was amazing! Now I will admit that I don't think I was feeling the same pressure that Whitney was feeling as this was her wedding, and her name. I on the other hand was learning. I did want to give the best product, however I was not scared to make a mistake, or really missing a shot, because I knew that Whitney was working to get the same shot from another angle.

I must admit there are a number of photos that I was NOT happy with, there were times I felt rushed, and even though I knew I had no pressure to get "the shot" I still wanted too. I realized that I have alot of growing and learning to do when it comes to photography. I learned that I need to develop an understanding of flash, because using natural/available lighting is not always going to be optimal, and in some cases can destroy the photo. I realized that even though I shoot in manual and I can adjust my settings, there are times there is just not enough light. Focus was a huge challenge for me. As I look back over the files I notice how many shots I had that would have been amazing, but I missed the focus point.

Even though there were a number of shots that I missed I also nailed it on several as well. In fact some of these photos were given to the clients! I was actually quite proud of that small accomplishment when Whitney showed me the final product.

Overall I have learned a lot from the experience. I know that I am no where near ready to shoot on my own at a wedding, but this has opened up a new challenge for me, and hopefully this will help me to continue and to grow with my photography. I will never be able to thank Whitney enough for not only letting me shoot with her, but building my confidence as a photographer and offering to allow me to continue second shooting with her next wedding season! I am looking forward to a season full of challenges!

I would love to hear from the rest of you about how you step out of your comfort zones and continue to grow. This could be in any aspect of life! Please share your story below!