Get Outside Your Comfort Zone

Ever feel like you’re stuck in the doldrums and can’t seem to find something to shoot?  Don’t you just hate it when you get a bad case of “the blahs”?  How do you get your creative juices flowing?

Try getting outside your comfort zone.  Get an assignment (either from yourself or from elsewhere) and go try to complete it “right now”.  Personally, I find that the stranger the theme the more creative I’m forced to be in order to fulfill it.  Regardless of how well you complete your assignment, you’ve accomplished something by taking on the project–you’ve gotten yourself moving and doing something.

OK, why did I put that in italics?  Because it is key to creativity.  Sitting still and “thinking about it” does not get you any closer to the goal of adding something creative to your body of work.  Nothing happens as long as your gluteus maximus is still in contact with the easy chair and all the “thinking about it” in the world won’t trip that shutter and make the image.  Activity triggers creativity.  Doing something (anything!), especially something that is outside your comfort zone, has a higher probability of inspiring some creative work than just sitting on your butt just thinking about it.  Creativity needs a stimulus and you’re more likely to get that needed stimulus with some action.

Getting out of the lazy chair is the first step.  What else can increase the likelihood of creativity happening to you?  As I’ve already mentioned, get out of your comfort zone! Walking the same old street…seeing the same old sights…doing the same old thing is less likely to inspire creativity than doing something different.  Take a photo walk along a different route.  Visit that local park that you’ve driven by but never been to.  Take a day trip to a nearby state or national park.  Maybe your comfort zone is that you only take certain types of shots (landscapes, architectural, portaits, flowers, etc.).  Choose a different subject type and see what you can do with it.  If you normally shoot macros of flowers and bugs, get out of your comfort zone and shoot people for the afternoon.  Maybe you shoot people all the time….in that case give yourself a project to shoot the interesting architecture of your town.  Get out of your comfort zone to spur creativity.

I was talking to a friend about this recently and their response was this:  “Sounds like a recipe for frustration.”  That is one possible outcome, but without risk there is no opportunity.  Are you willing to risk the possibility of being frustrated for the opportunity of sparking your creativity and giving yourself the chance to capture some amazing images?  My answer to the frustration argument is that there are no hard and fast rules in photography…only guidelines.  Does the shot look better if that rock is placed dead center in the frame?  Then do it!  You may get it into your digital darkroom and decide that it didn’t work out the way you thought it would, but you’ve lost nothing for trying.

Creativity is like a muscle.  You have to exercise it in order to increase it.  Get out of your comfort zone and experiment.  Learn something new and add it to the mix of your photography.

Photrade: “Share, Protect, Get Paid”*

* Partial quote from a comment made by timsdd to this blog post a few weeks ago.

Any of you who have been reading my blog (and those of you who know me personally have probably gotten an earful from me about it, too) know that I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the “share” and “protect” parts of the Photrade experience.  The recent addition of the expanded photo stats, contests, groups, and events sections has only enhanced an already great service and I’m loving it even more.

“Share” is what photographers always want to do.  Scott Bourne has stated many times that for a photographer to be successful, they have to do three things: (1) Show the work, (2) Show the work, and (3) Show the work.  In the Web 2.0 world that means some kind of photo-sharing website like Photobucket, Flickr, Smugmug, and now Photrade.

“Protect” is what photographers need to do regarding their copyrights.  Unfortunately, in this Web 2.0 world of ours copyright infringement has been rampant not only where photos are concerned, but with just about everything from software to books to music.  Photrade is serious about helping their patrons protect their copyrights.  The focus on security and emphasis on copyright protection through their HyperPhocal learning center shows that they not only pay lip service to the idea of copyright protection–they put actions to their words!

“Get Paid” is what we all want.  For some the amount is important.  For others, its the respect that a customer shows by actually paying for the right to possess a copy of the photographer’s work.  Both philosophies should be happy because Photrade has made it possible for the photographer to set his or her own price structure for their work.

That brings me to the point of this post.  As of today, I can fully comment on the full statement that timsdd made because I made my first two sales through Photrade this morning.  They came from out of the blue and from trading messages with the buyer, I’m sure it is a mutually satisfying experience (after I took care of the one technical glitch that was totally MY fault.  Thanks, John!  May they bring you as much enjoyment as they’ve brought me!).

Photobucket….only had my photos stolen and received no response from them.

Flickr….only had my photos stolen and received no response from them.

Photrade….was paid for prints of my images and hear from top management from time to time.

‘Nuff said.  Photrade rules!

A little less lazy…

Not to take anything away from Scott Bourne’s post last week on TWIP (“Are You A Lazy Photographer?”, August 20, 2008), I already had plans to get up early yesterday morning to get on the water and shoot some photographs.  Rumor has it that there is are a lot of Blue Herons on Beaver Creek and I thought I’d go see what I could see and photograph and may be get some decent early-morning shots of whatever was around.

The day started at 4:45am and I put the canoe in the water at 6:00am.  I wasn’t familiar with the stretch of creek I was going to be paddling on, so I didn’t know if I would be able to get any sunrise shots or not (as it turned out, I could not due to the fairly heavy cypress canopy and other trees along the creek).  I took my Olympus Stylus 790 SW (waterproof and shockproof) as well as the DSLR (Canon Rebel XT) (neither waterproof nor shockproof) on the trip.  This was the first time I had taken my DSLR out on the water in the canoe.  Needless to say, I was nervous every time I took the camera out of the bag (waterproof) that I was carrying it in.  Despite the fears of my camera somehow taking a swim, I got a few shots with it.

I didn’t find any herons and the ducks that were on the creek were too easily spooked for me to get any decent shots.  I heard a deer that was bedding down on an island in the creek.  Actually, when the deer broke cover and started splashing about, it nearly scared me into tipping the boat!  I caught a glipse of her raised tail a few moments later as I rounded the next bend and the sound of my paddling disturbed her again.

There were a few lessons I learned on this trip and I’ll share them with you in the hopes that when you make an outing into the woods and onto the water you’ll be better prepared than I was.

First:  Check, double-check, and triple-check your gear before you leave.  The first reason for this is so you don’t forget something important.  The second reason is just as important–to make sure everything is in working order.  You don’t want to be away from home or your base of operations and find out that you forgot to bring charged batteries.  This applies not only to your photography gear but also to your outdoor gear…

Second:  DEET! No that is not a sound effect, it’s a very effective insect repellent.  I had some with me for this trip.  Unfortunately for me (and fortunate for a bunch of hungry mosquitos), the spray top was inoperable making the can and its contents completely useless for me.  As a result, I’m now suffering 22 mosquito bites on the outside of my left elbow and 13 on the outside of my right elbow.  (I know those numbers because I’ve been constantly applying hydrocortisone to them to try to stop the itching–arms, legs, and face are also bitten, but my elbows itch like they’ve been the subject of some gypsy’s curse.)

Third:  Know your gear’s abilities and limitations and plan accordingly. OK, I’ll admit that I’ve been rather envious of Nikon when I hear about the high-ISO capabilities the new models have.  While I realize that the model I own would not have that great of low-light performance, I still was not prepared for the results I got.  In real-world terms, I didn’t have enough light for a lot of the shots I attempted during the first half of the trip.  As a Canon shooter, I’m just waiting patiently to see what Canon will announce at or around Photokina next month.  Here’s to hoping they meet the Nikon challenge of better noise control at higher ISOs.

Fourth:  Don’t forget to have fun! This isn’t something that I failed at on this trip.  I had loads of fun out on the water and taking photographs.  Just keep in mind that unless you are a professional photographer, “fun” should be one of the biggest reasons you drag all that gear around.  Don’t lose sight of that fact and keep enjoying your photography!

If you enjoyed reading this blog entry, please consider reading others I’ve written.  Additionally, take time to explore the links I’ve posted to the right.  Thanks!  ~DBJ

Aperture Nature Photography Workshops Photo Contest

I first heard about the Aperture Nature Photography Workshops photo contest last month when Scott Bourne announced it on the TWIP blog and I’ve been excited about it the whole time.   The prize package is considerable but in my opinion the jewel on top of the prize crown is that the winners (there will be sixteen in total) will be paired up with a top professional nature photographer for a three-day trip to either Grand Tetons National Park, Olympic National Park, Yellowstone National Park, or Yosemite National Park.

Can you say “Ooo-la-la!”?   I thought you could.  Heh, heh, heh…

Check it out at the Aperture Nature Photography Workshops website.  Get out there and make some photos!  Participate!  Get involved!

Photo Project: Grape

This weekend’s project over at Tips From The Top Floor is “Grape”.  Here’s my submission:

Nothing much else to report for the weekend.  Just trying to rest up for another long and tiring week at work. At least I pulled the camera out of the bag and took some shots today!  That’s an improvement!

~Bryant

Cool off with a retrospective project of your own work

It’s like this:  I hate summer.  Not dislike, not despise, not look down upon in disdain.  Hate.

The reason is the blasted heat (and the humidity doesn’t help either).  It also happens to be one of the busiest times of year for my job which (you guessed it) involves me being outside in this heat and humidity.  My ancestors came from Scotland (before that, who knows!  Maybe Norway?  ) and I definitely take after my great-great-great-gr…eat-great-great grandpappy who preferred the cool climate of the highlands over the stifling summer conditions of the lowlands (and believe me, the coastal plain area of North Carolina qualifies as “lowlands”). Suffice it to say that I hate this time of year because it is exceedingly hot, very dry (working on a multi-year drought here), humid, bug-infested (the mosquito is being challenged by the gnat to be the state bird!) and just plain uncomfortable.  When you step out of your house at 7:00am and it already feels like a sauna, life isn’t fun.

Between work and the climate, I haven’t had the energy to do much photography.  So what is a person to do when they aren’t motivated to plunge back into the summer torture chamber to take photos?  Well, I’ve started going back to my early photos and re-examining them to see what I can learn from them.

I start off by looking at the .jpg of the photo I saved after processing the RAW file.  The first thing I’ve seen is that my photo-editing skills have improved since I started.  I then remember to the time I took the image and try to recall what I was thinking and what I was trying to capture…what I was trying to accomplish with the image.  One thing that I’ve begun to work on recently (since listening to interviews with Rick Sammon and Scott Kelby on The Digital Photography Show) is to stop trying to “take” the image…but rather to “make” the image by being more aware of what is there before activating the shutter.  What I take this to mean is to not just snap the picture.  Instead, develop the habit of looking around the frame to make sure everything is “right” before you click the shutter.  Looking back at those earlier images, I can clearly see that I didn’t know anything about that concept a few months ago.  Changing one’s way of thinking is not something easily done.

My next step is to decide if I can improve on the .jpg I made originally (almost unanimously, the decision has been “yes!”) and then reprocess to make the most of the capture.  I’m keeping these new images separate from the originals and using them to start building a printed portfolio.  So far, I’ve worked my way through the first nine days that I had my DSLR.  Plenty left to last me until the weather begins to cool off again.

Actually, I’ve also been thinking about putting together a photo book of my work for this year.  If I do, I may see if I can build it in such a way as to use it to register my copyrights to this years’ photos.  I’ll have to check with an attorney to see if that is possible.  If anyone reading this knows of a good way to register your copyrights in bulk, please comment or email me.  I have really only gotten started this year, but I don’t think this is something you can start too early.