Do You Push Yourself Out of Your Comfort Zone?

[DonSmith]

I am a fulltime landscape photographer and educator. Before that, I was a sports photographer and worked for the likes of Sports Illustrated, NBA Photos, San Jose Sharks (co-team photographer 28 years), and Fleer Trading Cards (14 years). My strengths in photography were action and landscape. I was a wreck when I had to capture a portrait. I finally pushed myself to learn. I still do not consider myself really good but I am a lot more comfortable. How about you? Do you try to push yourself out of your comfort zone? Here is an image of an Navajo Elder in Monument Valley. Ron Modra and I run a workshop there every December and in 2019, we were invited into this woman's Hogan at the base of the famed Left Mitten. We are going back this December and our group has been invited again... let me know if you are interested. This woman was so kind to me that I was at peace when I made this image- total respect for my subject and she had total respect for me... Wonderful experience I will never forget...

[CarolineJensen]

I really admire this. I am definitely not someone who pushes myself too often. I am such a slow shooter that my go-to for portraiture became standing back and shooting from a distance--fly on the wall style. I am terrible at directing people to feel comfortable in front of the camera. This is an amazing portrait!