Yes this is a photography blog, but what I am saying really applies to all aspects of your life.
We are creatures who mostly live in the “routine” of daily life. We keep doing what we’ve been doing because, well, it just feels easier.
When we were little, we were in our growth phase, where we were always learning, always growing, and the result was MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS. We learned how to talk. We learned how to crawl, then walk. We learned about language, and science, and history, and so many other things. We learned how to drive. We kept growing and growing. Why? Because we were constantly being pushed OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONES.
And then for some of us, we had kids, and that was another comfort zone leap. It was that moment where we said “OMG, NOW what do I do?? This baby didn’t come with a user manual!!”
As our lives progress, it sometimes feels easier to grow complacent. We’re tired. We can’t find enough hours in the day. We have responsibilities to so many people. We lose sight of what matters to us as we meet the expectations of society or our family or our employer. We get on a treadmill of life, and just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and there we go, just doing what we have been doing, just to get by, and find ourselves wandering around in our comfort zone.
With photography, and almost everything else in life, if you want to GROW beyond where you are now, embrace the concept that your growth will happen if you intentionally step out of your comfort zone, just like you were doing when you made all of those big accomplishments as a kid.
Growth requires intentionality. Want to get better in your photography? Push yourself to learn the aspects of photography you don’t know, or don’t just keep photographing the same subjects in the same way. Pursue activities that lead you to improvement, that challenge you, that lead you to growth.
You may have heard this quote before:
“The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result.”
Well, on the Internet, this quote has been attributed to Einstein, Ben Franklin, and Mark Twain. So, I have NO idea who originally said it, but I must admit it IS kind of crazy to just keep doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting anything different as a result.
Of course, I could give a counter-point: with many pursuits in our life, we DO need to keep doing the same thing over and over again, to PRACTICE in order to get better at what we do. I learned to play the clarinet in school. I definitely had to keep practicing over and over again, to get better. But regardless of how much practice I did, the end result is that I just became a better clarinet player. To go beyond just being a good clarinet player, requires pushing beyond clarinet playing, on to the next goal.
I started this post by saying “Yes this is a photography blog, but what I am saying really applies to all aspects of your life.” and it really is important for us all to think about what we want out of life.
The most exciting moments in life are those moments where we dare to go beyond the boundaries of our comfort zone and achieve something new and great and different and say “WOW, I can’t believe I did that!”
Where are you now, and where do you want to go with your life? See your comfort zone as just a resting spot, but not your destiny. Don’t stay there too long.
The course ends with a session done in my studio where the participants have a chance to photograph a couple of models, putting into practice what we covered in class.
Most people start out using a camera using its most automatic settings. Many stay in that mode of taking photos, not really knowing what they are doing, but sometimes getting good results, and sometimes not. If you’re not satisfied with that, I encourage you to learn more about how to best use your camera.
In my 
We spend time looking at technical details, but also explore various other factors such as light and composition and the importance of YOU and how you see the world around you.
I was looking back over some of my old photographs from when I was a teenager, back when I first got interested in photography. I created this image over 40 years ago, can’t remember the girl’s name. I have that info somewhere (yes I got a model release).
We had a great time.
