This week’s assignment was giving ourselves one hour to produce six images on Newbury Street during a weeknight. Being the first real night of the year that felt like summer, taking pictures got me especially anxious, even considering I was on a shoot for 8 hours all day already, with little sleep the night before. Just like going for a jog on a cold day or jumping in a pond for an early morning swim, your mind tries to convince you to stop within the first few minutes. Once you finally ignore that part of the brain, you can fully immerse yourself into the task at hand and make the most out of what you’re doing.
Taking a giant step outside of your comfort level is probably the best way to improve yourself in any craft. On June 18th I am embarking on a cross country road trip to continue developing my travel and portrait portfolios. It’s been a few years since traveling from one coast to the other, but I know how much of a pain in the ass it can be, while at the same time can keep you humbled. To be able to travel around the country visiting friends I haven’t seen in too long, exploring small towns that none of us have heard of, camping and biking in some of the most beautiful spots in the Southwest…I feel very privileged to truly explore the United States instead of trying to just get from one coastline to the other in record time.
These small photo assignments I’ve been assigning myself are helping me break down any wall of comfort that I thought I had. Really, any comfort we have was built with our own imagination.
