“The comfort zone is nothing but a graveyard for your dreams & ideas.”
~ Anonymous ~
Psychologists recommend we step outside our comfort zone to increase personal growth & productivity. It’s the concept of ‘once a mind is stretched, it doesn’t go back to its original form’. Makes sense to me; it’s easy enough to understand, but more difficult to implement.
Fear of the unknown, or the discomfort of getting outside your comfort zone is the culprit. Humans are creatures of habit and like water flowing downhill, we too follow the path of least resistance. It’s the rare moment our rebellious or bad self emerges and we dare to be different in our daily lives.
A quick exercise in reality: When was the last time you took an alternate route to work? Or, bought different vegetables at the super market? Or read a book outside your favorite subject (i.e. fiction instead of non-fiction… or vice versa)? Fair to say… it’s probably been a while. And, guess what… you’re normal.
This same concept applies to photography; and in my case, my lack of portraiture. Sure, I’ll take images of people, but it’s rarely a formal portrait. It may be an image of an athlete after a game or a casual photo of a friend. It’s hardly ever a planned portrait though in the conventional sense.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing mind you… but, I do need to expand my repertoire in this genre. Working for a high school portrait company decades ago (circa 1990) may have tainted my thoughts on the subject. Lining kids up and shooting 30 or 40 a day is simply a numbers game with no creativity. The consistency of your main & fill light (2:1 ratio) complemented with a hair and back light was the secret sauce. The more consistent you were in the posing and lighting, the quicker the lab could print your images without adjustments. Less time in the darkroom equated to more sales for the company.
The process was an industry standard at the time that any ‘photographer’ could learn. Ironically, I’ve seen a few Senior portraits in recent years and times have changed. They’ve broken away from the indoor cookie cutter image(s) and took on a whole new look. Many kids are now photographed outside with nature, old cars, sports equipment, etc. Perhaps I was ahead of my time?
As I go back and review/study classic portraits by George Hurrell, Annie Leibovitz and Yousef Karsh, they all have one thing in common. Nothing. Sure, you could argue there’s a person in the picture and the images are B&W. Upon further study, each one is truly unique and beautiful. The subjects soul isn’t compromised or stolen, but rather a masterful interpretation is created.
Humphrey Bogart… Photo: George Hurrell
Winston Churchill… Photo: Yousef Karsh
Arnold Schwarzenegger… Photo: Annie Leibovitz
In any event… or portrait… I still tend to migrate to non-conventional portraits. Something with an action and/or sports orientation. Maybe a thought provoking ocean scene from the subjects point-of-view. Or simply a beautiful moment in time. All of these fall within my comfort zone, but aren’t your typical portraits.
