It seems safe to say spring has finally arrived! Flowers coming out... warm breeze rustling new leaves... and let's not forget the delicious panic of college seniors as they try to hold on to some shred of their sanity! (Ha ha, my Senior Show is done FOREVER!)
Okay, teasing. I wish you all the sleep and luck you could possibly need! Actually, I'm helping a friend complete hers - a half-hour video on cosplay. As part of the project, she sent out interview questions. Some of them were pretty standard ("What got you into this?" "What are you most proud of?") and fun to delve into. One, however, stuck out to me:
"Do you have any limits on photography? Anything you won't shoot or do?"
Hmmmm. Had to think a long time about that. Because it seems like every time I declare I WON'T shoot something, I end up working in that area anyway!
Some examples? Sure. I once said ALL OF THESE THINGS.
"I COULDN'T ask a stranger for a photo, I'd be too shy!"
"I don't think I'd be comfortable shooting couples!"
"Shooting Doctor Who or any other live action would be too hard!"
"Wow, a photoshoot bigger then five people? That photographer is CRAZY!"
I will pause for the laughter to stop.
Each declaration of "I can't do this" was like waving a great big "KICK ME!" sign at the universe. EVERY time I said "I can't," something popped up to challenge that EXACT area of resistance.
Take the "Live action would be too hard!" statement. Though I'd been photographing costumes for awhile, I avoided shows with real actors (as opposed to animated.) Maybe it seems like a minor distinction. After all, it's all costuming and fiction, right? But with live actors, there really ARE people who look like the characters. How can you make someone who is NOT David Tennant look like his character, The Doctor?
Still my friend Toki really, REALLY wanted to do a Doctor Who shoot. In a fit of madness I agreed... and immediately began panicking. What on earth had I agreed to?! I couldn't do it! Help! Desperately, I poured over reference images and studied the lighting of Doctor Who like a madwoman. (Below - screen cap from "End of Time")
And then, the day came. Taking a deep breath, I fired... And it was fine. The basics stayed the same - posing, lighting, composition, color. In fact, I felt BETTER prepared for this shoot then any other! Not every shot was perfect, but there was one we NAILED.
I could have stayed safe. I could have said no. But these groups and people inevitably looked like so much fun! Deep down, I wanted to be good at the
things which scared me. Taking on
uncomfortable
projects forced me to stretch myself. Stepping up, while scary, always paid off.
So, I've decided - I will try just
about everything once. Or at the very least, listen to ideas! I never do
know when my next best shot is coming. "I can't" is just an excuse, and seems to invite trouble!
With THAT in mind:
Dear Universe:
I don't think I could possibly ever shoot Johnny Depp or Anne Hathaway!
(Hey, worth a try, right? :P)
So what scares you? What challenge has been tugging at YOU? Share in the comments!
CREDITS:
Tiger and Bunny - Gaelinn Cosplay and LunaRiven
Doctor Who and The Master - Kyle and Toki