I’ve traveled quite a bit over the past couple of years. Each time I leave I swear to myself that I’m going to dedicate some time to take decent photographs. Each time I come back with an Obligatory Wing Shot from the flight, a few snaps of the people I’m with, and maybe one from my generic hotel room. Maybe it’s laziness, or awkwardness keeping me from venturing off to explore a new city or town. Or maybe it’s a resistance to what’s uncomfortable.
My definite comfort zone, when it comes to shooting, is people. As long as there is a face in my frame, I feel a sense of ease, paired with a sort of instinctual reflex about how to approach the situation. But when I’m trying to photograph a city, town, or landscape, I feel like I’m fumbling a around, not knowing exactly where to start. It makes me admire great documentary photographers like Stephanie and Meredith, and so many others who are able to tell stories with their cameras regardless of whether they’re photographing a person.
And it makes me wonder, what’s your comfort zone? Do you feel an ease with people, or do you enjoy the control of being able to compose a still life? And if you’re good at photographing places, landscapes, frames sans faces, what are your tricks? What’s your approach? And what sorts of things are you looking for?
hurworld says
My comfort zone used to be still life and landscape when I first started out, due to discomfort in photographing people. However, as I gradually photograph more and more people, I became hooked on capturing the candid and unposed moments of people, particularly moments with real emotion, explicit or otherwise. Since then, I have always included human element in my photos by natural intention.
I yearn to capture more photos like this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hurworld/5681587883/in/photostream.
erika says
Everyday shots are my comfort zone. Taken on the fly. Not interrupting the moment. That's where I feel safe.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/onemoreplease/5623347440/in/photostream
Portrait style. Look here shots. Try to look comfortable shots. Those shots make me uncomfortable. When one turns out, I'm convinced it's an accident or I remember the uneasy feelings I had taking it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/onemoreplease/5643491427/in/photostream
I shoot through it and hope I don't sound crazy while I'm talking with my subject.
Libertad Leal says
My comfort zone is definitely still life, self portraits and nature details. I feel that I have complete control over the shot and it's just me and the objects/tree/flower/sky/whatever in a sort of trance. Flowers, tea cups and vintage cameras don't make me nervous. People on the other hand? nerve wracking. Specially portraits. I can take candids of people at weddings (as I always do when I second shoot for my husband) and I enjoy that. But portraits? when a person is staring at me expecting me to know what the heck I am doing? not so much. I can't even take decent pictures of my two daughters. That's sort of pathetic. I also lovelove urban photography but I can't take a decent one to save my life. When I get out there I feel completely overwhelmed and I don't know what to shoot. So silly. I did vow this year to get out of my comfort zone so below are a few of my attempts. Goodness this is a novel. So wordy today. Sorry!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/5504610205
http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/5446417782
http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/5654305206
http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/5182115617
http://www.flickr.com/photos/libertadleal/5535793476
Marcie says
And – I am totally out of my comfort zone when doing street photography…and especially when there are people. Here's a recent one of my out-of-my-zone shots:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/home/2011/5/4/watching-you.html
meredith winn says
thank you maile, what a compliment!
… and what you did with your iphone and the santa monica beach was pure brilliance, i'd say you looked pretty comfortable right there ๐
xo
WorthIt! says
Wonderful shots!
I am in my comfort zone when trying to capture the mood of a place I visit. I try to focus on what captures my eye – color, shapes, shadow, light, small details – and turn it into an image. I'm hopeless at shooting people and am practicing on my nephew to improve – I have a long way to go.
Here are two shots from a recent trip to the coast in my comfort zone.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/52055227@N07/5687955731/in/photostream
and
http://www.flickr.com/photos/52055227@N07/5687956745/in/photostream
Rebecca Weaver says
My comfort zone – the fly-on-the-wall shots. Pictures of people not looking at the camera. Backs, profiles, hands and feet. Catching what is going on as an unobtrusive observer. Invisible. Not engaged with the subject, but recording them in their element. Telling stories, as it were, in third-person portraiture.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/56221446@N06/5680628919
Anna says
My comfort zone includes a pretty broad range of subject matter, from still life, to landscapes, nature details, and street scenes. Here are some shots from a recent trip to RI:
http://www.vandemarkdesigns.blogspot.com/2011/04/more-from-providence.html
Samantha says
My comfort zone is landscapes and architecture. I instantly feel comfortable and excited to take such a shot. Now if people are going to be in my pictures, I tense up. It makes me nervous! I begin to question myself. Needless to say, I avoid portraits as much as I can!
Jen says
I'm the opposite of you. I spent several years traveling with my husband and I loved taking the landscape photos. For example:
http://www.jenniferkrafchik.com/2011/04/travel-photography-digby.html
II had to remind myself to get some people in the pictures and it was torture for me to stick my camera in their face. Now that I have a toddler, I'm switching gears and making a point to leave my comfort zone and work on my portraits and people shots. For example, my first people shoots:
http://www.jenniferkrafchik.com/2011/05/enchanted-maryland-child-location-photographer.html
http://www.jenniferkrafchik.com/2011/04/olivers-baptism.html
http://www.jenniferkrafchik.com/2011/03/my-entry-9.html
It's a challenge to leave my comfort zone, but I'm having fun pushing my boundaries. I love capturing emotions and people's personalities. I look forward to getting more practice.
Sarah Jane says
My comfort zone ranges a bit, but it's mostly with still-life type photos, or of people, so long as they know I'm taking their photos. I know I need to get over my fear of shooting strangers, or taking my camera out in public, or even in large groups of people where some may wonder why in the world I'm shooting. . . but sometimes I'm just a big chicken.
I'd guess a good 25% of my photos on flickr are taken in my kitchen, where I'm most comfortable
http://www.flickr.com/photos/definitepossibilities/5665581612
public places, not so much
http://www.flickr.com/photos/definitepossibilities/5477119022
Kathryn Dyche Dechairo says
It's funny but I'm the complete opposite. I would feel extremely awkward shooting people but love nature and landscape inspired shots. I'm quite an introvert so love to be left along to wander and do my own thing. I love using the sports mode on my 70-300mm telezoom lens for photographing birds in flight.
http://dychedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/05/blue-jays.html
Wayfaring Wanderer says
My comfort zone mainly lies in landscape and travel photography, so I am always shooting locations over people it seems. Although that's not to say that I don't also feel comfortable shooting people, because I love that equally, I just find myself shooting non-living subjects more often.
My tip for taking images of non-living subjects would be to always keep in mind the STORY YOU ARE ATTEMPTING TO TELL (that can go for portraits of people, too). How does the place you are trying to capture make you feel, how do you want other people to feel when they see the images?!?
Let that be a guiding force when you step up to compose your shots and you can't go wrong ๐
WW
Rebecca says
Definitely people for me. I try and wait for natural expressions-to get the moment between the shots (the one they are not expecting me to catch)-I want to capture the love, the hurt, frustration, etc…in their expressions. I want there to be a story to tell.
My most recent shoot was a wedding
this picture was full of celebration-I love the joy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebeccasmithphotography/5691546703/in/photostream
this shot was taken of the groom while his mom was giving the toast-I loved his expression
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebeccasmithphotography/5691547259/in/photostream/
and of course-daddy and is princess
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rebeccasmithphotography/5691547137/in/photostream/
Mishelle Lane / Secret Agent Mama says
While I love still life, I love storytelling at events with my camera. Like this graduation party I shot, last Saturday: http://mishellelanephotography.com/mlp/events-mlp/graduation-party/
Savvy in San Francisco says
I know exactly what you mean. We were down in Carmel this past weekend and I barely pulled out my camera (mostly used my iPhone). I feel so much more comfortable with people in the picture (especially kids – who let you get right in their face without a feeling of awkwardness of how close you are getting versus an adult).
http://savvyinsanfrancisco.blogspot.com/2011/03/favorite-photo-of-week.html
Kristina says
very uncomfortable at public crowded places, takes me ages to take out camera. been practising to go already with camera in my hands, better, but i prefer less crowded spaces or early weekend mornings with almost no people / but it is not the same if i want urban pictures with lots of people …i would probably never feel comfortable taking public picture with stranges in focus, though i really like this kind of pictures myself. i am most comfortable at my home, at still life pictures, naturey shots, spontaneous shots of my kids. other people? would be so lovely, but my pictures tend to be of people not aware of me shooting, not looking at the camera, doing what they were doing. generaly, shoot very little people, always bothered by thought what if they do not want me to take picture of them? silly. have had only few "planned" photoshoots, all with my sister, but she is one of those comfortable in front of camera and she also listens to all my ideas, so it was very ok for both of . i can never be sure if i would be able to do photoshoots of clients ๐ still, i often dream about it as my future work ๐
C Blore says
My comfort zone is nature. She's unpredictable, inconsistent and often will turn on you in a second yet she's still where I love to be, what I love to photograph.
That being said having had the camera in front of my face my whole life I think that I love to find beauty where one might not expect it
http://365-aphotographicjourney.blogspot.com/2011/02/day-31.html
Or when one might expect it but just not see it because you weren't looking
http://365-aphotographicjourney.blogspot.com/2011/02/day-40.html
Let's be honest though sometimes the images you love the most were the ones that weren't planned. Those random moments you come across with perfect lighting and become that picture you put on your wall to remind yourself that some of the best things don't necessarily happening while your dancing, they happen when you least expect it.
http://winnipegweddingphotographybycoral.blogspot.com/2011/03/on-deck.html
autumn sun says
my comfort zone is nature over people – i'm not so comfortable getting my camera out when there are a lot of people around – somehow I feel intimidated. I'm in my zone most when I'm alone in nature – feeling free to get down on the ground and shoot or wade the waters if necessary.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/autumnsun/5048289213/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/autumnsun/5687346684/
when traveling it's the unexpected that i look for – off the beaten path is where i usually find what's interesting to me.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/autumnsun/4842691946/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/autumnsun/5490824072/
lesliehuang says
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