Pushing Your Limits

I talked about how we should never stop growing in a recent post about the Illuminate Retreat I was so fortunate to attend. This post is a continuation of that Retreat and my journey.

As we grow as artists and humans, we must push the limits that we previously set for ourselves. Perhaps the hardest areas to push the limits are the ones we are most familiar with. I have been shooting indoor maternity session for years. I am comfortable working with my maternity clients, and posing them in ways that are not only natural but flattering to the pregnant form. I have found my style, and it represents who I want to be as an artist. And yet, I continue to push my limits.

Leaving the familiar, safe haven of my studio to travel to Fredricksburg, Texas was, in and of itself, pushing my limits. My studio is an extension of myself. I know the lighting from every angle, and at every time of the day. I know how to set my camera based on the weather on any given day. I know my studio. I trust my studio. 

Pushing myself into a new environment, I was able to work with different lighting and shadows. The results are my style, yet different. I pushed myself to create something different. Something beautiful. I returned to my studio with a fresh perspective, and a desire to push the limits. Even in my own space.