A World Away From My Comfort Zone

I started my journey as a photographer 3 years ago. It had always been a hobby, and I practiced a lot on my own son, my friends and family, the local fire department, and anyone else brave enough to appear in front of the lens of my old point and shoot.

 

When Ginny, a fellow firefighter and friend asked me to shoot her wedding I agreed.  On the day of her wedding I showed up equipped with my old point and shoot camera that had never let me down and a whole bunch of doubt.  ( I did NOT claim to be a professional at that time).

For my first wedding and being equipped with only a point and shoot and a lot of doubt I think we were both pretty pleased with her photos.  These photos were taken that day.   Yes I know they aren’t perfect.   I’ve picked them apart for years now.

That was several years, several classes, and lots of eqipment ago- and though it was not my favorite shoot...it was the shoot that started it all.  The shoot that took me outside of my comfort zone for the first time.  The shoot that taught me that I COULD do this.  Also, the shoot that taught me that poor Ginny put A LOT of trust in me on one of the most important days of her life.

Flash forward a few years, and poor Ginny was pulling me from my comfort zone, and again putting her trust in me.  She had been selected by Inked magazine for a contest featuring women with tattoos and she needed photos for her feature.

I. WAS. PETRIFIED. !

I had been dying to try boudoir and now I finally had my chance!  I mean, I really had to wait for someone to come to me.  I couldn’t very well approach someone and say “can you please wear somewhat suggestive clothing, in an outdoor open space (I do not have a studio) and allow me to try to photograph you in the classiest way possible...could I?

I searched and pinterested and worked with Ginny to try to find something that we both thought might be edgy and different.  Oh, and classy.

I found one photo on a google search of a woman in a vintage chair in the middle of an empty room, in an abandoned building and I fell in love!  That was all.  There was my inspiration.

Living in the Sullivan County Catskills, I have come to learn that it provides some of the best back drops for any occasion.  Harboring beautiful mountains,  endless amounts of bustling and budding towns on the upward swing of a huge revival effort, plenty of sprawling fields, rivers and waterfalls, and plethora of abandoned buildings left in the wake of the Catskills being home to one of the most sought after vacation spots in the early 1900’s.   Abandoned building? No problem.

There is also an abundance of antique stores  in our area and Ginny was able to score a beautiful antique chair on loan (sprawling mountains, small towns).

 

On the night of the shoot I showed up with my ever trustworthy DSLR camera, several lenses, and A LOT of doubt!  We started just before the golden hour and made our way into our perfect abandoned building- completely open on one side with windows and doors on all 3 walls to allow in some of the BEST natural light.  Oh, and lots of graffiti and destruction (par for the course in these old buildings, unfortunately) to give these shots just enough edge.

We got to work and I held my breath.  I was worried that the photos wouldn’t be classy and sophisticated.  That she’d end up showing off anything more than her beautiful body and her tattoos.  That she felt uncomfortable or vulnerable.  That I’d feel uncomfortable or vulnerable.

I didn’t really need to worry,  Ginny was a natural and we quickly fell into a rhythem.  Both of us being creative people we moved about that abandoned building stealing as much natural light and utilizing as much of that awesome space as we could find.

 

Nestled into the sprawling Catskill Mountains I found myself a world away from my comfort zone again that night.  A world away from anything any class has taught me.  That night I took some of my favorite shots ever.  I’m grateful to Ginny for giving me the opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone (again) and for opening up another door with endless possibilities.

who knows?  Maybe this shoot will be the shoot that started it all, again.

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