feeding my creative soul and nailing jello to a tree

it always seems like the things i have the least amount of time for are the things i truly need the most. have you ever been so busy that you lose sight of why you’re doing what you’re doing? or that you go in to auto-pilot and just keep doing the same exact thing over and over? as a photographer i’m always afraid of pushing out the same work for client after client so i work hard to stay fresh, challenge myself and try new things. and while finding time to experiment and feed my creative soul during busy season makes nailing jello to a tree seem totally do-able, that really does seem to be the time when i need it the most. i’ve learned that you’ll never find time for the things you want to do – you have to make time. and if something is important enough you WILL make the time.

so today i carved out a block of time to meet with a couple of my amazing studio mates so we could try new things and push ourselves beyond auto-pilot. we each brought different skills to the table and shared them with one another and i walked away feeling so empowered and inspired to create. while it may not have been ideal to lose a day of editing time right now, it was totally worth that recharged-dying-to-create-fresh-work feeling i’ve got.

a few behind the scenes shots. kevin and layne chimpin’ while our model looks on and me laying on the ground to get that hero shot. (i’m still picking leaves out of my sweater, but it was so worth it).

and two variations of one of my favorite shots of the day. this is so different from my usual style, but i’m really digging on it.

thank you to ashley nelson for styling hair and makeup and to our model ashley eubanks. and a huge thank you, kevin gibson and layne haley for spending the afternoon sharing your knowledge with me. i needed this and appreciate you guys more than you’ll ever know!

i’m so glad that i made the time for this day of experimentation. it’s easy for a photographer’s work to become static. if we don’t make time to experiment and push ourselves we’re doing ourselves and our client’s a disservice.

when’s the last time you used the excuse of not having time? and what’s something you felt was important enough to make time for? i’d love to hear from you so leave your thoughts in the comments section!

until next time,
H