Cheers to another day! I hope you’re having a great start to the week! I am looking forward to this week because I have exciting things happening at work.
One of my main objectives (for my job) is to network and connect with people in the design-build industry (aka interior designers, architects, developers, etc.). The purpose is to share how amazing our technology products are and how they can simplify one’s life, and hopefully, consider us for future (or current) projects.
Having said that, I have been trying new things to figure out what’s working (or not working) to make personal connections with these people. And some of those things will happen this week.
Speaking of trying new things, I told Jose (aka my photographer) I wanted to experiment shooting at dusk. We ended up doing it and guess what?!? It was SO different from shooting in the morning. (You can check out some of those photos here.) Everything about the shoot was different – the environment, lighting, camera settings, and editing.
It was different but cool at the same time.
I can think of a handful of times I’ve purposefully challenged myself by putting myself in uncomfortable situations and pushing through them. This was one of those times.
The environment
If you know me, you know I am an outgoing person. Speaking with strangers comes naturally to me. You would think taking photos in public would be easy for an outgoing person but I am here to say that’s completely false. I was SO shy at the beginning of my blogging career. (This is why we only took pictures early in the morning when the streets were still empty.) Of course, I have become more comfortable taking photos while strangers are looking, but it’s still weird. Anyway, I never considered how packed downtown would be on the day we shot at dusk. It was President’s Day weekend so it was filled with weekenders.
The lighting and camera settings
Ok, ok, so truth be told, we barely know how to use our DSLR camera. That’s right…we wing it every time. But hey, something is working because we are still here. The lighting was challenging to work with but this determined husband of mine figured it out and captured photos I was pleased with. (Thanks, hubster!) I don’t know what he has to say about this but I have formed a strong opinion about photography, and that is, pretty photos are much easier to capture (and require less editing) during daylight. Natural light is the best light – not too much where it exposes the photo but I think you know what I mean.
The editing process
This was the biggest challenge of all. I have never cared so much about a photo before. However, I became obsessed with the process. I begin playing around a lot with the settings such as brightness, lighting, and so forth. It was tough determining what looked good. On top of that, I discovered presets I never considered using before (because I prefer photos in their most natural state) but I couldn’t deny the fact that I loved the vibe it gave to my mediocre edited photos.
Original unedited photos
My mediocre edited photos (increased lighting and lessened saturation)
Photos with preset
See my point? The preset is so much better. It does change the color of the dress a bit, but other than that, I love it!
Trying new things and getting ourselves out of our comfort zone is THE best thing we can do for personal (and professional) development. If you have been in your comfort zone for a little too long, I am challenging you to try something you’re scared of. It could be something so simple as running one mile or hiking a mountain. It doesn’t matter…just do something. Fear is much more common than we think. In fact, I believe this is something we all have in common – we are all scared of something. The truth of the matter is, we orchestrate how we think events will happen, and often times, picture the worst. We need to stop letting our thoughts run our lives. Imagine all of the things we are missing out on due to fear? That’s actually a scarier thought. I don’t want to live my life on the safe side. I rather take risks, fail, and look like fool, than to watch my life pass me by.
If you have any questions, you can email sonia@mrsprofresh.com or send a DM on Instagram.
