Are you comfortable?

Wow - what a day. I have to confess that I actually have two full-time jobs. I am a public servant by day and a photographer by night and weekends.

My “day job” is really stressful at the moment. I am on a research team in a large Government department. We have deadlines to meet – tight ones. We have new processes to create and implement – processes that have not been tried in this state for our industry. The Board want answers to questions we are not sure about; and on it goes. You get the drift.

So, by the time I get home from that – usually the last thing on my mind is sitting in front of my home office workstation working on the latest bunch of edits in Lightroom or PS; or hosting a shoot for a client. Just gimme coffee, a nice plate of dinner and the TV remote – thank you very much. Peel me off the couch at bedtime. Conversation is optional. I wish…

Don’t get me wrong. I hang out to get home. I hang out so see my wife. I really hang out to spend some time with my infant son. But I also really hang out to do some photography related endeavour; which brings me (finally!) to the title of tonight’s blog post.

Anyone who is fortunate enough to have regular access to a studio, if they are honest, is guilty of falling into a comfort zone with their studio images. As I run a home-based photography studio here in Kelmscott, Perth – my studio is just down the hall in a purpose renovated granny-flat! It is a little cramped but works really well, I have a fully functioning and stocked studio. I have a separate “green room” for clients. I have a separate change room and separate bathroom. I even have a fully stocked bar fridge for crying out loud. Everything is cosy, comfy.

I caught myself out two evenings ago however when I was hosting a shoot for a young couple. I had a hum-dinger of a day and a hectic arvo. Come 6.30pm when my stylist arrived shortly followed by the clients I was weary. So I relied on old faithful.

See, from being in this home now for a few years and having the studio running for the last couple of them, I have learnt what works really well as far as studio lighting goes. I have a couple of favourite lighting scenarios that work really well – they create gorgeous images.

Please don’t read in to this post that I really don’t give a hoot when clients come for a shoot. I do my best to create gorgeous images for them. Everyone ends up spending a LOT more than just the studio time/sitting fee – so clearly they are happy with the images too! I am not trying to get them out the door so I can catch the end of Masterchef Australia. But I do seem to end up shooting the same two lighting scenarios for most clients that visit the studio.

Is that wrong? I know for a fact that the far-and-away busiest and most successful chain of photography studios in Perth stick to a similar two lighting scenarios for their studio shoots. And they are doing very well for themselves thank you very much. It works for them so why not for me. If you’re on a good thing – stick to it. Right? – or wrong?

I’m torn. I know I can create really nice images off the bat with these set-ups. Minimum of fuss required. Is it really pushing me as a photographer though? Not really. Am I thinking outside the proverbial? Not so much. Do the images look great? The clients seem to think so.

When the pressure is on and you need to get the goods – now – your comfort zone is a great solution. I guess ultimately I need to make more time to host more portfolio shoots; anything at all so I can try something, dare I say, “edgy”. Something different. Something that makes you go “I wanna know how he does that!”

In one years time I don’t want to have the same two “old faithfuls” to rely on. Let the fun of trying new things begin!