D45: Are You Driving With the Brakes On?

Are you the #1 obstacle on the path to your own success? What are you doing to challenge yourself on a daily basis?

In 2006, I had the opportunity to listen to Mike Rayburn speak at a business conference. He is an amazing keynote speaker, and I was recently reminded of one of his main philosophies.

Mike taught us that we need to start asking better questions in life. If you want to unlock your potential, use these two questions on a daily basis:

What if? Why not?

"What if I had the most successful photography studio in the state? What would that be like?"

This 1st part gets us to quit thinking about why it can't happen, and puts us on the path of how to make it happen.

"Why not? What is in my way?"

The 2nd part helps us identify our obstacles, which is an important step in overcoming them.

So the next time you think about a goal that seems unobtainable. Remember those two simple questions. What if? Why not?

Personally, I blame staying home for 99% of my creative blocks. The moment that I venture out into the world, I see great photo opportunities. My biggest problem with seeing a photo opportunity, is stopping to take advantage of the situation.

Today was an exception.

I'm working on a concept for a custom soft-box to use with my Nikon speedlights. After a trip to the fabric store, I took a route home that I've never driven before. It took me through the back-entrance to our county fairgrounds. Normally I would have just driven by, but today I decided to stop and get out of the car.

Let me start by saying that empty fairgrounds are incredibly creepy on a late fall afternoon. Not a soul was to be seen, other than a few feral cats. I captured a few decent images, but my favorite was on my walk back to the car. There was just something in the air when I saw this tree, so I decided to try and capture the moment.

Manual: Page 58 - Adjusting Contrast: Tone Comp.
How many of you let your camera do the work for you, versus tweaking the colors in post?

Images: Marc Climie
Marc has me thinking that destination weddings must be the most fun to shoot of all weddings.