Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone.
About a year ago I decided to finally tackle something I’d been dodging for over 40 years: photographing people.
I’d always stuck with landscapes, wildlife, birds. Anything but humans. To ease into it, I started with family portraits, then built a tiny home studio where I could experiment without too much embarrassment. Later I borrowed a local dance hall and tried shooting a few strangers. The results weren’t bad, but it was still all fairly safe.
Then came the big leap: finding an actual model for an on-location shoot.
Living in Alcúdia, I’m spoiled for settings. Cobbled streets, old stone walls, hidden corners. The tricky part was finding someone willing to step in front of my lens. I nervously put an advert out on social media and braced myself.
A few days later Sabina replied. After plenty of back-and-forth messages, she agreed to meet for coffee first, which was a huge relief. Nothing worse than going in cold. She met me and my wife, we all clicked, and to my surprise she agreed to come back for a shoot.
Now, here’s the thing. I know my gear, I can handle my Nikons, but walking around in public with a model was a whole new ballgame. Sabina has solid modeling experience, which was both a blessing and a curse. It meant she knew what she was doing, but it also piled the pressure on me to deliver.
In the days leading up, I walked the town scouting spots, imagining shots, even packing props. A book, a pen, a Kindle. I expected to be a bundle of nerves on the day, but when it arrived, I was oddly calm.
We met at the bus station, chatted through a few ideas, then headed into the old town. Sabina wore a dark, business-style outfit that fit perfectly with the streets and atmosphere. We wandered, we stopped, we shot. Somehow I forgot about all the people walking past, staring. It was just the two of us, bouncing ideas, following the light.
Two hours later, I had around 600 frames across a dozen locations. We even squeezed in a short session back at my studio before she had to go.
That evening, loading the shots onto my computer, I felt that mix of excitement and dread every photographer knows. But as I scrolled through, relief hit. I’d done it. And not only survived, but actually enjoyed it.
The whole experience gave me a massive confidence boost. I learned loads, I’ll improve next time, and most of all I’m grateful to Sabina for trusting me with her time and energy. She was professional, relaxed, and fun to work with. Now I just hope she likes the photos as much as I do.