Lessons From a Death Valley Road Trip--Stretching Yourself

When my gal pal, Jane, asked me if I was interested in joining her on a field studies trip to Death Valley organized through our local community college, a million different reasons ran through my head as to why I couldn't do it.   Who would take my kids to and from school?  What about the 3 soccer games that weekend?  Did I really want to drive 8 hours one way for a long weekend?  Where would we stay?  etc. etc.  

But then I realized this was an amazing opportunity to go on an adventure with a dear friend who loves taking photos as much as I do. How could I say no?   Here was my chance to take pictures all day long without the distraction of mom duty (or whining kids) in one of the most beautiful national parks.  A park I had never visited in my 20 years living in California.  I HAD to say "YES!"

So like Thelma and Louise (without the police chase and driving over a cliff) we headed out on our photo road trip adventure.   And what an amazing trip it was.  Who knew that waking up at 5:30 a.m. every morning and shooting photos until the sky was dotted with a stars could be so much fun?

This trip allowed me to step outside my comfort zone (shooting mountains, sand dunes, and mining towns instead of people) and learn more about lighting and composition.  It was a great opportunity to play with my camera settings and just click, click, click.  Plus learning from my fellow "classmates" was fantastic!

Words can not express how much I enjoyed this trip and to think I almost said "no." The lesson here that I want to impart is to stretch yourself. To think about the reasons why instead of why not. To go beyond your comfort zone and try new things on your photo lovin' & learnin' journey.

I guarantee you, you will be amazed by what you learn about your camera and about yourself. :)