045: Creativity From Constraints: When Having Less Creates More

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Mica: Welcome. To the 45th episode of The Savory Shot, a podcast where we dive deep into the art and soul of working in food photography. I'm your host with the most, Mica McCook. I'm a food photographer born and based in the great Lone Star State of Texas in the capital, Austin. Y'all, I cannot believe that we are in April.

We're in a brand new month. It's crazy. Does anyone else feel like this year is zooming by, but at the same time moving really slow? I go back and forth between, Oh my God, I can't believe it's already April. And then the next day I'm like, Oh my God, it's only April.

Am I the only one? Does anyone else relate?

First off, I just want to thank you, the listeners, for joining me. If this [00:01:00] is your first time or 45th time listening, welcome to the Hot Mess Express. I am getting this show to y'all just a little bit late. Your girl got sick over the weekend and I'm scrambling y'all. As you know, this is a one woman show.

So I'm doing it all. Wearing all the hats. Did y'all know that today is National Chocolate Mousse Day? What? Today is also National Inspiring Joy Day. So this is y'all's divine message to go out to your favorite bakery and chomp down on some chocolate mousse or do something to inspire joy to those around you.

Maybe you want to buy someone coffee. Make sure they're not getting some crazy hella expensive coffee order if you're gonna go that route. Or I don't know, let someone get in front of you in [00:02:00] traffic. Do something to spread joy. And send me a DM and tell me what you did today. But y'all let's get into today's episode because we're unpacking a lot. We're talking about limitations, creativity from constraints, And how limitations aren't hurdles, but launchpads for innovation. And I really feel like this episode is a continuation of How to Start Small in Food Photography, which is two episodes ago.

And in that episode, I won't go too much into it because, I'm going to assume you've already listened to it. But for those of you who haven't listened to the show before in How to Start Small in Food Photography, I talked about the importance of being frugal with your money and not jumping on every sale there is and not feeling like you need to have all the bells and whistles to be a spectacular food photographer.

And I truly do feel like [00:03:00] today's episode is a continuation of that conversation, because I know I'm not the only one who has ever found themselves staring at a scene and feeling stuck because you think you don't have the right gear. Or perhaps you have a client that just keeps changing the shot list and you don't know what to expect when you walk into the photo shoot, or maybe you're facing a very tight deadline. You have a day to accomplish this really massive, high pressure shoot and you got to get the images turned in very soon. There are so many different moments that limit us, challenge us, but I believe they also invite us to rethink, reimagine, and reinvent our approach to any photo shoot. Whether you're just starting [00:04:00] out or you're looking to sprinkle sprinkle a little extra creativity in your process, my hope for this episode is that it will nudge you to think outside the box.

But y'all, before we get into all that, grab your coffee, a pen, a paper, and let's start the show.

Mica: Before we jump in, a quick [00:05:00] shout out to our sponsor, Flodesk. In the world of food photography, your newsletters should be as visually appetizing as your shots. Flodesk helps you design stunning emails with ease, no coding or design skills required, and for 50 percent off your first year. Go to flodesk. com. Use the discount code SAVORYSHOT50. That's SAVORYSHOT50. Now, let's dive in.

Let me take y'all back to the beginning. To the days when I was just starting out as a whittle food photographer. I was working with clients whose budgets was tighter than a jar lid that's been closed by a wrestler. And let's be real, y'all. I still work with clients who are tight with the dollar, not by choice.

They're just [00:06:00] doing the best they can do. So no judgment. Don't come for me. But back then, I had some clients who had these expectations as big as Texas, but their wallet was the size of Rhode Island. And it was really frustrating to work with those brands because they'd come to me with these super high concept. They'd have this huge shot list and wish of demands, but they couldn't afford a lot of the things that it would take to make that happen.

For example, reimbursing me for equipment rentals or hiring a team to make this happen, like an assistant, a food stylist, prop stylist, a producer. They expected me to do all the things and to bring all the equipment to make this happen. And in their defense, they don't know y'all. This is probably the first time ever [00:07:00] hiring a photographer.

So they don't even know what the process entails. So they come into this expecting a photo shoot to be like 500 dollars, like that's their budget. They've budgeted 500 dollars and they find out pretty darn quickly that if they want to work with anyone of substance, of skills, they are going to need at least an investment of 1, 000 dollars.

And that is like, shocking. That's insanity to them. When you work with those kinds of clients,I worked alone on most of those shoots, and I was everything, y'all. I wore all the hats. I was the producer, the art director, the digitech, the food stylist, the prop stylist, the photographer, and the retoucher.

I onboarded my clients. Offboarded my clients. Like I did everything y'all I was a one woman band completed with a mounted [00:08:00] harmonica. And I still am that. Not every shoot that I work on allows me to hire everybody. There are still times when it's just me, myself, and I, but I'll tell y'all what, I wouldn't trade those days for a pot of gold. And I don't care how much time passes. 10 years from now, 15 years from now, I will always, always make room in my schedule for small budget shoots. I know it's a crazy thing to say and put out there because why would I want to do that?

And y'all, the answer is simple because these shoots force me to stretch my creative muscles. It forces me to look at a pile of what some might call junk and see a treasure trove of potential props. These kind of [00:09:00] shoots makes me really think outside the box to really think about how on earth can I make lemonade for 30 people with one lemon, tap water from the water hose, and stale sugar.

How can I do all of that? I learned the art of innovation. Not because I wanted to, but because I had to. Nowadays, I just, I like working with small brands. The reality is I can't just do small brand shoots and pay my bills. But there's always something to learn from those teeny tiny budgets. When I was in school, I thought I needed to have a closet full of lenses, a large collection of strobes, And softboxes and every gidget gadget ever known.

But I quickly discovered that I didn't need all of that. I didn't need the newest of the new equipment out there. I could still do my job as a [00:10:00] food photographer with less. It certainly helps to have the nicest equipment. It makes my job easier, but not having it doesn't mean that I can't get the shot.

I don't need the fanciest gear or the most lavish setups. I don't need it. Because you see, it's about telling a story. And the beauty about stories is that there are many ways to tell one story. You could tell a story with a sea of details. You could act out the characters. You could have little mini stories in between.

Or, the best stories are told with the simplest of settings. You can start with the beginning, middle, and end. A, B, C.

But here's the question that kept me up at night. Can you really? Create something special, something drool worthy, on a budget, tighter than those jeans you refuse to throw out, and y'all, spoiling alert, hell, [00:11:00] yes, you can. For those who know me, you know that my background is in theater. I studied theater all through middle school, all through high school. I majored in theater. I was studying to be a theater arts teacher. And when I got out of college, I worked in theater. Freelance and I worked in a lot of small theater companies and most of them had old and outdated equipment.

We didn't have a costume department. We had Steph, the stage manager. We didn't have a makeup artist. Each actor was responsible for their own makeup. We didn't have a giant theater with, these autopilot lights. We worked in a small, dank, old building with rusted lights from the 1980s. But, you know what, that never stopped the actors from taking the audience on this magical journey.

A show's a show, babe.

And it's the same way with photography. You can tell a story [00:12:00] with the fanciest lights. Sure, Profoto definitely makes it easier. But you know what? You can tell that same story by learning to use natural light and a few foam core boards. Or maybe you've got some janky strobe that you found on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace.

And, it might not be a Bluetooth connection to your camera, but you know what? It lights up the scene. It gets the job done. Sometimes the best prop is no prop at all. Sometimes you see these wonderful, beautiful shots of this elaborate scene and they've got, if, for example, if someone's, In Vegas, and they've got a poker table in the background and dice everywhere, and it's just this very detailed scene, but you can tell the same story using minimalist props.

Maybe you can't afford a poker [00:13:00] table. Maybe all you got is a deck of cards and some dice. You could tell a story that way. And y'all, let me tell you, the day I realized that I could use a mirror as a reflector to brighten up my shots, y'all, I felt like I cracked some secret code. And it was a food stylist who showed me this trick.

Kristina, shout out to Christina from Girl Gone Grits. She went and grabbed one of my beauty mirrors and reflected some light on a shot and we got this beautiful, really cool shot. And I honestly, I was amazed when I saw her do that. Who knew that such simple solutions could make such a big difference? If there's one thing that I've learned in my few years of being in business, is that limitations breed creativity, y'all.

When you don't have everything at your fingertips, you're forced to [00:14:00] look at what you do have in a new light. So that thrift store vase? Suddenly it's the perfect rustic touch for your farm to table scene. Or those mismatched plates that you got from a friend way back when. They add character and depth to your shots that pristine matching sets from Crate And Barrel just can't replicate. So to anyone feeling discouraged by a limited budget or lack of resources, here's my advice. Embrace it. Your constraints are not a barrier to creativity.

They're a launchpad. And I know that sounds really hokey. I don't care. It's true. It's the truth. The most beautiful, impactful shots don't come from having the best gear. They come from the creator, you, having a vision [00:15:00] and creativity to bring it to life, no matter what you have to work with. What's the saying?

When there's a will, there's a way. It's the same thing around. So look around you. What's one thing in your home right now that you could use as a prop in your next shoot? I am currently looking at my cactus plants. They look beautiful. And I could totally use that in a photo shoot.

I've got this bonsai plant that's like thriving. Thank you, YouTube. Hello. But it is just grown so much and I could totally use that to create this like fun shadows. The sun is out right now in Austin is a beautiful day and I could really use that plant to create something really cool and really magical.

What about you? What do you got in your house? Do you got some cutlery, or some [00:16:00] China passed down to you? Now, if you have some China passed down to you, you fancy, fancy, but hey, that's a prop. And it's a beautiful prop. What can you use as a backdrop? Piece of fabric, some loose wood planks your neighbor threw out. I have blankets that I use sometimes as backdrops, as backgrounds to my shoots, to my setups. Or you can go buy some cheap tiles from Home Depot. What can you use as a reflector? If you got a, if you got one of those tall mirrors, you can use that to balance lots of light on your scene. I once taped a bunch of foil on a foam core board, and there you go. There was a reflector right there. I challenge y'all to think outside the box and find beauty in the everyday. And remember, the only limit to what [00:17:00] you can create is your imagination.

You can keep it as simple, as complex as you'll want, but no matter what, keep it real, have fun. Photography is, at its core, supposed to be fun. If it's a business for you, there's parts of the business that you might not like, but photography itself should be fun. You should be having fun being creative and finding new ways of telling a creative story.

Innovation on a shoestring is an opportunity to prove that great art doesn't come from great wealth, but great imagination. So I encourage y'all to turn those limitations into great strengths and create something truly unforgettable.

[00:18:00]

Mica: One thing that theater has taught me in life is that no matter what you have planned, what can go wrong will sometimes go wrong. That's just how the cookie crumbles, y'all. That's how the coin tosses. That's how the sun rises and that's how it sets. And you have got to go with the flow.

Be flexible. No matter how much you plan it, things change. And sometimes the client is the reason for that change. The thrill of a client's last minute changes. I tell you what, I feel so frustrated when a client drops a last minute change on me. I really do. Because you've got your [00:19:00] shot list ready, your props set, your food prepped, and everything is planned out. You've sent out the call sheet to the team that lists the day in perfect detail.

Every minute, every hour, second is accounted for. And then the client sends an email with asks that are equivalent of a record scratch in your perfectly curated playlist. And they just change everything. And not in the small like, oh, let's just, tweak this here and there, but a full blown, let's go a completely different direction kind of way.

The kind where you have to get on the phone and go, okay, I think we need some clarification. I think we need to clear some shit up. Y'all talk about a heart racing moment. It is frustrating because the client doesn't know. They don't know that the props you've spent weeks [00:20:00] sourcing now feel like relics of a bygone era, overnight.

And the shot list might as well have been written in ancient Greek for all its relevance now. Heck, that's if the client makes changes the day before the shoot. At least the day before you can still get together with your team and, go make some last minute purchases or something, but sometimes the client will make a change on set, which limits your window of time even more.

You're forced to bring the client's new vision to life with what you have on hand. Y'all, talk about creating under pressure. And it's not all the time that this happens. It's not every shoot, but changes do happen. And this reminds me so much of my theater days.

We could, and did, rehearse a [00:21:00] show for months. Do the same thing every night. Recite the same lines every night. The same cues, that by the time the show debuts, we know the script like the back of our hand. And I guarantee you, that on opening night, something will happen that everyone will have to think fast to fix.

It happens, y'all. Expect the unexpected. That's what they tell us in theater. Expect the unexpected. But I promise there's a silver lining, almost magical really, y'all. In these whirlwind moments, something inside us stirs. It's like we're pushed off a cliff and discover we can fly.

Last minute changes is a limitation because you have zero time to plan, so you just do. There's no overthinking, no [00:22:00] meticulous planning, you're just moving and grooving. Your brain switches to this autopilot mode and you just create. If you have a team with you, and you guys are just really tight, really close, and you just have this heightened connection.

Then the magic is even better. It's like watching this machine work perfectly to print out a piece of paper. Like it's just really cool to see, but it's even better to be in.

There's a book that I've found solace and inspiration. It's called, Will It Make the Boat Go Faster? By Harriet Lewis. This book is just a compass for anyone navigating the turbulent waters of freelancing. And I think it's applicable to food photography because it teaches us the value of strategic [00:23:00] thinking.

Especially when things go awry, when plans don't go accordingly. And there's a book called The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Sander and Benjamin Sander. This gem. transformed how I view challenges. Anytime there's a change or a an oh shit, I don't look at them as roadblocks anymore.

Look at them as stepping stones to growth, to pushing us towards something innovative that we would have never considered otherwise. In any other situation, it would have been a last resort. And then it turns out that that was the resort that you should have tried first. So when things go awry in a shoot, and they will, and they do, And you're limited on time and [00:24:00] resources. I find these strengths help me. Flexibility. Like a tree that bends in the wind but doesn't break, embrace the ability to adapt.

This doesn't mean compromising your vision, but rather allowing it to evolve into something bigger and better and, or maybe simpler. Embrace the acceptance that what can go wrong might go wrong, and you will need to adjust accordingly. Plan for the unplanned. Always have a plan A, have a plan B, C, and D.

Flexibility in planning means that you can pivot with grace rather than scramble and panic. They don't need to be meticulous plans, but you do need to be forming a backup plan on what to do next when you're troubleshooting a problem. [00:25:00] Cultivate a growth mindset. See every last minute change, not as a setback, but as an opportunity to stretch your creative muscles.

Remember, pressure can turn coal into diamonds. When a client makes a last minute change, I don't shy away from the challenge. But I also communicate to the client what we can realistically do with what we have on hand. I might not be able to move the whole mountain three feet, but damn it, the mountain will move.

I want to throw this story out about a shoot I did in 2018. I was still in school at the time and it was for this very, small restaurant.

They were paying me in peanuts, but I was just excited for the opportunity. And we had this loose, shot list. Really though, I didn't have a plan. I literally just, went to the restaurant and I had my camera out and they were just piling stuff [00:26:00] in front of me to photograph and it was, exhausting work.

But one thing that they did tell me that I knew they absolutely wanted was a flat lay shot of all of their dishes, of their cocktail drinks, of their desserts. And they wanted to have it on one of their tables and they wanted to show the chairs. to give this idea that, that this is a place where you gather with friends. This is a great happy hour event. And they really thought that that hero shot would work really well on their website. So that was the hero shot of hero shots. So I brought a 24 to 70 Canon lens. I checked it out from my school equipment library.

In the day of the shoot, I attached the lens, turned the camera on, and there was an error message. My first reaction was straight, straight up [00:27:00] sheer panic. Because A, I didn't know if my camera was malfunctioning and B, I had no backup camera. So if it was my camera, then shoot's over. So I like counted to 10 and I'm like, okay, first things first, I need to figure out if the problem is with the camera.

If the problem is with the camera, then the shoot definitely is over. There's nothing I can do. I don't have a backup camera. I might be able to get a shot with my iPhone, but really, shows over. But if it's the lens, then I can put the lens to the side and I have two other lens that I can work with. So I attached one of my other lens, turned on the camera and it worked fine.

Phew. Okay. So it is not a problem with the camera. It's a problem with the lens. So I can't do anything right now. I can't troubleshoot that at the moment. I don't have the time to look up what this error message [00:28:00] means. I have my 50 to work with and I have my 100 macro.

100 macro, good luck on getting a flat lay shot of a whole table with 20 plus things on, on a tabletop. Good luck. Not going to happen. So I have my nifty fifty and I looked up and I noticed that the restaurant had an upstairs patio, so I, had a little light bulb of a moment and ran up to the second floor and I fastened my camera to my hand because I didn't want it to drop and I asked the restaurant's manager to hold on to my legs and I leaned over and I got the shot.

And I just, did a spray and pray, which is where you press the shutter down and it just takes continuous shots. And I was like, okay. One of those photos is a sharply focused shot and hopefully [00:29:00] we'll, we'll make it work. Even though the final shot didn't include like the chairs, like they originally wanted, they were still very happy with the final shot of the flatlay. I still was able to capture that happy hour fullness that they were looking for.

Now what I learned from that situation was. A I'm like planning in my mind. Okay, if it is the camera, what am I going to do? If it is the lens, then I'll do this. If I can't get the 50 to work, what if the 50 isn't working either? What if all I have to work with is the 100 macro?

What will I do? Like I was forming plans in my mind while I am troubleshooting the current problem. And that's what you need to do when you find yourselves in that situation. I learned to be flexible. My client learned to be flexible because they had that hero shot that they wanted, but they understood [00:30:00] that cameras malfunction.

And second, is that I will always take a backup camera to every shoot, and you don't have to go and invest in a camera that is just as expensive as your workhorse. It can be, a beat up old Canon R series, one of the earlier DSLRs, or you can rent a camera for the day from your local, camera shop.

I also use Lensrental.com and sometimes I'll rent a backup lens or I'll get a backup camera. I think the camera is more important than the lens, having a backup of that. But I always have a backup. I have backup SD cards, backup batteries. You name it, I have a backup of it because you just never know.

No, you never know. And I've learned to don't panic. I think because I wasn't panicking the client wasn't panicking either. They weren't even aware that the [00:31:00] lens was malfunctioning until, I told them at the end. Look, this is what we have to work with. And just remember that the show goes on.

that's a theater sentiment. The show must go on. The shoot must go on. Troubleshoot what you can and what you can't, push it to the side and say that is a different problem for a different day. Here's what we're going to do.

So I hope that those three tips help you in a future shoot. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you have to troubleshoot the way that I did.

Mica: Back in 2022, I did a cookbook shoot that tested my limits to the max, y'all. I tell you what, it was so stressful. That shoot was so stressful. The second assistant actually called in [00:32:00] sick the morning of shoot day one.

So we were down a person. It was me, the food stylist, and their assistant, and my assistant, and the client. And we were shooting 25 recipes in three days. All three days were 10 hour shoots. It was crazy. My kitchen, my counters were cluttered with ingredients, the house smelled of like these beautiful spices and sweet scents and somewhere there was an eye of the storm with my camera in hand.

That first day was a lot. That was like the heaviest of, of the three days. I think about that, that day. And how my team and I got through that. There was a lot, there was a lot of juggling, a lot of flexibility, a lot of going with the flow.

And I think about what strengths I took away from that shoot that I carry with me into my shoots today, and it boils [00:33:00] down to this. Number one, prep like a pro, like a pro mofo. Seriously, we had so many checklists. We had checklists for the checklists.

We had a list for the props list for the food list for the ingredients, we had a day to day like what the day was going to look like, what recipes we're going to shoot first and second, everything. And I really believe that that's what kept this whole thing streamlined. Are those lists. And so anytime things got a little crazy, we always went back to the list, to the shot list.

That was like our compass. That was our North star. Number two, embrace the Zen mindset. Take breaks, clear your mind. I do that during my shoots when things get overwhelmed. And if you are [00:34:00] riddled with anxiety, like your girl here, then this is like, so important to like, keep your mind from spiraling, because that's what anxiety does to you.

Whenever I find myself feeling overwhelmed by everything happening to me, I'll just dip to the bathroom for a quick second. And I'll just take a minute to a really clear my mind of any thoughts, just close my mind, take deep breaths and just silence everything just.

And when I do that, I feel this slow dripping calmness settle over me. I remind myself, I know what I'm doing. I've surrounded myself with a fantastic team that is here to support me and the client is happy with the work that I'm doing and just take a breath and let's just calm [00:35:00] down.

Let's 1, 2, 3, breathe in. One, two, three, breathe out and just do that until you feel calm. Number three, prioritize self care before and after a photo shoot. Now, we are all guilty of this, photographers, we will work ourselves until we are exhausted, barely standing, our eyes are halfway open, crusted over. We need to be better about prioritizing our physical and our mental well being before and after a photo shoot. What does self care look like to you? Sit down for a moment with a piece of paper and set a timer for two minutes and just make a list of what self care looks like to you. What does it mean to take care [00:36:00] of yourself?

It will be different for everyone. Everyone has different things that are helpful for them, but some things to keep in mind. Are you eating foods that fuel you? Are you remembering to take a walk in the morning, or maybe do some strength training, like a 20 minute strength training session?

Are you focusing on your mental health? Are you checking in with yourself? Are you checking on your stress levels? The day before a shoot, I like to clear my plate as much as possible. I relax, I spend as much time away from my computer, away from my camera, for most of the day. I prep all of my equipment and everything the night before, but I spend that day on me.

I watch some trashy TV, I do low pressure tasks, I check in on me, email, make sure that that, is good to go. But really, that day [00:37:00] is just spent relaxing on things that bring me joy, like working on my family tree. I, you know, do my ancestry. Then the day after the shoot, I take the longest, longest nap.

But I also will do something fun, like I'll go driving around Austin for a little bit. I'll just listen to music, or I'll come home, and I'll just sit in my reading chair, and I'll just close my eyes, and I'll take some deep breaths. I'll just think about the day, think about how it went, think about how I felt.

I just really focus on taking care of me. Because I need to be at my best, and you are only as good as your last photoshoot, and I mean that in terms of the quality of your work, but like, how you're doing physically, how you're doing mentally, because those two things really do [00:38:00] If you're stressed, if you are just anxious, and you are struggling to see, that clearly defined path, you are going to create really choppy, inconsistent work.

So take care of yourself. It's not a luxury. Self care is not a luxury. It is a necessity, especially in this field, in this world. It's very competitive. So what does self care look like to you? Think about it and then do it. Number four, seek inspiration everywhere. I like to keep my creative spark alive by continuously reading.

Your girl is a self help business book guru, like I have all of the self help books and one of my favorite books right now is, Studio Anywhere by Nick Fancher. He has two editions out. The first one is, an [00:39:00] introduction. to like, unconventional spaces that you find yourself shooting in, like a restaurant, like an office building, where you literally have to bring the studio with you.

And then the second edition, he talks about how you can create a studio anywhere using hard light. So using a flash strobe or reflectors or natural sunlight to create the hard light look. So it looks like you're shooting in a studio, but you're, you're not. I love the book Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon and Damn Good Advice by George Lois.

These books are like those tough love, heart to heart conversations with, creativity. If creativity was like Mike Tyson giving you a pep talk, that's how I think of those books. If you do not follow a photo editor, You are missing out on some really valuable information. This site is my go [00:40:00] to for fresh perspectives on the industry itself, but also just learning how other photographers do things.

Like the person who runs the website, Rob, he shows. photographers, like how much they made, what their net worth and what their gross worth was and what that photographer does. It's all anonymous. So like they feel more safe and inclined to really share the things no one really wants to say out loud and be called out for.

So that website is my biggest resource. I, I worship that website. I really, really do. It is the best. And there's a book called The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande. And y'all, that book is for when stress threatens to turn your brain into scrambled eggs. It is the best book. And this is like not related to food [00:41:00] photography or photography at all, but I'm a sucker for this website called The Art of Manliness.

And it's a really cool website that features articles on resourcefulness and adaptability and DIY. Even though it's the art of manliness, it really is just the art of here's how to make do when you're in a jam and you don't have a lot to work with, and I just, if you haven't visited it, then please, please go. A Photo Editor and The Art of Manliness.

Those are two websites that should be bookmarked. Now I'm not alone in this. We've all faced those projects that seem to laugh in the face of our meticulously planned schedules. Here's what I want y'all to do the next time you find yourself facing a limitation. First, take a deep breath.

Just take a deep breath. Count to five and [00:42:00] ask yourself, one, what kind of constraint is this? Is this time? Is this equipment? Is this financial? That's all. Two, what tools, skills, or friends do you have that can help you work around this hiccup? If it's something that's equipment and you have a photographer friend who knows all things equipment excuse yourself and go call them and say, Hey, I have this malfunction that I'm dealing with.

Do you happen to know what it is? And this really segues into question three, who has been in a jam like this before and how do they get out of it? So like anytime you read a Facebook post or an Instagram post or whatever post that one of your photographer friends talks about, like something like a problem that they solved, bookmark that because you might find yourself in a situation where you need to solve a similar problem and [00:43:00] having that, bookmarked can help you. You're basically building an encyclopedia of you know how to fix it. And four, what did I learn from this that I can take with me for the future? And I feel like the fourth question is really the most important question because if you didn't learn anything from this, then you are bound to repeat the same mistakes that you made the last time it happened. Do not solve and forget. Have a record of how you solved this problem because you might most likely find yourself in it again. So there you have it. Those four questions.

Mica: Okay, y'all. I feel like I have talked long enough. As [00:44:00] we wrap up today's journey through the art of limitation. I hope that y'all are leaving inspired to embrace the constraints you face in your work right now. Remember, it's not about the hurdles. It's about how we leap over them. That counts. If today's stories stirred something in you, I'd love to hear about it.

I want to hear about your tales of creativity. If you found yourself in a jam and a last minute change with the shoot where you survived this chaotic, photo shoot, I want to hear all about it. So tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me. And if you loved what you heard, don't forget to subscribe. Go to Apple podcast and review the show.

You have no idea how helpful those reviews are. Please take a minute to give us a five star review. Till next time y'all, [00:45:00] keep pushing the boundaries of your creativity. And remember, limitations aren't limits. They're just the beginning of your next great shot. So with that, adios, adieu, check in for the next episode.

It'll be wonderful, just like you. Alright y'all, till next time, bye. [00:46:00]