Stepping out of your comfort zone might be difficult but at the same time it can help you greatly in improving your general photography skills. As you know most of the time I'm photographing landscapes, sometimes architecture and I very frequently use HDR, Fusion or manual blending to extend dynamic range. But I often photograph other subjects: from animals in zoo, street scenes to portraits. I take macro photos and action as well. Although I don't share them very often (because most of the time these photos are nowhere near quality of my typical photos) this helps me to progress and to learn new things. For that reason I suggest you try something similar. Take your camera and go photographing some subjects you don't feel very comfortable about.
In the case of above photo I placed my girlfriend opposite the sun and used golden reflector to add some light to her face. Using reflector was rather difficult because the conditions were very windy but I'm quite happy with the light I got here. I'm also happy with the natural result I got. Had plenty of fun taking this picture.
Technical details:Camera: Canon 5D MK III
Lens: Canon 100 f/2.8 L IS USM Macro
Focal length: 100 mm
Aperture: f/4.0
Exposure time: 1/125
ISO: 200
Number of exposures: 1
E.V. Step: n/a
Flash used: no
Tripod: no
Filters: no
Technique: HDR, tone-mapping, luminosity masks
Software: Magic Lantern 2.3, Portrait Professional 11, Lightroom 5.0, Photoshop CC
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