The Value in Revisiting Your Old Images

Just wanted to open a discussion based on an experience I had this morning. Last year I shot a college gymnastics meet - pretty standard stuff. I submitted my images and moved on. This morning I decided to go through and thin my collection of shots. Of the about 1,000 shots I took, I kept about 400. That is still is an overwhelming number, so I wanted to get down to between 100 and 200 representative best of shots. In doing so I ran across an image that 8 months ago I paid no attention to. It wasn't peak action. Slightly blown out. It just was.

Growing up in Paris, one of the early pieces of art that I connected with as a kid was "Little Dancer of Fourteen Years" sculpture by Edgar Degas. I loved the attitude of the little ballerina.

So I stopped on this image and thought what the heck, lets take it Black and White. And immediately that same attitude and stance jumped out. I sort my image from no star to 5 stars. I still don't have a 5 star image. Lots of 1 and 2 star images - over half are no star images. This one became one of very few 3 star images. With the benefit of time passed, and the memory of the event faded, I was able to see the image in a new light, as a stand alone image. And I connected with it at a whole different level, one the wasn't my frame of mind when I took it.

Not saying its an award winning photo... but something I now see as an artistic representation, rather than my regular photo journalistic POV. As one of my teachers once said of my work, "every now and then again a blind squirrel finds a nut".

So this has reminded me to be real careful about what I delete. How I see something today isn't how Im going to see it tomorrow, or in 6 months, or a year. I can't keep everything. But it reminds me that while in the moment of shooting, "recording a game", to step back and also look for opportunities to create something that goes beyond its original intent. I would love to hear about your guys approaches to achieve, and your approach to revisiting images and possibly recreating those images with a fresh perspective on them.

Sports if particularly hard to look at with detached feelings. There is the emotion of the event that the viewer just doesn't have the benefit of. You see the shot that turned the momentum of the event. The viewer sees the same image without that context and just sees just another player making a shot. Time has a way of neutralizing those original feelings. I am sure the same happens in other genres. Would love to get your thoughts.

I constantly go through old images, as I get more skilled in my ability to post process. I sell aluminum prints in a high volume, vacation destination place. I am constantly being reminded of the paradox between what is technically good photography, and what speaks to people. Technically good photography is a prerequisite, but it is trumped by emotionally compelling imagery. And, since I am not the final word on what is emotionally compelling to others, I constantly look for images that others might connect with. I am often, pleasantly, surprised.

Fortunately, external hard drives are affordable. So, I rarely ever delete anything, I just download and create a new folder. You never know!

In the 8 years or so I've been learning photography, I had saved around 10,000 images as of last winter. Last spring, I culled about 5000, saving roughly 1/2. I only save what's a memory, something that looks good to me, what sells, and certain ones that document change over time. Like if I have a crappy photo of a redwood that fell over and can't be photographed again, that gets saved. For the more part, I figured out what to save that may have extra potential later that I don't find particularly good at the moment.

The two photos below are something I ignored for a couple years because I didn't like colors in the dress fabric, and orange skin tones along with orange in the wood end grain. Then 2 years afterward, not sure why, I converted to black and white and like them a lot. Not really evident at POTN size, but I put a canvas texture to give an older weathered look, and at 20x30 these look better.

But in general, I don't like to sift through more than needed to find various images. So I tend to cull heavy-handed. Especially earlier this year.

I agree with plantastic.

My PP skills have improved considerably over the years, and Lightroom also has many more sliders and enhancements that can help, so one can definitely extract more from an old RAW file now than what might have been possible a few years ago.

I do an annual review, usually in January. I go back through my previous images for several reasons...

1. As my eye develops I see things that I missed - when I developed an eye for B&W I found so many images that never worked in colour but had a whole new meaning in B&W.

2. Similarly my post processing skills have improved and I can see new ways to edit images that I didn't see before.

3. While I cull fairly mercilessly I actually keep some of my bad shots. I look back at them and compare them to what I am doing today as a way of reminding myself how my work has changed (and hopefully improved).

I frequently keep poor shots, especially if it's obvious what I've done wrong. Must say my processing is better than when I started (others may disagree!)

It is interesting as skills and taste progress, things take on a different light. For example I used to print most my stuff on a matte to semi-gloss. Never liked Glossy that much. But then someone encouraged me to print something on a cotton paper, and the image took on a whole different feel... it had texture that worked for it. Oh well... such is life... hopefully always learning and learning new ways to present matter. I am really trying to slow down all my processes. I've been so deadline driven... some pictures are like wines, you need longer to appreciate them than just a quick gulp and move on.

I actually found it very useful to formalise the process by writing down my thoughts. I found that the act of writing helped me really focus in on what is important/enjoyable for me and how that has changed over time... https://danmarchant.co​m/category/then-and-now/

Interesting thoughts..... I like the idea and I've done this indirectly. At the local high schools I come in and give classes to the photo students there on how shoot events and sports. It forces me to consciously go through my processes and document them. What I love about it is I will always get questions on why I choose to do something the way I did it. Often these are things I just assume are obvious, but rather are just habit.

Going through my images prepping for these classes is always fun in it forces me to go through my images and ask myself why I took that shot, and would I do it the same again, or do it differently. Its good to do self critique. Its also good to show these images to a live audience and see their reaction... what is resonating to them, and what is not.

I don't write things down, because I'm not disciplined enough. Plus, I would just add one more frustration to my wife's life by asking her if she knew where I put it.

However, when I do shoot a landscape, I get there early and walk around just looking, scoping, and thinking.

"Why is this spot special?"

"What do people love about this scene?"

"How do I romanticize this place and time that would inspire someone to hang it on their wall?"