2 ms·
Here's my rant, take it for what it's worth :) I keep 4 types of photos: 1.) Personal: This doesn't mean I don't delete, but I generally tend to keep photos ev
by PavlovsCat 13y ago
Here's my rant, take it for what it's worth :) I keep 4 types of photos:
1.) Personal: This doesn't mean I don't delete, but I generally tend to keep photos even though they might not be really good photos, especially if I only have a few of that day or person. I know I might enjoy looking at them decades later anyway, a blurry photo is better than nothing.
2.) Archival: like taking a photo of a flat before moving in. These aren't very many, so I tend to keep them no questions asked.
3.) Siblings of Keepers: You could call these "proof I really made the keeper photo" photos. Let's say I come across an animal I never photographed before, and like one of the photos enough to publish; then I'll still keep the others around. Or keeping a wider crop in case you change your mind later, etc.
4.) Keepers: here I try to be as harsh as I can. Photography is about painting with light for the pros, for me it's mostly about selection, that's the part of it I enjoy most. I walk around, and from the thousands of things I see each day, only a few make me take out the camera. Then I select keepers (partly before the images even leave the camera), and even years after I might revisit some keepers again, decide that my standards improved, and delete them.
I don't want to tell others how to pursue their hobby, but I think the web is full of galleries not even the owners look at, and that generally, a lot of people need to learn how to delete. The same goes for blogs and whatnot, the idea that everything has to be written on this indelible roll of toilet paper seems silly.
On one extreme, there is being OCD and deliberating endlessly what to keep and how to rank it, on the other there is just making more stuff to throw behind yourself on a pile you never investigate, because it's too awkward to wade around in. Productivity lies somewhere in the middle I think.