I must confess that I very seldom go back through my older photographs unless I’m focused on a project that specifically requires me to do so. That’s been the case lately as I’ve been working on a number of eBook projects. What I’ve discovered is that there certainly are benefits when making the time to revisit old photos, and it is something that I will be doing on a much more regular basis.
The first benefit is the rekindling of memories that may have gone dormant over time. This was the case with me when it came to a trip to Greece that my wife and I did back in the fall of 2014. I was sorting through some older images with the intent of including some of them in my “The Little Camera That Could” Nikon 1 eBook. I literally stumbled on some photographs that I only had a vague recollection of capturing, like the one above. As we all know, one of the powerful things about photography is that seeing an image can immediately propel us back in time.
Another advantage was that some of my older photographs had the effect of smacking me on the side of the head, reminding me that the software programs that we use are not static and it often pays dividends to upgrade to current versions. At the time that the photograph above was created the Spot Weighted Smart Lighting tool in DxO OpticsPro did not exist. It proved to be a very useful tool to use when revisiting this photograph in terms of squeaking more highlight details out of it.
Some images reminded me about the importance of leading lines, and when appropriate to accentuate them by using triangular shaping in compositions.
Photographs like the one above reinforced the use of patterns to create order, and also using shadows to add to image flow, especially when a shadow can be positioned to act as a subtle corner exit.
The image above served as a reminder to look for ways to stack and layer elements.
The importance of light jumped out at me when I rediscovered the photograph above. It was a quick ‘walk-by’ capture that I did one night when returning to the hotel after having dinner along the waterfront in Mykonos town. I find it fascinating to ponder what serves as the creative spark that prompts each of us to compose an image. “Look for light”, is the message that often comes out of my old, porous brain.
This was another image that I was surprised to find in my old photographs from the Santorini portion of our trip to Greece. It reminded me of a couple of things. The first was the potential impact of using contrast and blocks of colour in our compositions. The second was how images are capable communicating messages not necessarily seen or appreciated at the time of capture. I’ve found that my photographs and I have interesting connections sometimes well after the fact, akin to me acting as a conduit at the time of image capture. I will be making a lot more time to reconnect with my older photographs so I can more fully appreciate these messages.
Some of my older images made me smile as they reminded me of how I have long been attracted to odd and unusual things. I wonder if there is any truth to the notion that we are what we photograph.
Technical Note:
All photographs in this article were captured hand-held in available light using Nikon 1 gear as per the EXIF data. All images were produced from RAW files using my standard process of DxO OpticsPro 11, CS6 and the Nik Collection.
Article Copyright 2018 Thomas Stirr. All images Copyright 2014 Thomas Stirr. All rights reserved. No use, adaptation, or reproduction of any kind is allowed without written permission. Photography Life is the only approved user of this article. If you see it reproduced anywhere else it is an unauthorized and illegal use. Readers who call out offending websites that steal intellectual property by posting messages on offending websites are always appreciated!
Always a pleasure to see your photos!
Thanks Ed, glad you enjoyed them!
Tom
A thoughtful article, Thomas … with some useful gems in each of your observations.
Noting your use of DxO OpticsPro (now PhotoLabs) and Nik Collection: How exciting is it that DxO have acquired the Nik tools from Google ?! :-)))
Implementation of U-point technology for local adjustments in PhotoLab is an excellent start – and I’m now looking forward to what they’ll be able to do with further integration of the Nik Collection, as they build a full understanding of the underlying technology.
Hi John,
I’m glad you enjoyed the article – thanks for your positive comment!
I agree that it will be interesting to see what DxO does with the Nik program. I actually have PhotoLab but I’ve been so busy working on various eBook projects and rush client video assignments that I haven’t had any time to work with it yet. I’ll should have two more eBooks finished by the end of February so my explorations with PhotoLab will likely start sometime after that.
Tom
Incredible coincidence yesterday (1/18) I had the same thought ! And i posted
www.instagram.com/p/BeGQTCUFLZT/
Thanks for sharing Roberto.
Tom
This is spot on. This month our camera club had B&W/Mono as a category. I scoured through my files and came across an image from four years back that did not dazzle me at the time. The image placed in 1st place and I received many compliments. I actually had to go back and say, hey it is pretty good. Sometimes we are to close to our own work and time helps shape our view. Going over the “boneplie” is always a good idea when you run out of inspiration. Our post processing software and skills continue to improve and give us new eyes as we evolve.
Hi Paul, thanks for sharing your perspectives and experience!
Tom
An inspirational and enjoyable post, Thomas. I particularly identified with the mannequin shot and your comment about light, which I was reminded about today. I live in the south of France and most days take an indirect scenic route to Narbonne. The camera is always in the car, but having been doing this route for 3+ years it doesn’t always get used. Today, however, the light was perfect: stormy rainclouds lit by sunshine. Perfect. For me, the lighting is the most important aspect.
Thank for your comment and sharing your experiences Liz!
Tom
Roberto,
I really like your images. They really show how well you come to master the use of the Nikon 1 camera. It demonstrates the point that art is not created by the camera, but by the photographer. So whatever complaints people have about the Nikon 1 have been overcome by your technique and artistic eye. I could buy the camera you have and not do as well just because I bought it. I’ll just keeping working to get better with the one I have. Your point about revisiting old images is a good one. I have been cleaning up my hard drives and stumbled across images I had forgotten and when adjusted using the newer software they can be surprisingly better. Thanks for another good idea.
Jack
Thanks for adding to the discussion Jack!
Tom
GREAT photos and wonderful article Thomas. I have also been going through past files and seeing some of the photos with new eyes and new thoughts.
Thanks Joni, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Tom
I also practice revisiting old photographs, I call it Minning for Photos, in my hard drives of course though sometimes stacks of prints can also yield some surprises.
Great photos also, I see my style and viewpoint as well, now if I can just get them to look as good as yours …
Thanks for adding to the discussion Eduardo!
Tom
And here I was thinking that most people revisit the photos they have take….
Should read…”have taken”
Nice images and observations. Timely as I am just revisiting black and white negatives from the late 80’s early 90’s for a photo essay I have had in mind for many years, but just now getting around to. Of course scanning, then processing with modern software (Vuescan, LR, NIK, PS) makes interesting “modern prints” of old images.
Thanks for adding to the discussion Edward! It would be interesting to see how your photo essay turns out.
Tom
Thomas,
Lovely pics…enjoyed reading the description for each pic. Have not yet visited Greece but it is on my list…specially Santorini.
Noshir
Thanks Noshir – I’m glad you enjoyed the images and hope you are able to visit Santorini in the future!
Tom
Very good article with great imagery as usual!
I sometimes re visit my old libraries, from 5 or mores ago and realize that the learning curve is steep, not only in making a photograph, but most important in the editing process.
I have re edited some old photographs, and came up with much more pleasant images, to the point that some have made their way to local magazines or tourism campaigns.
Hi Alvaro,
Thanks for adding to the discussion and for sharing your experiences with older images! I agree that our skills in post processing can improve over time and result in more effective editing of our older photographs.
Tom
Thanks for the post Tom. I fully agree that revisiting old shots can be rewarding, especially when considering the post processing and printing options.
Just a thought on the last picture, assuming that the subject is the villa and not the palm fronds, I think it is even further enhanced if you crop from the top left corner until the small palm the bottom left is just in the frame, then the interesting villa shutters are further highlighted. Of course ignore this if the sea and palm were of most interest to you.
Thanks for adding to the discussion Burghclerebilly!
In terms of the last image, I seldom crop any of my photographs as do my best to compose them as precisely as I can given my vision for the shot. The photo really isn’t about the building or the palm fronds, but rather the eye flow and colour shaping between these green and white elements, and the triangulation between the three palm elements.
Tom
Thanks Tom for a wonderful article.
Can you please share what tool you use to catalog your pictures (NEFs and/or JPEGs) and to flag keepers may be ratings etc.
Thanks,
Amit
Thanks for your supportive comment Amit – I’m glad you enjoyed the article!
Since I have other areas of my business in addition to photography and video work, I have many different kinds of files for my clients (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDFs, etc). To simplify things I use Windows Explorer to store all of my files. I’ve never really ‘rated’ my photos. When I return from a shoot I quickly go through them to decide which ones I want to work on in post, then often just delete the rest.
Tom