I mentioned in a previous post to never go back and delete your older work - always save it as a reference of how far your photography skills have come. I still hold firmly to that statement, even though your previous work may be obviously sub-par to your current capabilities - keep it as a timeline of your progression in the hobby. There is another reason, however, why you might want to go back and revisit some of your previous work . . . your editing skills have probably improved significantly.
Go back and take a look at some of your older images - ones that you still feel have pretty solid photographic elements - take an original copy of that photo and reprocess it as you would do it today. You may be very surprised at how far you've come.
The opening image in this set is from an air show three years ago. The image capture is pretty solid, with good exposure - and it demonstrates my processing skills circa 2009. The picture below is the same image, processed with my 2012 skill sets - the difference in skill growth is obvious to me in several areas:
- Composition: a much better crop demonstrates a better grasp and positioning of the main subject
- Contrast: more detail (that was in the original image) is now popping out
- Selective editing: sharpening, shadow work and color corrections are now applied to only the areas that need them
So don't go back into your past albums and delete any of your images - but do go back and revisit some of them. You'll be amazed at your progress - and may just find some hidden gems waiting for your contemporary skills to be applied.
Stay in focus,
Mark