How do you feel when looking at your old works?
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Nod
As good as a wink to a blind horse
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- Nod (NOT Ethel!!!)
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A few make me cringe a bit but I like to kid myself that I've learned from my mistakes. Rarely try to create scenes so hard to recreate them. I have gone back to reshoot landscapes at different times of day, different weather conditions etc. but that's more to get different shots than to reshoot. I've usually bracketed shots in "interesting" light to get an assortment of effects.
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I delete the shots that don't work for me.
What's left is what I think is worth keeping. This is not always the same as what others think is worth keeping...
What's left is what I think is worth keeping. This is not always the same as what others think is worth keeping...
Some of my film/slide shots of 60+ years ago compare very favourably with todays new dSLR/processed/edited and generally correctly framed images taken yesterday. Perhaps my eyesight deceives me on a computer screen. A slide show of older images on a decent screen still amazes me as to the quality.......As you know I'm not a pro! 
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- Steve
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Rather like Gramps I think it's my processing that has improved more than my photography - not to say that hasn't improved too, of course.
In the early days I shot JPG (like so many others) and overdid the processing so I'd like to go back and re-do some of those but back then I also didn't keep master/original files so can't do that either
In the early days I shot JPG (like so many others) and overdid the processing so I'd like to go back and re-do some of those but back then I also didn't keep master/original files so can't do that either
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- North York Moors
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I tend to agree (about mine not yours - probably)
My first digital was a really poor - on paper Fuji A203 but it was such a big thing being able to take almost limitless photos with no real cost I used it almost every day until I dropped it
Cards were expensive so could only take about 40 shots at medium size but some are still very interesting now.
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Like you I wasn't thinking in terms of technical quality, but content and form. In my case the way I 'compose' pictures and the subjects I choose hasn't altered all that much in 40 plus years. But technically today's digital cameras and processing software are a huge improvement over home developed and printed HP5!I tend to agree (about mine not yours - probably)
My first digital was a really poor - on paper Fuji A203 but it was such a big thing being able to take almost limitless photos with no real cost I used it almost every day until I dropped it
Cards were expensive so could only take about 40 shots at medium size but some are still very interesting now.
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- Catherine
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Yep, they make me cringe but I don't delete them. There are lots of photos from our family trips when I was a 'family photographer' and we keep them in smartshow 3d videos about our trips. Bad photos but good memories, you know. These awful shots were my first attempts to create a nice shot and also a part of my learning.
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- Mike
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Looking back at my first Flickr images, some are ok but posted at 800px on the longest side.
That was the maximum size the forums I was on at the time would accept.
Now I post at 2048px and 1024px for the forum
I think/know I have improved over the years as has my camera gear, software and software editing knowledge.
Its good to go back and reprocess older images from time to time
That was the maximum size the forums I was on at the time would accept.
Now I post at 2048px and 1024px for the forum
I think/know I have improved over the years as has my camera gear, software and software editing knowledge.
Its good to go back and reprocess older images from time to time
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- Peter
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I look at my old shots taken on my early Pentax digital cameras and realise having spent tens of thousands on new kit since (D3, D810, K1 and pro-level lenses) my photography hasn't moved on as I would like.
Like others on here, I think the older images could be improved by use of the latest software and plug ins but in terms of the actual shot taken images taken with 1/6 of the megapixels are just as well composed and exposed as those on the 36Mp beasts.
Like others on here, I think the older images could be improved by use of the latest software and plug ins but in terms of the actual shot taken images taken with 1/6 of the megapixels are just as well composed and exposed as those on the 36Mp beasts.
woof woof
In the habit
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My old pictures don't make me cringe but some are different to the pictures I take today.
One thing I'm less keen on is zero dof zero context pictures and although I do take some that are heading that way I do wonder if I'll look at them in years to come. Probably not.
One thing I'm less keen on is zero dof zero context pictures and although I do take some that are heading that way I do wonder if I'll look at them in years to come. Probably not.
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- Keith
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I wish that I got out to shoot as much nowadays is what I mostly feel. I look back at all the usual cliche images I took when I wanted to learn new techniques, like long exposures/light trails/water splashes etc and wonder why I don't try anything near as technical now - case of been there done that maybe? ther''s also some fond memories [images taken on Hol's for example] and then there's the nostalgia for when my kids were younger and would pose for me or just ignore me as I took candids when they were at play. 2 teen girls now who rarely enjoy being photographed unless it's a sefie for their IG - mostly though, my old images make me feel very lazy about photography now, I need to change this.
SFTPhotography
Ranger Smith
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- Steve
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I've reprocessed all my old work and culled the stuff I don't rate off.
Composition and tastes have evolved but feel pretty happy with a lot of stuff I've done. Equipment has improved and being a pixel peeper I often think, god, I wish I had what I have now then.
Composition and tastes have evolved but feel pretty happy with a lot of stuff I've done. Equipment has improved and being a pixel peeper I often think, god, I wish I had what I have now then.
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- Toni
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I still have stuff on my wall that I shot in the 80's.
Digital-wise, I went through a brief phase of pushing micro-contrast/clarity to 11, and where I've been back to look at stuff from a few years ago I wouldn't process it that way now, but there's no cringing over the pictures themselves.
The place I tend to cringe most is where poor kit has poo'd all over the pictures. The oldest photographs I have were shot with a 'Cosmic Symbol', which was an eastern European camera-like object designed to smear an image across film. Subsequent pictures I took using Pentax and then Minolta & Bronica stuff were generally good (apart from an early Vivitar 28-200 and super-cheap 28-80 zoom that was also faecal). After getting my first digital SLR in 2013 I made the mistake of buying an 18-250 superzoom for it, and that spoiled a number of pictures too. Last night I was going through some images from a 2014 trip to Canada where I'd used that superzoom, and kept wishing there was detail, rather than a 'charming' vintage-style blur.
Digital-wise, I went through a brief phase of pushing micro-contrast/clarity to 11, and where I've been back to look at stuff from a few years ago I wouldn't process it that way now, but there's no cringing over the pictures themselves.
The place I tend to cringe most is where poor kit has poo'd all over the pictures. The oldest photographs I have were shot with a 'Cosmic Symbol', which was an eastern European camera-like object designed to smear an image across film. Subsequent pictures I took using Pentax and then Minolta & Bronica stuff were generally good (apart from an early Vivitar 28-200 and super-cheap 28-80 zoom that was also faecal). After getting my first digital SLR in 2013 I made the mistake of buying an 18-250 superzoom for it, and that spoiled a number of pictures too. Last night I was going through some images from a 2014 trip to Canada where I'd used that superzoom, and kept wishing there was detail, rather than a 'charming' vintage-style blur.
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- Andy
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My early urbex / industrial stuff from 2007 holds up well once re-processed. Quite a few of the pictures at my most recent exhibition last year were from 2007-2010. My style has changed a bit since then, but I’m proud of my earlier stuff. A pity it’s only 6MP which limits the realistic print size to 15x10 - A3ish, but I might see how well they enlarge in this new super resolution thing in Photoshop.
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- Tim
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Looking at the pictures transports me back in time to the times and places the memories were captured. Curiously perhaps how good or bad the pictures are seems irrelevant, even the cringe-worthy over cooked HDR pictures bring back good memories.
Good thread!
I’m in 2 minds - look back at some of my work and think, wow, that’s awful hahah
But.... my tastes have changed and I’ve moved onto sport / sports portraits more now and that’s obvious in my work. With all that said, you can see my confidence growing throughout my work and the compositions / angles I put myself in offer a better (imo) perspective and show more emotion / tell a better story.
They also show a more ambitious approach to my photography with larger and more exclusive events - that I’m proud of.
I’m in 2 minds - look back at some of my work and think, wow, that’s awful hahah
But.... my tastes have changed and I’ve moved onto sport / sports portraits more now and that’s obvious in my work. With all that said, you can see my confidence growing throughout my work and the compositions / angles I put myself in offer a better (imo) perspective and show more emotion / tell a better story.
They also show a more ambitious approach to my photography with larger and more exclusive events - that I’m proud of.
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- Toni
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From a commercial point of view there's no use, but sometimes the memories are important. I did delete a lot of the Canadian pics this time round.I have and always will, delete any inmge that's not up to parr
why would you keep rubbish makes no sense to me
Les
Pre digital, I wish that I had taken more photos - far more.
For digital, I wish that I had taken fewer - it has been time consuming to delete all the indifferent, boring and aweful ones - from when I started to use MILCs in 2011. I seemed to have lost all sense and sensibility by pressing the shutter before thinking about subject, composition and lighting. as I always did for film.
Now back to the way I was - take far fewer and only keep the best.
For digital, I wish that I had taken fewer - it has been time consuming to delete all the indifferent, boring and aweful ones - from when I started to use MILCs in 2011. I seemed to have lost all sense and sensibility by pressing the shutter before thinking about subject, composition and lighting. as I always did for film.
Now back to the way I was - take far fewer and only keep the best.
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- David
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The old slides are hard to view now and the quality is poor compared to more recent captures. I still have a few old prints which are fine and the negatives somewhere. Of course the digital files go back 20 years+. I am always strict about reviewing my images after a shoot and deleted unwanted images. As with others, some images may relate to events which cannot be repeated so have a special value. No they do not make me cringe as those I have kept were probably as good as I could get with the equipment/software I had at the time. If I view them from the point of view of success in competitions (this is why I take most of my photographs) then sadly I peaked in about 2016. This does not means I no longer know how to use the kit but probably more of a reflection of the lack of travel (I have not been overseas since 2012) and even limited UK travelling and thus less opportunities to capture a variety of images.
Dave
Dave
KIPAX
Seriously Likeable
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Embarrassed ... But as I was the only person taking pics at some of the events I went to then they do sell now and then so they are all on my website.. warts and all.... really bad straight out the box and on the web.. everyhitng I tell people not to do now....
But making me money
But making me money