World Photography Day: Take a Look Back

The world of digital photography has given us the advantage to shoot to our heart’s content, and then some! With an unlimited supply of storage these days, both on our cameras and our phones, I’ve come to wonder how often people are actually taking a look back at the endless amount of photos they’ve taken… personally, I’m creeping up on 30,000 photos on my phone alone, and can barely parse through my camera roll to find a photo I took last week.

Image source: Adobe Stock / Ulrika Kestere

As a result, it’s become an integral part of my workflow to look back on my archives and sort through each and every photo that I’ve taken. It’s become tremendously helpful to rediscover my work, not just to reminisce on the memories, but also to learn from the photos I may have initially rejected. Ask yourself, what could I have done differently here? How can I frame the shot better next time? How can I tell the story more effectively in this shot? Or perhaps, with an updated perspective with some retouching and editing, this photo may work out for you after all. It’s really interesting to see how these photos sit with you a month, a year, or five years down the line. You can always uncover something new about yourself as a photographer by looking back at something you shot awhile back. It’s something I urge all fellow photographers to do, especially for those who shoot digital – there’s a trove of information in your archives, just waiting to be discovered!

Image source: Adobe Stock / Anna Petrow

As you take a look back and rediscover old favourites, think of it as a great opportunity to identify images that can continue working for you. B-roll and personal photos from your archives can be great contributions to Adobe Stock. Whether it’s a photo of a cup of coffee at your favourite coffee shop, or your entire folder of favourite travel images that you’ve taken on vacation. If you have a library of images that never got to live outside of your hard drive, they may be able to find a new purpose and become an additional revenue stream for you – and you’ve already done the work.

Image source: Adobe Stock / Cavan Images

It’s easy to get lost in the tens (hundreds?) of thousands of photos in our archives as photographers, so it’s likely you’ll have missed some good ones along the way. This World Photography Day, do yourself a favour and take a look back – give those frames another chance to teach you about yourself as a photographer, and to see what photos you can breathe new life into. Celebrate the moments that worked and take notes on the ones that didn’t. In a world where we’re always focused on the next assignment or journey, it’s also equally important to look back, so that you can move farther forward.

Are you a photographer or video creator looking to sell your photos and footage? Get started as an Adobe Stock contributor today_ – it’s free!_

Header image source: Adobe Stock / sebra