Cherry Blossom Photography : A Series Of Lost Images Found

if there is one thing i really love about the spring, it’s cherry blossom photography.  living in the washington dc metro area, i am really lucky to be in such a beautiful area during the spring that offers cherry blossoms.  each year i do my best to head into the city and find inspiration among the pink blossoms and get my fix of cherry blossom photography.  as i was cleaning out my office yesterday, i stumbled upon a stack of old memory cards.  anxious to see what was on them, i put them into my computer, one by one.  the first one, empty.  the second one, empty.  the third one, cherry blossoms.  from two years ago!  what happened next has left me inspired to change the way i cull my images.

did you see my latest ebook the everyday photograph?  it’s all about inspiring you to pick up your camera and see the beauty in your day to day.

this post contains affiliate links.  thank you in advance for supporting bethadilly photography.

Cherry Blossom Photography: A Series Of Lost Images Found

Cherry Blossom Photography: A Series Of Lost Images Found | Bethadilly Photography

truth be told, i imported these images into lightroom two years ago and only picked one that i liked.  i edited that single image, deleting the rest.  every image in this post was originally deleted.  it was originally deemed not worthy.  i felt like i had truly failed with my camera.  oh, what a difference two years makes.  when i was once so critical of myself and my work (and honestly still am), i now see these images beautifully different.  maybe it is because they are from a different time in my life.  maybe it is because i was thirsty to edit.  maybe it is because my evolution in photography styles has brought me to a knew place.  whatever it is has me thinking about how cull my images.

Cherry Blossom Photography: A Series Of Lost Images Found | Bethadilly Photography

currently, i go through my images right after photographing and pick my favorites, deleting the rest.  i go with my gut instinct.  i am a cleaner by nature, so i love to purge.  removing unwanted images just makes me feel better; it makes me feel uncluttered.  but this experience of finding these images again has me pausing to think.  how many images would i love today, if i were given the second chance of looking at them?  do i just need a little time away from my images to truly love them?  am i giving my images a fighting chance?

Cherry Blossom Photography: A Series Of Lost Images Found | Bethadilly Photography

i went through a similar situation at the beginning of the year, as i was catching up on editing my daughters first year images.  i felt super behind as her first birthday was approaching but that act of putting off editing turned out to be a blessing.  the images that i originally imported (and didn’t have time to edit) were quickly looked at, with an initial thought of “i could have done better.”  but looking at them a couple months later, i really loved them.

to read more about putting off editing, be sure to read why editing procrastination can actually be a good thing.

maybe what i need is a little distance from my images?  i like time to reflect and ponder, before looking at them to truly appreciate them for what they are and the moments they hold.  maybe a fair of fresh eyes helps me to notice the beauty of the subject, instead of immediately picking apart the technical aspects.

Cherry Blossom Photography: A Series Of Lost Images Found | Bethadilly PhotographyCherry Blossom Photography: A Series Of Lost Images Found | Bethadilly PhotographyCherry Blossom Photography: A Series Of Lost Images Found | Bethadilly PhotographyCherry Blossom Photography: A Series Of Lost Images Found | Bethadilly Photography

just some thoughts to ponder as i fall in love with these lost images.  cherry blossom photography has given me a lot of trial and error over the years, but i find myself happy with these images that i originally deemed “not worthy.”  which leads me to wonder…how do you cull your images?  do you wait awhile before picking your favorites or do you cull right after you photograph?  do you delete anything that you don’t edit or do you keep those images?  share your process with me in the comment section below, i would love to hear how others do this too!

be sure to join my exclusive email list to receive my latest photography tips and tutorials.  it’s free!

need some photography tips + inspiration?  check out what posts are trending below!

Cherry Blossom Photography: A Series Of Lost Images Found | Bethadilly Photography

2 comments
Add a comment...

Your email is never published or shared. Required fields are marked *

  • Beth Ann - Aside from the obvious out of focus, etc., I save everything.  Every single one of them.  I end up with a handful that I truly love and post to a 365 folder.  I have such a hard time letting go, but have started to delete say, 7 of the 10 almost identical shots of one of my daughters.   Even with that, I still have a ton of photos (approximately 14,000 a year…).  I save to my laptop and an external drive, but want to save to a cloud too.  Any suggestions? Where do you save your go-to, never-want-to-lose images?  Maybe a suggestion for a future post if you haven’t done one already?ReplyCancel

Menu