The below picture just turned up on my Facebook feed as a memory from 5 years ago. It was one of the first pictures I took in the Kaiserstuhl after moving here. I look at this now and wonder: What was I thinking? It is terrible...... Too dark, too much contrast, too saturated, it's just not good.
Like a lot of Photographers, I go through periods of feeling like I am not progressing. You get stuck in a rut where you just feel all your images are not good enough, or you are looking at the images of others thinking you will never be able to take a shot like that. It can be disheartening and easy to lose perspective. That is why, even though this picture is awful, I like it. Not for the picture itself, but for the reminder it gives me of how far I have come in 5 years. I may not have noticed all the small steps over time, but slowly they have built up, and this picture allows me to see the progress. It gives me confidence that even though it might not have felt like it at the time, I have moved forward.
So if you feel you are stuck in a rut too, maybe have look back at some old work and it may just surprise you as to how far you have come.
The other thing this image does is make me thankful that I shot RAW and that I have kept all those RAW files. One thing I would always recommend to anyone getting into photography is to shoot RAW. Even if you are not sure what to do with the files now, having them means you can go back and utilise them once you have gained more experience.
And because I still have these RAW files of this shot, it gives me a chance to go back and re-edit using the knowledge and perspective I have since gained.
This is the same shot as I would edit it now.
I think it's an improvement. Some may argue it's still a little too much, but I like it. If I hadn't shot RAW and saved those files, I would not have the opportunity to make this photo what it is now. I would be stuck with the edit I did 5 years ago, and that would be a shame as there was a better photo in there.
What is going to be interesting is what I think of this shot in 5 more years.......... and how I would edit it then.
