Who Says It's a Bad Shot?
Sometimes a photograph doesn't need to be deleted. It just needs another chance.
Back in 2017, I photographed model Amanda C. There was one particular photograph from that shoot that I really liked. But there was something about it that bothered me.
The reflection from the car window.
Now, almost nine years later, I'm revisiting that same photograph. Not because I suddenly changed my mind about the image, but because technology has given me another opportunity to create the photograph I originally envisioned.
And that got me thinking about something I've heard from professional photographers over the years.
Never keep your bad shots.
But here's my question. Who decides what makes a photograph bad?
What Exactly Is a Bad Photograph?
One thing you'll hear from a lot of professional photographers is that you shouldn't keep your bad photographs. If the image isn't good, delete it from your camera and move on.
And I understand that thinking. Why waste storage space on photographs you're probably never going to use?
But I've never really looked at photography that way.
As photographers and creators, we all see things differently. What looks like a bad photograph to one person might be something completely different to another. After all, photography is an art, and art is subjective.
I've never been the photographer who goes through a photoshoot deleting every image that doesn't meet my expectations.
Sure, some photographs don't turn out the way I planned. Maybe the lighting wasn't quite right, something distracting ended up in the background, or the photograph simply wasn't what I was looking for.
But does that make it a bad photograph?
For me, not necessarily.
Sometimes I think we give up on our photographs a little too quickly.
Revisiting a Photograph from 2017
So, let's get back to Amanda's photograph.
As I mentioned earlier, I really liked this image. But that reflection from the car window was something I couldn't overlook. It distracted me from what I wanted the photograph to be.
At the time, I wasn't able to get the result I wanted, so the image remained in my collection.
And there it stayed.
Until recently.
I was learning about some of the newer features in Adobe Lightroom Classic when I discovered that it could remove reflections from photographs.
Wait a minute.
Could this actually work on that photograph of Amanda?
Well, now I had to find out.
I went back through my older photographs, found the image, and decided to give it another try.
The Original Photograph
Amanda C. photographed in 2017. The original image showing the reflections in the car window.
Here's the original photograph before removing the reflections.
This is the image I had been holding on to all these years. I liked the photograph, but I couldn't get past what was happening from the window.
And rather than delete it, I kept it in my archive.
Looking back now, I'm glad I did.
Removing the Reflection
The same photograph after using Adobe Lightroom Classic's reflection removal feature.
Now, take a look at the photograph after using Lightroom Classic's reflection removal feature.
This is what got me excited about revisiting older work. Something I couldn't accomplish the way I wanted back in 2017 was now worth another attempt with the tools available today.
And it wasn't about creating an entirely different photograph.
I wanted to work with the photograph I had already taken, without that distracting reflection getting in the way.
The Final Edit
The completed edit of Amanda C., photographed in 2017 and revisited with today's editing tools.
And here we are. The completed edit.
Think about that for a moment.
This photograph was taken in 2017. For nearly nine years, I had an image sitting in my archive that I liked but never quite finished the way I wanted.
And now, with a little help from new technology, I've been able to revisit it.
That's one of the things I find so interesting about photography. Just because you couldn't accomplish something years ago doesn't mean you won't be able to accomplish it today.
Our skills improve. Our creative ideas change. And the software we use continues to improve.
Sometimes all three come together and give an older photograph another opportunity.
Maybe It's Not a Bad Shot After All
In my previous article about using AI in my creative workflow, I talked about how newer technology is allowing me to accomplish edits that I once found difficult or simply couldn't do.
This photograph is another example of that thinking.
But there's something bigger here than just learning a new Lightroom feature.
It's about how we look at our own work.
I wonder how many photographers have deleted photographs over the years simply because they couldn't get the results they wanted at the time.
And how many of those photographs might look completely different to them today?
Now, I'm not suggesting you need to save every photograph you take. We all have images that are out of focus, poorly exposed, or simply not worth keeping.
But I do think there's a difference between a photograph that doesn't work and one that doesn't work yet.
And sometimes we don't recognize that difference until years later.
Final Thoughts
This is one of the reasons I enjoy looking back through my archives. It's not always about remembering an old photoshoot. Sometimes it's about discovering something I overlooked or finding a new way to work with an image I already liked.
And the photograph of Amanda C. is a perfect example.
So, the next time you're going through your photographs and come across an image that didn't quite turn out the way you wanted, maybe don't be so quick to hit delete.
Because what you consider a bad shot today might become one of your favorite edits years from now.
Sometimes a photograph isn't bad. You just haven't figured out how to finish it yet.
