I was talking to my cable lineman the other day (we’ve become friends now) about his passion — photography. He’s relatively new to the type of camera he’s using, and is often discouraged by his photos once he’s pulled them to view. His other passion is his kids, and they are the primary reason he wants to take amazing photos. Of course, we ALL go through the same thing — and let’s face it, kids are one of the hardest things to shoot and still come up with quality images… especially when we’re still learning all those settings.
I laughed at him when he told me that he keeps all the photos. He explained that when he goes through them, he just can’t pull any of them to the trashcan. Even if they are bad. Even if they are out of focus.
I say, “That’s ok!” Even bad photos are keepers. Take the two I’m sharing today… I didn’t trash them even though they are incredibly horrible. They are both perfect examples of very bad photos. And, not just because they are of me. 😉
This photo doesn’t follow the rule of thirds or the golden spiral. The subject (me!) has a darkened face because of the bright background. When it comes to quality, this photo pretty much sucks out loud.
And then you have the photo that shows so much emotion that you can’t throw it away! But, it also shows right up the nostrils, and the angle makes the subject (me again!) look like the old cheeks are storing acorns for the winter. Even Libby the Diva isn’t showing her best side. Still, it’s a keeper.
There isn’t a person on the planet that turns out great photos right out of the camera 100% of the time. And I’ll betcha’ they keep the ones that are craptastic too.