Never delete a photo
I think everyone has heard that you should never delete a photo. Especially if you're looking at it through your camera screen. But does everyone follow this 'rule'?
I dare to say not. And that is a pity. A missed opportunity, because only on your big screen can you tell if a photo is great or not.
It could also be that you suddenly start to appreciate the photo when you look at it again later on. And if that is the case, according to a former mentor, it is because you were not ready for it at that time. You have apparently developed.
To cut a long story short. A few years ago, I did a portrait workshop. Although it was a nice day, in hindsight I did not have that many photos that I was satisfied with. Of course, I kept all the photos. Nowadays, storage is no longer an issue. What might be an issue is finding the right photos, but that is another story.
I was looking for a photo with a certain shadow. The easiest way is to enter a specific search term in Google Photos as I keep a full copy of my photos in the cloud. Among all the results, I found this 'photobomb' from the portrait workshop I followed. I had a lady with a red hat in front of my lens and at the moment of hitting the shutter, a fellow photographer was walking through my view. Immediately after that I hit the shutter again, and did not think about this unfortunate event any more.
Over time a photo can surprise you
But now that I have (re)discovered this image, I am actually very happy with it. It just shows that despite everything you plan and do, you sometimes get surprised by a flaw. By the way, I threw away the actual portrait of the lady with the red hat, it just wasn't right.
...and people who don't like or understand this photo, are clearly not ready yet!