What to do with Pictures You Don’t Like

Nate Eckman

When I look at this picture I cringe. I cringe because I know what happened just before I snapped the shutter.

In Naha, the capital of Okinawa, the streets were closed, as they are every Saturday, for parades and families to wander. On Kokusai Street, where this picture was taken, kids were blowing bubbles, children were playing tag, and this girl, this girl in the yellow car, she was just riding along with no particular course. I felt drawn to her and I knew I needed her in a shot. As I squated down next to her she, facing the same direction she is now, looked right at my lens. It was a look I’ve seen before in award winning photojournalistic shots. It was a look I missed. Instead, this is what I shot.

No warm fuzzies. No ‘wows’. Just cool. This picture is just cool. And this picture pains me because of it. It pains me because I’m reminded of a better shot I never took. And because of that memory I’ll never delete this photo. In fact, I’ll never delete any photo — as long as I can afford to- because each photo reminds me of a time in life when I thought “this is worth remembering.” And, even more, it reminds me of life outside photography because before and after every shot there’s a moment, a moment that’ll never be seen again.

So, what should you do with pictures you don’t like? Keep them. If not for the memories, then for the lessons. I doubt you’ll regret it.



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