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There Are No Bad Photographs
Especially When Capturing Memories
This project is based upon having an only copy of an image and no means to try an enhance it would be used. As in images such as printed photos or jpeg images used on mobile devices and computers.

I can remember back in the days of film when I got a roll back from the processor. I would flip through them and toss out the ones that were not overall good photos.

The same holds true today with digital, I look through the downloaded images on my computer and I delete the ones that I would never print or even send in an email or use on a website.

I can recall many years ago when I worked in a camera store in the early 80's and when customers came to get their bag of prints. They immediately pulled out the stack of prints and began to flip through them. Usually pulling the "bad ones" out to the side and often asked if I would toss them out for them.

I can also say that many times as they flip through them and come across one that was photographically bad due to being blurry, over/under exposed or even half the subject cut off, to hear remarks of how great it was they got that picture. Probably one of those times when any kind of image at all is there to remind you back to the day the photo was captured.

Obviously this project isn't about artistic or documentary type photography, but i am personally reflecting on times where I captured an image of a moment in time, but the resulting photograph was extremely incorrect or not even recognizable. But at the same time, many of those goofed exposures turns into an artistic image.

I can look through my images and see many that maybe wasn't that horrible but also not one I would print and share due to some technical aspect of the photo.

During Holidays and Special Occasions like Birthdays and etc, is a likely time we will capture those photos that may be bad but to one or two of us, it means the world to have at least that glimpse of a memory. Which is what photography is to millions of people. Its a method to capture a moment in time so we can always reflect back to that moment when we look at the photo even years after it was captured.

I should probably just keep a folder of Bad Images on my computer. I have my images categorized in a library but maybe add a category for bad images. An easy start for me was my family album. Scrolling through and I run across some Christmas time Slot Car Racing in the living room. As you can see in this pop up window a few examples of "Bad Images" but for me they are "Keepers"

There are also those times when you know ahead of time that the photos may not turn out so great due to some extreme conditions such as lighting or atmospheric conditions. As in the case of my chance to take a camera in the Rolling Stones concert in Rupp Arena back in 1981.

Armed with a Pentax MX, 300mm zoom with 2x converter on ASA 320 film pushed to 1280, I pretty much expected it would be a miracle if I got any kind of image at all. As you can see from the second image in the pop up window that, while it wasn't a really good image as far as grain and exposure and sharpness... well if you don't care about those 3 things, it's a good image to me. In fact its a great one as it takes me back to that whole adventure me and some pals made to the concert.

Sometimes in circumstances similar to the Stones Concert is the fact that you just don't care as long as it's a photo of the moment. I recently discovered a batch of images that I had a friend shoot with my Nikon F3 Motor Drive at a Mountain Bike Race I was in. As it turned out, those dozen frames he captured in 2005 are priceless to me, None of them are really very "good" but to me they bring back a season in life.

As you can see in this pop up window that the photos are not that great by any means, in fact some of them are not even recognizable. The second photo in this pop up window is extremely priceless to me since it is of the only vintage images of my racing in Florida. To have raced about 10 years and only have a dozen or so photos.

You can also see in this pop up window the third image where I was walking down a street during Christmas Season. There is some obstruction along the bottom, horizon is way off and overall just a crappy photo. But... the photo was taken by me one night probably freezing cold and I fired off a quick shot. But the image is enough to open that memory box of when I was a young lad in the sidewalks of Huntington.

And I am sure we all have a plethora of selfies scattered amongst our digital devices. Where most selfies really don't mean anything to anyone except those in the photo at that time. Or the person you may have sent the selfie to in a message to share the moment with you. I have a separate folder in my archives for selfies. They may not be great photos, but they have a place in your heart that dies matter no matter how good or bad of a photograph they may be.

I also find as the more years go by, the more invaluable those bad photos I kept are virtually cherished like lost relics. Since none of the moments in the photos shown can be relived, it make this clip from a moment in life so very valuable.

Of course with software, we can pretty much fix most any image...
but that would mostly just be exposure errors. Those classic images where the shutter was open too long or there were some movements, just can be fixed. Which makes them even more priceless since it will be the only image available to relive that particular moment or season in life.

As the technology of cameras continues to evolve, the opportunity for a bad image becomes less & less. Although personally I shoot more for artistic uses than I do recording memories, but I feel the bigger importance of photography is that it freezes moments in time for us to relive at any time.