One of the things I really enjoy about going back through my archives is reassessing my images and thinking how I would do them now. One of those is an image from the Docklands taken in 2017.
Reassessing an image from the Docklands
The above image was one I took almost two years ago. When I first processed it I loved it. I don’t think I can say the same now.
I think it is oversaturated and I just want to get rid of a lot of the colour. When I first did the image I liked the colour, but over time me, and my tastes have changed.
The composition is something that I still really like. I love the stillness of the scene and how it almost seems unreal. When I look at it, it almost seems like a model or something like that. It is something I try to achieve with my images, making them seem like they aren’t real. After that, it is about playing with the light.
Still, when I look at this image now I just think Ugh. The colour is way too much. You may not have noticed, but I’ve been removing a lot of the colour from my images lately.
Making changes to the image
Really, I haven’t done a lot to the image. I just changed the intensity of the colour in the image. The original image put too much emphasis on the colour and not the scene. It wasn’t about the sunset, but the fact that the scene was photographed at sunset.
It is always fascinating to look back at images that you have done and loved in the past. You can see how much you have changed. In a way, it is always interesting because you can go back and work on favourite images again.
There are very few images that I have never wanted to change. I should try to find them at some stage and do some posts on them.
Do you look at your old favourites? What do you think now?
I am in full agreement with the softer saturation on the image. And, I too revisit older favourite images to see about redoing them according to my change in tastes over time. Change is tastes is to be expected I think no matter if an art piece you treated with yesterday’s eye, or your furniture style, colors, carpet style and everything. It is interesting that Photoshop or digital software of varying types allows us to revisit the past with the present using filters to recreate an atmosphere or level of saturation that was simply characteristic of films used in certain periods. I remember Kodachrome saturated the yellows or golds and my Ektachome slides tended toward the blues. So it seems artistically we travel back and forth with our changing tastes. And, it is kind of fun to just roll with it all and do what you like in the moment.
Glad you agree with me Judy. I think the revisiting is a great thing to do. I have to say it is one of the things that is fantastic with digital images, your raw file is still there.Yes, film did do a lot of that, you had to pick the one that was best for the type of photography you wanted to do. Thank you so much Judy, love your thoughts here.
Your reworked image is a lot more subdued, but I do like the toning down. It’s funny, our mood often affects how we develop an image. I have noticed that on mine too and sometimes go back to rework them.
I agree Chris, on both counts. It would be interesting to experiment with doing one image when you were in different moods, different frames of minds. Thanks
👍👍👍
Thank you.
I’ve mentioned in another comment how I’ve been going over my Catalogues and reassessing shots too. Also I’ve been revisiting ones that I’ve kept feeling there was promise but couldn’t put my finger on how to access said promise at the time. I’ve been coming up with some really satisfying shots from ones that I’d put on the shelf. It’s good to revisit the past at times to reflect on the present and future.
Yes, it is a very interesting exercise to do. I like that idea about the ones that never fulfilled the promise of what you wanted, I might have to try and go back and look at some of those as well. I know I have a lot that I started and never finished. Very good to do Craig, thank you.
Yesssss! I love the update, for the reasons you stated. I looked at the before/after before I read your text, and had the same thoughts.
That is really good to hear, it is good when people agree with me. Thank you.