Looking back at own images

[Gyorgy Szimuly]

Hi Folks,

Hope all of you are fine :)
Mediating about my future in digital bird photography and my projects it came to my mind how digital photographers, all around the world, see their past images with the 2008 eyes. How do you see your images if looking back to 2005 or so? Are they looking as good as at the time of creation or the boost of digital technology is simply visible on recent images making considerable differences between the past images?

I am a person who is working on a really long term book project (9 years duration) and really don't know what should be the best timing to buy or make the necessary images for the book (approx. 1200 images in total). Nobody can tell of course how a recent image will look like within the 2015 conditions. However it is visible that I cannot photograph all the needed species within the last 2-3 year before the book is published. Maybe if I mirror the current experiences to 2013-14 it can help to decide wether to start photographing birds for the book right now or just having fun outside. :D

Please share your feelings here.

Take care: Szimi

[Ian McHenry]

Hi Szimi
When I started digital photography a couple of years ago I used to post anything I considered passable on my Flickr website and from these selected the best for my P'base website. Flickr images now approach 3000 but P'base under 600.
Very occasionally I will look back at early Flickr images and see whether with new editing techniques they could be better. This is most likely to be prompted by views of a particular image on P'base which I'd forgotten about.
So for me P'base is a good catalyst to have another look and possible re-edit.
Ian Mc

PS Really like your Dotterel page, and do please carry your camera at all times by the estuary or seashore,you never know what particular gem you might catch !!!

[Alfred Forns]

Hi Szimi Glad to hear from you !!!

I would not be concern with the image quality in the future, a high quality image today will be a high quality image any time. If you are talking about someone just starting and making better images as he/she climbs the learning curve that is different.

I would start gathering your images now since you will be needing so many. Later on is very easy to replace one if a better one is obtained. Good look with the project !!!

[Gyorgy Szimuly]

No, I don't talk about someone just starting photography. In my opinion a standard was not he same in 2005 like it is in today. That's why I was asking you guys, who are in the photography business for a long time, that how do you see your old images today compared to the images created with currently released gear. The current standards should be different (or not?) :) I am not forcing to say that it MUST be different. I just supposing they are :)

Szimi

[Desmond Chan]

I would not be concern with the image quality in the future, a high quality image today will be a high quality image any time.

And I still enjoy those Ansel Adams' photos taken...oh...when was that...decades ago or something like that ;)