Colorado National Monument.
Good Enough
You wouldn’t believe the enormous backlog of photos that have accumulated on my hard drive over the years, from trips big and small—Europe, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Nepal—that I have never even taken the time to edit, let alone share. We’re talking many thousands of photos.
Looking back, I’m able to identify a few reasons why I allowed this backlog to grow.
The easiest explanation is that, until about a year ago, my life was much busier than it is now, meaning that my time (and energy) to edit photos was sparse. Back then I’d skim through the options until I found a photo good enough for Photo of the Week, edit that one photo and leave the rest untouched until I’d do the same the following week. One photo per week.
Another reason is that I simply wasn’t very good, or fast, at editing. I was trying my best to learn the fancy editing techniques that some of my favorite photographers used, which led to lots of tinkering and testing, trial and error, which consumed even more of my limited free time.
But I believe the largest factor was my self-doubt. Because I was studying great photographers and trying so hard to do what they do, I became hyperaware of how far from their level I actually was. And I let it get to me. In my head I’d imagine these talented photographers scrolling through my photos and cringing at the relative lack of skill. So, in order to combat this imaginary scenario, I not only shied away from taking risks, but also aimed to make each photo as perfect as possible, which slowed my editing speed even more.
I can laugh about this now, but ironically, in my attempt to make the photos perfect, I completely over-edited them and likely made them worse than if I had done less. Ahhh, to live and learn.
But this all leads me back to my backlog of photos…
Armed with my improved skillset in editing (speed and quality), as well as my lack of caring (as much) about what other people think, I’ve decided to blast through my backlog of photos. I still want them to look nice, obviously, but my primary focus will be on moving fast and finally getting them out into the world. To make them good enough, instead of perfect.
So don't be surprised if I start sprinkling in a few "blasts from the past" in the coming weeks, months and possibly years. It's long overdue and I'm really looking forward to it.
“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.” -Lee (East of Eden)
