Do you delete files?

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I often come across weeding out bad images and deleting them as part of a workflow. For me, this is very hard. I only Selye severly messed up photos but if something isn't even that great I like to keep it. I might have some use for it, or there might be SOME good aspect about it.

So how do you feel about deleting your images and how critical of it are u?
 
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I think the answer depends on the type of subject matter that you photograph.

In my case, I usually photograph places I visit and things I see, so I tend to keep just about everything. On the other hand, if I deliberately take multiple exposures of the same subject, I may only keep the best one or two and discard the rest.
 
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I have the same feelings as the OP, I rarely ever delete any originals. My way of thinking is, you wouldn't have cut out the bad negatives from the film-strip the old days.

So I try to solve this issue by using keywords (e.g. "bad") or ratings.

Beat
 
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[quote author=b_gossweiler link=topic=825'.msg56'52#msg56'52 date=1256993588]
I have the same feelings as the OP, I rarely ever delete any originals. My way of thinking is, you wouldn't have cut out the bad negatives from the film-strip the old days.
[/quote]

I definitely delete bad images. If there are multiples of the same view of the same scene, I'll pick the best and toss the rest. Out of focus or just poor composition, out it goes. I do save most (but not all) of my travel images as reminders of places I've been and keyword them as 'record' shots. For Beat, I can't recall ever cutting up negative strips to toss unwanted images, but I surely thinned out my slides pretty much every time I reviewed them. Thousands have made there way to the trash over the years. So, nothing's really changed for me except that I take far more images than I used to with film. Cheers,
 
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I delete bad / test images. I'll often shoot 'marker' images when doing pano's etc... and these are just junk. Testing flash settings etc also creates junk. I see no point in filling my catalogue / hard drive with rubbish. I do keep images that I think aren't that good as you never know when they could be useful.
 
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A disadvantage of not physically deleting them (if you decide to delete) is that synchronizing a folder always will show them as not imported again. So if I really decide a photo to be useless, I delete it from disk and from the catalog.

Beat
 
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AS stated above, family, trip,personal shots are a different matter. But my philosophy is, if it's not good enough to show to someone then why do I need it? Out it goes.
 
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Keep all your personal/family/holiday shots, even the worst will be worth gold for the memories it recalls in a few years time.
For the rest, be brutal.
 
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I'm a pack rat. I keep everything. I probably should be more ruthless!
 
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I automatically delete images which are out of focus or awful composition. Unless, you have that one blurred shot of Big-foot running in front your house- Yes, I would save that shot :icon_biggrin:

Bob- the slide shooter at heart
 
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[quote author=kaitlyn2''4 link=topic=825'.msg56'82#msg56'82 date=1257'21'83]
When you guys do delete... do you always delete the physical file, or just remove from the library?
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I always delete the file from the hard drive. I do not have any photo files that are not in Lightroom.
Just this weekend I went through my 13''' + Canon 3'D CR2 files (taken since 2''6) and culled about 2'''.

It was a painful but therapeutic process. I too had been very reluctant to throw anything out. What helped me was that I finally got around to rating my images. The 1* were all thrown out and I decided to go through the 2* and was surprised how easy it became for me to hit the x button.
 
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Keep everything.Some of my most artistic work has been done in error!!! :D :D :eek:
 
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[quote author=Kiwigeoff link=topic=825'.msg56178#msg56178 date=1257157'54]
Keep everything.Some of my most artistic work has been done in error!!! :D :D :eek:
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I have to politely disagree. I wear many hats which include action photography. There is a big surfing contest going on in Santa Cruz, CA USA. So, I put on my surfing hat and shot 13GB( RAW) in a four hour period. There is no way in the world I am going to save all those shots. I think I can speak for other action photographers by shooting at about 8 fps. You cannot practically save all those shots. You can do it Geoff but not me. I will start to do my edits and deletes.

Bob- the slide shooter at heart( digital has the advantage here)
 
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On the other (third?) hand, suppose you were trying to sell individual photos to the individual surfers, and their families, friends, sponsors, etc. How would you handle that? After weeding out the total clunkers, unfixable exposure, focus, etc. how do you judge what they'll be willing to pay for? From experience, I can tell you that they'll buy some technically horrible shots, because something in the captured moment speaks to them.
 
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Well, Brad.....simple, I do not sell my images. I am in a high tax bracket in my other profession that I have absolutely no incentive to sell pictures. If I were to sell images, I will be paying more taxes to the government.( I used to do sell images but I stopped in 2''8)
So, I do not have to satisfy anybody else but me. I am my own judge.
The other point I want to make is that shooting at a burst of 8 fps you do get repetitious shots. If I have five frames of the same subject but with subtle changes, I will keep at least one maybe two at the most. There is no way I will keep all five shots unless it is a flying saucer hovering over my neighbor's house:)
I have completed my first edit and deleted three hundred images.

Bob- the slide shooter at heart
 
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Iam in the band of only saving the good ones and deleting the no hopers, I see no point in keeping those that miss the mark, if I get it wrong just go out and take some more :icon_biggrin:
I must have hundreds of prints dotted about the house that are never revisited except the ones in the Family Album, since the Digital Age the family photos now reside on disks that are updated every year.I make a copy for my three children nice for future looking but to be fair this are not visited very often.
 
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I delete the pictures who are not good enough;
eq. during a shoot in a studio with a models I quickly make 4''-6'' pictures: I really do not see any reason to save more then 1'-15 pictures.

When shooting "in the wild" (so less control of the environment; eq ceremonials in a church or a performance of a band in a local pub) I save a little more pictures (eq 1'-2') of each session.

I do realize that if I import the pictures the next day; I still feel the heat of the moment; and its quite hard to let lose the emotion I feel during making the picture. So I sometimes will keep a photo because of the emotion I feel during making the picture instead of really valid arguments. Ideally I should look at the pictures when I can not remember the session anymore; (about 6 to 12 weeks later). But unfortunately this is unpractical.

I asked myself the next question: Is the reason I want to keep every picture; because I find it hard to choose?"; after that I started to throw away lots & lots…
 
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[quote author=Jeroen link=topic=825'.msg56496#msg56496 date=1257761169]

I asked myself the next question: Is the reason I want to keep every picture; because I find it hard to choose?"; after that I started to throw away lots & lots…

[/quote]

I understand exactly. You need to be in the right frame of mind to delete. When you are not it is difficult and tortuous and when you are its very easy. The best thing is there are no regrets afterwards....!!
 
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