DIY Photography

Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Delete your old work to declutter your life

Dec 23, 2016 by Eric Kim 2 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

I have a problem. I am overly attached to my old work. Work that no longer serves a purpose, but I feel attached to somehow.

When I look at my hard drives, my cloud storage, etc — I feel like I am a digital hoarder. I hold onto too many images.

What is the problem in today’s world? The fact is that we are over-saturated with information. With bits and bytes, it is easy to have “unlimited storage” (whereas with physical storage, there tends to be a limit).

I’ve been trying to take a more “zen” approach to life— and trying to live lightly. I try to pare down my belonging to the absolute essentials, and try my best to get rid of things that are superfluous in my life.

However I haven’t really listened to my own advice when it comes to digital things. I have too many files that are backed up (even though I know I won’t look at them ever again). I also have tons of old photos which I am no longer interested in — but I still keep them for some reason.

What prevents us from deleting old work?

SF, 2015

I think the fear of holding onto these old photos is this fear of “what if?” The fear that if I delete a photograph, I will regret it. That somehow it had some majestic charm, and might be my hidden Pulitzer-prize winning shot.

But in reality, I know that 99.9% of the photos in my archives aren’t great, and don’t have personal meaning to me.

So what I’ve been trying to do lately is spending more time deleting old photos. Deleting old files. Deleting negative past memories.

How does it feel deleting my old work?

Tokyo, 2012

I feel light. I feel free. I don’t feel held back from the past. I feel more inspired to create new things, rather than look backwards.

Probably the best tip I have when deciding which photos to keep and delete is this:

Look at your photo and ask yourself, “Does this photo spark joy for me? Is it still relevant to me? Am I grateful for this moment, and can I let it go? Will I honestly ever look at this photograph ever again?” (inspired by ‘The magic of tidying up’)

I am not encouraging you to delete all of your photos. Just delete the ones that no longer have personal meaning to you. Keep the photos that bring you true joy and happiness.

I think one of the big mistakes people have about “minimalism” that it means to own nothing. For me, minimalism is about not having anything excessive, superfluous, or unnecessary. It is about having a few things that bring meaning into your life, and help enable you to be creative and happy.

The benefits of deleting old photos

Downtown LA, 2015

So as a practice, try to see if you can go back and delete old photos. There are also lots of other benefits:

You free up hard drive space, and don’t have to stress to constantly buy new hard drives.
It is easier to find your files (because you have less junk to look through)
You feel emotionally lighter, and inspired to make new work.
So try it out. Perhaps as a first start, just start deleting some photos from social media (but keep the hard copies on your hard drive). Then slowly transition into deleting the photos on your hard drive.

Garden Grove, 2015

And for the photos that have true meaning for you— I encourage you to print them out. Because printed photos will last a lot longer than any photos on your hard drive or the cloud.

Be light, be happy, and don’t let your past hold you back.

About the Author

Eric Kim is a street photographer and photography teacher currently based in Hanoi, Vietnam.  His life’s mission is to produce as much “Open Source Photography” to make photography education accessible to all.  You can see more of his work on his website, and find him on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. This article was also published here and shared with permission

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Martin Parr talks with legendary Magnum street photographer Bruce Gilden about his life and work Delete Your Reject PhotosDelete Your Sh!t: Why You Should Trash Most of Your Photos Why you should delete photos to remember precious moments Don’t just delete your bad photos: here’s how to learn from them

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: delete photos, Eric Kim, inspiration, Photography, street photography

« Yes! You have ALL of your pictures!
Watch: Long Distance Cable Cam tutorial for fantastic time-lapse videos »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Sony almost joined team Micro Four Thirds in 2008
  • Photographer’s Block? Here’s how to get out of a creative rut
  • Zhiyun MOLUS G60 & X100 LED lights are tiny-tiny powerful LEDs
  • Three new full-frame and APS-C Sigma lenses coming soon
  • Sony launches DSC-HX99 retinal projection kit for the visually impaired

Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy