About a year ago I decided to take a little trip down memory lane. That’s right, I decided to take a look through my many proof sheets going all the way back to the beginning! Now I’m pretty picky about I what I print, but what surprised me after spending a couple of days at it was the discovery that there might be some gems here that I missed for some reason.

All in all, I found around a hundred or so images that looked like they deserved a chance to be printed and prove themselves. What’s the worst thing that could happen? Go through a lot of paper (at $1.00 or so a sheet for 8×10), chemicals, not to mention a lot of time. On the other hand, now that I’ve found them I won’t know if there are any keepers here unless I give it a shot.

So I will be slowly going through the many flagged proof sheets and printing in between current work. No doubt it will take a long time, but I am excited by prospects!

The question is why do so many images I recently peered at through the magnifying loupe somehow now look more appealing than they did at first glance? To be honest, I’m not completely sure. Perhaps a different perspective, a new point of view, or the fact that I am older and hopefully somewhat wiser. Or maybe I was too hasty the first time around.

I’m sure this could be psychoanalyzed, but the bottom line is that I’m not sure it really matters. What does matter is the fact that taking some time off and then going back to the sources can be illuminating. Just as it makes sense to study your finished prints for a while to confirm they are what you envisioned, or determine they need some more work … or belong in the trash.

There’s no shame if you find out that the circular file is the end result when looking at your finished work. In fact the trashcan, fireplace or whatever mechanism you use to dispose of the also-rans is one of the most important tools you have at your creative disposal! So please do go back through your old proof sheets. Maybe there won’t be anything there, or what you end up printing may be so-so … or maybe you might be surprised to find some overlooked keepers you somehow missed the first time around!