Looking Back: Learning From What Came Before
Each year brings joy, heartbreak, triumphs, and challenges as we journey through life. With every experience, we are shaped and transformed by the world around us. When January arrives, we gaze ahead, wondering what the future holds while reflecting on the year just passed. Did we achieve what we set out to? Were there unexpected twists? Did the events of the past year change us? Sometimes, life leads us off the path we envisioned, guiding us toward new horizons. Though the road is unpredictable, every moment leaves us with lessons, helping us grow stronger and wiser with each step as we move into what’s ahead.
Looking back, we can all admit we have made mistakes and will continue to do so. They are part of the human experience. We all have regrets; no one goes through life thinking they made the absolute best decisions in every scenario. But it is how we respond that matters.
I recently finished reading The Power of Regret by Daniel H. Pink. The book’s broader philosophy is that regrets are a fundamental part of our lives. Recognizing and responding to regrets can help us make smarter decisions, establish a more profound sense of meaning, and perform better in life. How can we use these lessons in our photography journey?
Photography Improvement Through Reflection
Photography is about progression. As any photographer can attest, we will make many mistakes during our quest for art, and creating something we love can be a long road. Success rates vary from person to person, but we can agree that there will be many times the shutter is pressed when the results are never seen, even by the person capturing them. They can be quickly forgotten. It’s tempting to bury those mistakes in the past and move on as soon as possible. However, to ignore them is to miss out on valuable lessons. Recollecting on the experience and the results produced is a form of reflection.
We all have goals as photographers. To produce work we love and strive to improve our craft as we pursue that level of satisfaction. However, that level is one that many seldom reach. That is not to say that we don’t grow. For the most part, we all get better at our craft; it just means that once we feel we have reached one plateau, we strive for the next. Photography, like any art, is a continued creative drive. We will capture many photos we dislike, mistakes, questionable attempts, and more on that journey. However, looking back on those requires us to ask critical questions: What went wrong? What could I have done differently? Why did I make this decision? These questions aren’t about self-blame but understanding our actions’ deeper causes and patterns.
The Lessons We Can Learn from Mistakes
When we embrace our mistakes with an open mind and take the time to focus on what we did, we can learn to be patient with our progress. Whether it’s a project that didn’t work, subjects we were not inspired by, or a general goal we are not quite there with yet. Most importantly, it helps us understand that we cannot be immediately successful. In fact, in some instances, the timeline of such success is undetermined. We learn to keep trying.
It makes sense to put things behind you and move on, but remembering what came before can help us gain clarity. Recalling what was done can help us stay on track and align with our goals. Retrospectively examining our progress, successes, and mistakes can help align our perspectives. Knowing what didn’t work and why can help us stay on a path, set new intentions, and take action.
No one enjoys making mistakes, and dwelling on past mistakes can seem like a negative experience. But identifying what came before, good and bad, can help us continually progress as photographers. I encourage you to take a look back at your archive of photos. How far back can you go? Take a look at what you have captured and think about these things. What do you like/dislike? Do you remember your experience at the time and your thought process? Laugh at those terrible photos, and be proud of what you’ve created today.