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Sometimes photos get better with time

This is a photograph I didn’t care much about a tthe time I took it, but then ten years later, I changed my mind.

I forgot what I was trying to do, but the expressions and reactions in the photograph weren’t pleasing to me. I recognized there was something about it, but it wasn’t what I had hoped to make when I took it.

The staff having lunch outside the restaurant weren’t supposed to react, but they did. Now, ten years later that is probably what makes the photograph arresting to look at. “What is going on?” you wonder, while your eyes go from the girl crossing the street to the faces by the table, then back to the girl to solve the mystery. I don't even know. Are they looking at her because they think I am taking a photo of her. Or is she havaing a loud breakup-concersation on her phone.

 

Leica M9 with Leica 50mm Summicron-M f/2.0 II (1956). © Thorsten Overgaard.

 

Please, don’t look

The story behind this photograph is that I was walking to a café to meet with a Danish writer whom I was photographing. I always wear a camera, so when I saw the kitchen staff from the restaurant, I wanted to capture a cozy photo. The background was not optimal.

But then I found it in the archive, posted it a few times, and the reactions made me see it in a new light. It’s actually quite an interesting photograph. There are a couple of bonuses in this: It's one of the best restaurants for traditional Danish 'open-faced sandwiches,' and they are all sitting on (also iconic Danish) Wegner Y-chairs they brought out from the restaurant.

I find that while some photographs become irrelevant after a few hours, days or weeks (news photographs particularly), other photographs become historic, and as such are valuable to look at.

 

Never delete anything

I have the rule that I never delete anything from the camera or from the hard drive: I simply focus on finalizing what is good, and the rest I leave on the disk. Maybe one day it becomes relevant or gets another significance; but mainly it’s a waste to spend time deciding what is bad enough to delete. Focus on what works, forget the rest. But don’t delete anything.

 

More to come

Bon voyage with it all. Sign up for the newsletter to stay in the know. As always, feel free to email me with suggestions, questions and ideas. And hope to see you in a workshop one day soon.

 

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April 9, 2020 . Edited January 7, 2024.