You know how these things go…you return from a nice phototrip and immediately start to process your favourite RAW files. But of course, during the weeks to follow, you go out again and start to take new photographs. And as the newest photos tend to become the new favourites, you process them first. This way, the bulk of images from the phototrip end up in some archive, possibly without ever being looked at again. Such a shame, as there could well be some really good ones in there that you skipped during the first processing round.
Also, your photographic style and post-processing capabilities might change over time. For example, only recently did I get to appreciate backlit images. And boy, do I seem to have many unworked RAWs of backlit animals in my archives!
Either way, it pays to revisit your archives every now and then and see if there are any photos in there that you missed back then and could well be the new favourites. Or images that could benefit from reprocessing with newly acquired post-processing skills. It has worked for me on several occasions. Yesterday, I went through my Kruger archive (2007) and found this image of a giraffe at sunrise. Only this time around did I see the potential of it. And yes, it has become a new favourite.
Giraffe at sunrise; Canon 20D w. EF 70-200/4; 1/200s at F8, ISO 200; handheld from car.
