One of the most important things to do when taking pictures is to not leave the pictures on your camera for months, before viewing them on your computer. This is especially true when you are first learning a new camera, or using a camera that you have not used with great regularity.

When reviewing pictures on your camera, you get an idea of how the image turned out, but you don’t get the full “picture.” It’s hard to tell where the true focus is at, the full composition, any issues with color or exposure, and so much more. If you wait to look at your images on the computer until weeks or months have passed, it is hard to remember why you did what you did- or even what it was that you were trying to do- and to be able to learn from it.

The sooner you review your pictures(in a format where you can see details and accurate rendering), the better you can learn from them. As technologies and cameras advance, it becomes more and more important to stay familiar with your equipment, and to learn what new things they are capable of by viewing the results.

One of the great things about taking a photography class or workshop is that in order to have pictures critiqued, everyone is viewing their images immediately after taking them. Even before the other students or the teacher has said a word, most of is are already evaluating our pictures and deciding on little adjustments we could have done to improve the shot.

Finally, if you lose your camera, drop it in the ocean, accidentally smash it, run too much voltage on it, have it slip into a campfire, or have your camera destroyed in some other manner, not all of your images will be lost with it. (It can be equally important to store all of your phones images on your computer for the same reason.)

Happy photo reviewing

-Galen