I was chatting with a friend about the holidays and family. He told me he does not enjoy family visits much because everyone likes different things. Most of the talk was about what they enjoy that he does not.

So I asked him what he wished they would talk about. He said his garden. He loves growing things and seeing his plants bloom.

I asked if he takes photos of his garden. He said no.

I told him he should. I said he could build a small photo book of his favorite flowers and bring it to family gatherings. He could show people what he cares about. It could make those visits feel better knowing he has a chance to show off something he really enjoys.

That hit me hard. Most people do not get into photography because they love cameras. They do it because they want to save moments and share what matters to them.

That was true for me. I wanted better photos because I love theme parks. I wanted to save the magic and the tiny details I noticed when I visited. That pushed me to learn more.

As a result of this conversation I went back into my archive. I looked at some of my first Disneyland photos from when I decided I wanted to become a better photographer. A lot of what I shot back then is gone now. Some of the rides changed. Some spots do not exist anymore.

Most of those photos are also bad by my standards today. I had way more misses than hits. But I do not regret a single one. Every bad photo helped me get better.

Back then I did not edit. I tried to make the photo perfect in the camera. Today I shoot for the edit. I protect the bright areas. I let the dark areas go. I know I can shape the photo later.

I thought it might be fun to share one of my oldest shots with one that is pretty close to same shot from the most recent time I shot photos of the same subject. The two photos I am sharing here were of the holiday version of Its a Small World taken about nine years apart.

In the older photo I wanted the rotating face with the Santa hat. I missed the timing not quite getting it perfectly vertical in the alignment. The light was flat. I cut off the top of the building. A hedge blocked the bottom. It was fine but nothing more.

Nine years later I shot it again. I did not even plan it to be the same, so this is from a different angle. I saw the light hit the building and the angle caught my eye. I used a prime lens so I was more limited in how wide I could make the shot. I kept more of the clock tower facade. I saved the blue in the sky. It was still not an epic shot. It was just better.

And that is the point.

You do not need every photo to be great. You need them to exist. Your archive shows you how you see the world both then in your original shot and now in your most recent version. It shows how you grow.

Do not delete your old work. Let it sit there. One day you will look back and smile.

If you have early theme park photos you now cringe at, come share them in the Theme Park Photography community on Skool. If you also have a newer version of the same shot, even better. We would love to have you share the story and see how you have grown over time. Come join us today.