Next to reading and writing, photography is my next best passion so far as hobbies go.  But from the look of my image collection from which I select items to be shared here, that passion borders on OCD.  I have pictures dating back as far as 2005 that still linger in the “could be post material” pile.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve only recently disposed of the 2003 and 2004 collections.  How embarrassing!

I started reviewing this collection over the past several weeks.  In doing so, I found I have a great many photographs that duplicate things already shared.  I mean, how many mallard ducks or great-tailed grackles can one man post?

It’s not that the pics aren’t presentable; it’s just that I’ve moved well beyond the quality through experience and new equipment.

Therefore, I’m beginning the purge session following this binge of hoarding.

Already I’ve deleted several thousand files and still have more than 13,000 to go (that’s more than 65 GB of data).

I figure what I need to do is twofold: Get rid of what constitutes repetitive, lower-quality photos while expediting the presentation of those which warrant attention (especially of anything I’ve not shared before).

So for the next little while I intend to post some themed collections based on this rediscovery and refocusing.  And what I delete will be replaced with new images that rely on better camera equipment and more experience.

By the way, it was this process that resulted in the Birds I never knew series.  I truly am astounded by what I’ve lost in this massive reservoir of digital data.  I’m also truly astonished at the things I’ve kept over the years that I’ve already replaced with much better visuals.

I will still keep snapping photos at every opportunity and sharing here whatever seems worthwhile.  Interspersed with that, however, will be the results of my housekeeping efforts.

In truth, it’s this situation that caused me to begin a photoblog in January 2008.  I thought I could use that medium to clear the archives a bit quicker while focusing it on the images that stood out most, at least to me.  Yet it created more work I didn’t have time for, required more effort than I had to give, and ultimately burdened me with self-imposed obligations I grew to resent.

Migrating those image here (still in progress) while sweeping away things from the past to make way for things still to come hopefully will get me back on track with this whole endeavor of showing you some of what catches my eye.