treasure hunt

Perhaps the arctic winds have been howling in your neck of the woods.  Or you're still trying to catch up after the holiday frenzy.  Maybe work has been crazy, leaving you exhausted at the end of each day.  Or you're trudging through the valley of creative doldrums.  For whatever reason, you find yourself unable or uninspired to lift your camera to your eye. 

If this sounds like you, fear not!  Banish the guilt and take heart; it's time you went on a treasure hunt.  Where, you ask?  Why, through all those unedited-yet-undeleted archives, of course!  I'll bet you won't have to go very far to uncover an image you somehow overlooked that will brighten your day.  Or maybe you'll find a shot worth playing around with to see where it leads.  Get creative with the way you process it, maybe do something you normally wouldn't do, like converting it to black and white, or (if you use Lightroom) try out a preset or two that you normally wouldn't use, or experiment with textures.  You may be pleasantly surprised by the results and perhaps even newly inspired to dust off the old camera again.

Do you like to go on treasure hunts through your archives?  Please share with us what you've found.  Or, if this is something you've never done, I encourage you to try it and come back here to share the hidden gem or diamond in the rough you've polished up!

Comments

[Elizabeth Harper]

Here's a little treasure I polished a bit in photoshop ... take a look to see how it shines now.

http://giftsofthejourney.wordpress.com/2010/01/05/one-word-my-word/

[Marcie]

Simply saturated the red in his hat..and there it was - I had my image:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=1049

[Tracey of Nine Acres]

After being exhausted after a day attending to my own 2 children and 2 foster children, I felt uninspired. I knew I had to get a shot for my 365 project but didn't really feel like it. Then I saw the red pear...and I was inspired. Not great art, but I was happy with the results anyway.

http://nine-acres.blogspot.com/2010/01/day-16365-pears.html

[Katrina Kennedy]

Thank you! It is a rainy grey day here so searching for treasures couldn't be more perfectly timed. I went to Hawaii and rediscovered an old favorite.

[Katrina Kennedy]

And the link :) (oops!)

http://ianck.blogspot.com/2010/01/shutter-sisters-treasure-hunt.html

[bree]

Earlier this week, my boss discovered my pictures from my trip to Paris in 2005. It invited me to go on a treasure hunt and I did some picnik touch that are posted in the comments.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bleach226/1694206484/in/set-72157602619707150/

[mosey along]

I love that snowy scene - it reminds me of home back east.

Before I got my own (good) camera a few years ago, I would sneak my husband's to take photos when I could. I've been dipping back into his archives lately to find the photos by me. This post was very timely! Here's my sweetpea as a toddler. I futzed with it a bit to desaturate and boost the warm feeling of sunshine.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7687752@N03/4281960553/

[damiec]

Cold and wet and dreary here - a trip through sunshine-filled archives was just what the doctor ordered!
Thank you for the prompt.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22487105@N06/4279771987/in/set-72157621295391310?edited=1

[Brandi]

I posted a photo that's been collecting dust in my iPhoto...

[Jade Sheldon]

Oh yes, I rediscovers little gems in my archives all the time!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmsheldon/3914631912/in/set-72157615784967466/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmsheldon/4257525072/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmsheldon/4267290870/

[vanessa]

yes, yes! i love it! i was going thru my library the other day and found this photo
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4047/4275587388_3a06b83aec_b.jpg
i was totally surprised. somehow i missed it all together. this is a great idea for those who might have the winter blues!

[Joy]

What a wonderful idea, and shared just when I needed it! Thank you!!

[Kate]

I found a few in my archives:
http://mamayou.wordpress.com/2010/01/17/treasure-hunt/

Thanks for the inspiration!

[Nalen Aguilar]

just found the photo I took during my first winter in Canada and use textures in it :)

http://anneross.wordpress.com/2010/01/17/12365-my-first-winter-a-treasure-hunt/

[Toni | Daily Vignette]

I've had to go digging through the archives for my recent posts - here's todays:

http://dailyvignette.com/2010/01/17/exciting-announcement/

[June]

December is always crazy and photos often get lost in the shuffle. I almost forgot about this one...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/junedel/4284551384/

Thanks for the reminder.

[Laura]

Great idea. I need to sharpen my PP skills anyway... maybe that's what I'll tackle today.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46544755@N08/4284699679/

[spread your wings]

i'm always doing this - playing around with old photos - but just yesterday i posted about it. i love looking back at older photos. there often times better on the revisit. there's nothing extraordinary about this one at all but it meant more to me on second look.
http://spreadingwings08.blogspot.com/2010/01/ordinary.html

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