Stop trying to make perfect photos

Early in my photography career, I was always chasing what I thought of as the perfect photo. Highlights under control, shadows fully visible, tones balanced from edge to edge.

That’s a big reason I leaned so heavily into HDR - it let me capture multiple exposures and blend them into one flawless-looking shot. No blown highlights, no crushed shadows.

These days, I see things differently. I still love HDR, but I no longer obsess over perfect light distribution. Instead, I embrace imperfections, and sometimes even lean into them during editing.

Take the photo below, shot on a family trip in 2015. For years it sat untouched on my hard drive because the setting sun was completely blown out. I hadn’t bracketed exposures, I shot it handheld, and it wasn’t especially sharp. In my old mindset, that meant it was a failure.

But recently, I opened it up in Lightroom with fresh eyes and a different attitude (and much improved editing skills).

And you know what? It’s now one of my favorite recent edits.

Sure, the sun is blown out beyond recovery - but who cares? Most non-photographers wouldn’t even notice, or care. The light elsewhere feels balanced, the composition works, and the soft colors are beautiful. The slight lack of sharpness? I actually emphasized it in editing, which enhances the dreamy, gentle feel of the scene.

Years ago, I would’ve written this one off. Today, I love it - imperfections and all.

So here’s my question for you: how has your editing approach changed over the years? Are you chasing perfection?