The Photos I Almost Deleted…

One of the first images I marked as forgettable.

A few weeks ago, I found myself doing what I often do after a photo walk—scrolling through hundreds of images on a SD card, trying to decide what was worth keeping and what wasn't.

At the time, many of these photographs felt like throwaways.

There were no dramatic moments. No perfect compositions. No assignment attached to them. Just a collection of scenes I happened to notice while walking through the city.

So they sat on my SD card.

Recently, I revisited them.

After slowing down and giving them another look, I realized something: some of my favorite photographs are the ones I almost overlooked.

Maybe that's because photo walks have never really been about finding the perfect image.

They're about creating space.

Space to clear my head.

Space to move my body.

Space to observe.

Photography gives me a reason to pay attention to the details most people walk past.

A reminder that beauty does not always announce itself.

A burst of steam rising between buildings. A bouquet of sunflowers waiting to be purchased. A lone pigeon standing in an alley.

An ordinary moment that somehow stayed with me.

A giant teddy bear tucked away behind a chain-link fence.

The kind of scene that makes me stop and wonder about the story behind it.

A group of dancers preparing moments before stepping into the spotlight.

A glimpse behind the curtain.

None of these scenes asked to be photographed.

But for a brief moment, they caught my attention.

And that's what keeps bringing me back to street photography.

These walks have become a visual journal of my life in New York City. Not through major events or headline moments, but through the small details that make up an ordinary day.

When I look back at these images now, I don't just see photographs.

I see evidence that I was there.

Present.

Observing.

Paying attention.

Sometimes the images we dismiss in the moment end up saying the most later on.

Maybe that's true for photography.

Maybe that's true for life. I’m glad I didn’t delete them.

-Drishana Nicole