Another thread started by Madelaide (here) led me to ask myself if I was right to keep all the photos I take, even the ones that I �discard�.

On a typical session, I clic a lot and after I make a selection of what I want to keep or work on.

But I just can't delete the others, ending with lots of photos.  With the costs of external HD today, it is not a problem but what do you guys do?

Do you delete the photos that do not go trough your selection or do you keep them all?

Claude

I delete the really obvious losers, but I figure that for the cost of another hard drive it is worth it not to anguish over which of the others to delete.

1. I delete the bad ones soon after downloading from camera;
2. Save 2 copies of all remaining - on a network drive and an external USB drive (all hard disks will fail sooner or later, but hopefully not at the same time);
3. Save a 3rd copy of a selection - on DVD

PS: After having one computer and router and switches damaged by a power surge due to lightning (luckily without data loss), I now always use surge protection on all equipment and always keep external usb drives disconnected when not in use.

I've got a RAID system, but now my pics go straight onto an external HD. I copy all the pics from a shoot, keeping them still on the CF cards. I then go through them, deleting the obvious no-hopers (mistakes or people walking into my pictures etc). Then I back all of the rest onto a DVD before doing anything else. Then I go through the set again, deleting the 'seconds'. before starting any processing. At that point, if I think it's likely to be an important set (for any reason, not necessarily stock), I'll backup onto another DVD. Also, even if I've put the originals onto the external HD, and an image is sent to iStock or Alamy, the jpeg will then go into the appropriate folder on the HD and be backed up by the RAID system.

I keep all photos, apart from the real nasty ones (flash didn't fire, forgot to re-set focus to auto etc)

I keep them on a Raid 5 network server, and backup to external HD's which I rotate 'off site'.

I only delete the bad ones, unfocused or with other some big problem. Sometimes I take two photos that look equal, and I try to figure out why I did that (there is often a reason, I only forgot it   ), but I normally keep both.

PS: My biggest HD eater these days are our lovebirds. I love to take videos of them. 

I make back up every two or three monhts on DVDs for stuff which are in stock.
Non published images I only bckuped on external USB drive if major disc gone away.