What’s a swipe file? Sounds like a file you might use to clean your computer or maybe one you can use to steal secrets from other people’s computers.
No, it’s simpler than that. It’s a physical file (like the kind you put into a file cabinet) or a folder on your computer. According to Wikipedia it’s “… a collection of tested and proven advertising and sales letters.”
A swipe file is a learning method and can easily be applied to photography, writing or any number of disciplines. We simply collect samples of high quality samples that we can study.
This is pretty easy to do either digitally or manually. You can readily browse the internet and collect unlimited images just by right clicking. Pretty soon you’ll have a massive collection of photos to review.
A slower, more intensive method is to go through your magazines and newspaper and laboriously clip out outstanding photos. While far more time consuming, this method is actually more likely to make an impact on you and improve your shooting skills. It slows you down. When you slow down and take more time with each photo, more sinks in. Plus, the physical nature of handling the publications and clipping the clippings makes more of a neurological impact than just looking at a screen. You remember things better when there is a physical component to the learning.
And… you don’t need a filing cabinet. A cardboard box will do just fine.