Larry,
I think everyone is going to have a system that works for them. I take a lot of pictures, but I don't erase them once I have downloaded them to the computer. Once the camera cards are full, I buy a new one and I save my used camera cards with the photos on them. I also carry a small notebook in my pocket and record my pictures in that, as well as performance notes. I work on my photos over the winter and update my notes in Plantstep.
Late in the season this year, I took a couple of days and made notes of the number of buds and branches on scapes. I find it easier to count the bud scars, and it is easier to work amongst the plants with much less chance of knocking off buds or damaging plants then during bloom season.
A lot of it for me is just a gut feeling. Some seedlings I just really like. I tend to take a lot of photos of them. I find that I will make an extra trip back, just to take another look. I have only been growing seedlings about five years now, but I can see that I am narrowing my focus and deciding where I want to put my efforts. This coming year, I have some seedlings that I am going to give special attention. They just stand out from the others to me. They are the ones I think about when I am not in the garden, or the ones that I am really happy when their pollen is successful or their seeds germinate!
As others have mentioned, don't be too hard on yourself
