Paths and selections

PSers,

I am working on an architectural photo. I can make the paths I need in one part of the photo, save them and  make my selections followed by an adjustment in the Layers panel and save that image. However, when I move to another section of the building to make more paths and a different adjustment, the first selected area also responds. How do I prevent that response short of deleting the first paths entirely? They usually entail a lot of work which I don't like to lose in case I want to go back for other changes. 

Thank you,

Photodoc16