My relationship with photography has changed a lot. It used to be one of admiration only: I used to love looking at photos (both taken from my mother of us as well as from other photographers).

Then, my relationship evolved into becoming an active participant; with the purchase of my Nikon D3300 I started photographing the trips I went on. Further, as the About the Author section points out, I started taking my camera everywhere I would go so that I could to take photos. Soon I bought my full frame camera.

When I started dating my husband, I would go to family gatherings at his family’s houses and I took my camera (still do this at big events, like Christmas). It was such a novelty for me to take photos of such beautiful family bonding (as I live tens of thousands of kilometers from my family). The more I photographed, the more I started looking for more things to explore; macros, projects, photographic trips, landscape, etc.; and the less I wanted to do that type of photography.

Yesterday I went out for dinner with Dean’s grandmother. Dean (my husband) asked me to take the camera “just in case something interesting happened”. I made a mention of this sort of expectation in my post Inspiration and Creativity – how, to me, photography evolved to WHEN something interesting happened as opposed to IF it would happen because I started taking my camera everywhere. So I took the camera to the bar/restaurant. Funny enough, no real desire to take photos in the moment. I was actually more involved in being in the moment than documenting it.

With the experiences I had, or didn’t have, I learned that trying to photograph AND participate in the moment doesn’t really happen for me. Photography is a moment in itself and to photograph is to enjoy THAT act. Trying to enjoy photographing and trying to be involved and enjoying whatever else is happening is not an option for me anymore.

Last night I took the camera, but I chose to be in the moment with Dean’s grandmother: eating, drinking and singing along.