There’s been a lot written about the study discussed here; it deals with “photo-taking impairment effect” where a person does not remember as many details about an object that they photograph as compared to a person that simply observed the object (I’m paraphrasing a bit).

While this may or may not be the case (there’s a lot more research to be done) it does remind me of something I try to keep in mind: sometimes it’s good to put the camera down and see. I’m lucky to be married to a photographer, so I never hear complaints when we travel that I’m lagging behind, or that I’m spending too much time taking pictures. Our biggest problem is trying to stay out of each others’ shots. But I always try and remember to put the camera down once in a while and look at the scenery with my wife. I may or may not get a “keeper” of a photo on every trip, but I want to have a keeper of a memory, a memory that we shared together.

It drives me crazy when I see a family at a party or event, and I never see the mother or father’s face because it’s obscured by the camera/phone/tablet(!) they’re using to film their child. They’re busy making a movie that they’re (probably) never going to watch instead of sharing a moment with a loved one.

Go out and get the shot; capture the moment, create the image. Just don’t forget to pry the camera away from your eye once in a while and share the vision with someone close to you.