Happy, happy Friday-Eve, fam! I finally decided to write a blog addressing this because ever since I picked up my camera as a pro, this never fails to cross my mind every. single. time. I take a trip. Whether it’s a day trip to a neighboring city or a full week vacay, I always think about all the photo ops I’ll have and in turn be able to share with you all.

Then it doesn’t happen.

Okay, that might be an exaggeration because I definitely do take some photos to document our adventures and to share with you but it’s not like how you would imagine. I don’t spend my entire vacation with my camera in tow, waiting for a Kodak moment. In fact, you’re more likely to see the majority of my vacay photos on my Instagram stories than you are from my camera roll. While I always enjoy taking photos, I enjoy my vacation time with my family more.

My Time Is More Valuable Than My Camera

My camera is part of the foundation of my business. it’s arguably the most important piece of equipment I own right now and needless to say, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without it. I carry it with me almost everywhere and I’m always on the lookout for opportunities to fire it up. In order to improve my skill and be successful, I’ve made my camera a priority.

When it comes to spending wholesome, quality time with my family; however, my camera will always take a backseat. I have witnessed so many beautiful sunsets and rises with Chris. We’ve walked along beautiful beaches and we’ve hiked exciting trails. We’ve stayed in the the most charming BnBs and we’ve had tables at the most unique eateries – We’ve truly been blessed with our adventures! While I wish I could share every beautiful snapshot of my adventures with you guys, time with my family is so precious to me that when we’re together, wherever we are, my focus is to be totally and intentionally present with them.

The amount of vacation photos I take? A few. If we have some down time, then I may pull out my camera to capture some details of our trip or set up my tripod to document the surrounding landscape, but don’t expect an albums worth of photos on social media from me.

If you’re a photographer reading this and you’ve felt some sort of pressure to capture allllll the beautiful things so that you can share them with the world, let me help take that pressure off of you. Your time is more important and more valuable than any picture you could possibly ever take! Spend it doing the things you love with the people that you love, without worrying about documenting every minute of it because essentially, that’s one of the reasons we are photographers, right? We document moments and memories for people so they can focus on being present during them.

Be present. Be intentional. Be graceful.

Much Love,
Dev