Over the weekend, I was helping out at a high school youth retreat at the beach, and on Saturday, I buckled and asked Danny to bring my camera to me. Then I proceeded to take all of about ten pictures, which will probably never see the light of day. And which was fewer than I had taken on my iPhone already.

On Sunday, we headed back to Payne’s Prarie for a second time, and Danny and I shared camera-carrying duties as we trekked out the Cone’s Dike Trail. We took some pictures — some of which you’ll probably see on the blog in the near future — on an absolutely gorgeous afternoon, but a part of me just wanted to leave the camera in the car and soak in the day. Because when photography is your job, carrying a camera around to take pictures doesn’t feel the same way that it feels for just about everyone else.

When I pick up a camera, my brain switches into another mode. Yes, I can be having a lot of fun while I shoot, but at least a piece of me will feel as if I’ve just clocked in and am on the job, even if I’m actually participating in a youth retreat or looking for wild horses at an amazing park. Instead of focusing on having fun and enjoying the moment, suddenly I’m worrying about composition and getting just the right angle; searching for or avoiding lens flare; being ready to press the shutter at just the right moment. I can’t just pick up a camera and snap a picture — when taking excellent pictures is my job, I can’t reset my brain during my downtime to let me just pick up my camera and snap away.

But I kind of can with my iPhone.

I absolutely love photography, and I love having my camera available to create photographs that are quite simply beyond the capability of any camera phone, but I also love stepping back from “work” now and then to get a bit of a breather and recharge for the next time I need to be feeling creative and fresh for a shoot.

~ Laura