For once, try leaving the camera behind ...

by Darrell
(Adelaide)

I often tell people that the first rule of photography is to take your camera with you.

After all, it makes a lot of sense - no camera, no photos.

However, recently we spent the day at the beach. Before we left my wife looked at me and asked "are you taking your camera?"

"No, I thought I'd leave it here today"

"What about your phone?"

"No. Are you taking yours?"

"No."

And then we stared at each other with the sort of panicked look that usually only appears when you've just closed your front door and realised that your keys are still inside.

No camera? No phone? (which basically means no camera AT ALL!)

But what if the kids do something amazing/interesting/cute/crazy/silly and we haven't got a camera?

Well, I suppose we'll just have to commit that moment to memory.

The concept has played on my mind before. I was at a concert a few years ago and there were plenty of people there who had their phones up recording the act pretty much the whole time.

Their entire concert experience (of "David Grey" in case you were wondering) was through a four-inch screen.

It seemed a shame to me; to go to all the expense of seeing, what I can only imagine is a favourite artist, and then spend the whole time peering at it through a tiny screen.

You might have well not bothered with the concert and just bought the DVD when it came out!

And this experience resurrected itself the other day ... go out without a camera? Well, just occasionally, why not?

It's strangely liberating!