as we were walking around venice, frantically trying to find the canal with the best light as the sun was going down, i had this crazy urge that i just wanted to burst into tears. no really. i was walking around one of the most beautiful places i had ever been, on an once-in-a-lifetime adventure with my amazing husband, not taking any of it in because all i cared about in that moment was getting the shot i wanted. as this realization hit me like a ton of bricks in the middle of the rialto bridge, i just wanted to cry. how could i have been so blinded that i was actually going to give up making memories in this amazing place, just for my camera. i stopped right there, in the middle of the bridge crossing the canal and looked at scott. all i could think of was to apologize. i had become so obsessed, that i was missing all of the enchantment around me. i told him that i don’t want to spend my vacation looking for the best light. i want to enjoy our time together, experiencing things, and for once “taking pictures with my eyes”. it was such a huge moment for me throughout our trip, and as soon as the words left my lips it was like an invisible weight was lifted off of my shoulders that i didn’t even know was there.

i love what i do, i love taking photos and capturing memories to look back on for years to come. i love it so much that it got me into this mindset to begin with, but what i had to realize is that in my personal life where there is no one there that has been hired to capture these moments for me, and i am the one who is supposed to be living AND documenting. there is a difference in capturing moments and adventures that are actually happening versus making memories happen based around the photos i wanted to get. the ones i thought i needed to get because i was a photographer, in venice. we stopped rushing around trying to find the best light and decided to go for a glass of wine at a near by restaurant on the street. we sat for hours, while the sunset and we enjoyed our time together. it turned out to be one of the best evenings of our trip. from that day on, i tried to only take photos of things we were doing, places we were at and real memories. i had to realize that this was not a photo-venture trip for me to tour around and get the best photos of europe. this was a trip for us. together. to enjoy time and make memories that we will cherish for our whole lives. and i am so thankful i realized that when i did, and to be honest – the photos from after that point are so much more meaningful! they remind me of what was happening, what we were talking about, what we were laughing about. not the stress of not being able to find the best light, the prettiest canal, or the best viewing point. i still took a million and a half photos but the pressure was gone. we joked for the rest of the trip to “take photos with our eyes”, and it’s something i want to carry over to the rest of our life. i don’t want to live being worried about the best shot. so many times at weddings i am saddened by the guests viewing the ceremony through their LCD screens. at disney world last year we were appalled at people experiencing their holiday with their children through the screens on their iphones as they videoed and took photo after photo. in europe everyone had their fancy dslr cameras that they couldn’t put down, myself included, to take time to just enjoy the real. to enjoy the moment that was happening without the camera. to be there 100% ~ emotionally, physically and mentally. to take it all in. it’s definitely something i am going to work on, and something i want to be conscious of ~ and i hope this serves as a good reminder for anyone who needs it to remember that it is OKAY to take photos with your eyes, every now and again. <3

PS: with that, you can all look forward to the photos i did take  {with my camera, ha ha…} in venice on the blog this week! they are definitely my favorite images from our entire trip, and some of my favorite memories attached! <3 Happy monday!