I’ve always been a big believer in capturing and sharing moments and memories. To some, spending time posing for pictures with friends seems ingenuine and distracting from the moments you get to spend with those friends. To me, it’s just the opposite. Photos hold so much meaning to me as the subject of a photo is something that the person taking the photo finds incredibly important. You remember the moments leading up to the photo and the moments that came after, ingraining the memories in your mind even more.

Our phones and cameras are incredible resources that we have at our fingertips that can snap photos and take videos in seconds, but people are often ridiculed for just taking them out to capture those moments.

While I think many of us would like to be able to spend less time on our phones when we’re with others, I also think we should be less apologetic and embarrassed about wanting to take a photo or two. Capturing those memories doesn’t distract from the moment at all and I think that is something that more of us should embrace.

During my time in high school, I took tons of photos and videos of anything that was memorable to me. As a result, I have funny videos to look back on and pictures covering all of my wall space in my dorm room that reflect some of my happiest moments. I look at them every day and get to see how much I’ve changed not only physically, but as a person as well.

These are the moments that we can keep as reminders of where we came from and what is important to us.

Taking these photos didn’t stop me from appreciating the simple moments like making pancakes for dinner during a layout night for my high school newspaper or even from significant moments like my last prom with all of my best friends.

This past fall semester was my first semester of college, where I moved to a completely different state knowing nobody but my roommate. I met tons of new people as the semester continued and experienced so many things for the first time in the Twin Cities. However, my biggest regret is that I barely have any pictures or videos to really look back on it.

That’s why I think it is so important to just snap a few pictures here and there so that you can stop for a second and appreciate what is around you, even if it’s a building that you pass every single day on your way to class.

Obviously, we’re not all photographers but the photos and videos that you take and share now might become the most memorable ones later. Don’t be embarrassed to ask your loved ones to take a photo with you or even of you. In the long run, posing for pictures won’t distract you from the oh so important “moment.”

If anything, it will make you hyper-aware and more appreciative of the friends, family, and opportunities that surround you every day.