I always take photographs and you shouldn't tell me to stop.

Photos are one of the best inventions ever, in my opinion. When cameras came along so did a whole new system of documenting history. Suddenly we had pictures of wars and the conditions they fought in, how people dressed, how the towns looked. Suddenly we could stop imagining how things looked from the descriptions and finally take a look at what was actually going on.

Historical reference is only a slight reason you'll always see me recording something on my phone, but it's a pretty big reason. I like being able to go back and see what that moment in time was like. What we were wearing, what was in style, how places looked. The pictures I've taken may never be featured in your next history text book, they will remain in my history forever. Family scrapbooks, photo journals, and even Facebook.

I also take them for memory sakes. Losing someone important to you is a lot less painful if you have pictures or videos. It's like a gone but never forgotten type of deal when you can go to a video and hear their voice that one extra time and you'll know everything will be alright.

So next time when you see me with my camera out, don't laugh, don't tell me to put it away, just acknowledge that to me this is more than just filming everything for that perfect snapchat story. I'm keeping those memories for myself and everyone else for years to come. And one day if you decide you'd like to look back on them with me you're more than welcome to.