As I stepped foot back on American soil after a recent trip abroad, my friend excitedly asked me how it went. I immediately responded by saying, "It was incredible! I took nearly 1000 pictures!" to which he proceeded to say, "Did you spend any time looking around?"

The truth is I did look around a lot, but I certainly am a shutterbug. This habit has been a part of me for years–if you walk into my dorm room sometime soon, I dare you to find spare room on my wall where I can hang another picture. When I lived abroad in Italy, I lugged my SLR with me from the cliffs of Le Cinque Terre to the coastal shores of Agrigento. I took shot after shot of pizza, Vespas and masks of Carnevale such that at the end of the year, I had a total of 10 SD cards of various sizes maxed out of memory.

I took a picture any chance I could at anything I wanted to remember, which was a lot. I posted on Instagram once, sometimes twice, a day until the trip was over, and a few throwback posts since my return. Although it may seem I took these pictures for my followers, I really took them for me.

I like to take pictures when times are good so I can look back when times are bad. When I'm having a rough day or my life is at a crossroads, I can look out at my closet door and remember that trip I took to Jamaica in 2013 where I danced on the beach until the late hours of the night. When I'm on the verge of tears, I just have to glance at the picture of my best friends and I laughing hysterically at a joke lost in time. These memories, which passed way too quickly in the past, are forever present as I look up and tell myself to go on and stay optimistic.

I would never guide my life by the lens of my camera, but you can bet that anywhere I go, I'm happiest with it beside me. I highly encourage all adventurers and fun-seekers to put away their devices for the majority of their time out and about, but don't forget to save all the happy memories you are making. Don't be camera shy! A picture is worth a thousand words, and having a visual reference of a valued experience is worth taking the little bit of time it takes to pose or stage one.