It is true that taking a photo and trying to capture a moment often ends up distracting us from it. It's a reality we need to recognize, because our screens do often keep us from truly experiencing and even deeply remembering. We say a picture will last longer, but some research shows a picture only skims the surface of all our memory can hold.

In recent years, in attempt to avoid this, I pretty much gave up taking photos altogether. Because if I forget to take a photo, it must mean I'm fully present to the moment, right? Well, not always. Often I find I'm just as distracted, with or without a camera in hand. Worry, a too-full or fast-paced schedule, insecurity, discontent, or familiarity {just to name a few} can keep me from fully experiencing and appreciating my actual, right-now life.

And so, in a turn of events, I've started taking pictures again. And it is making a difference. How so? Listen in.

Museum of Modern Art

Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh

Boy Meets World Season 5 Episode 20 "Starry Night"

How to Inhabit Time by James K.A. Smith

Research: How Taking Photos Can Impair Your Memory

www.remindherpodcast.com