You’ve found the perfect spot. The light is beautiful, and the landscape is everything you hoped it would be.

You make a photograph. Check the back of the camera. Adjust the composition. Make another. Perhaps the light will improve. Maybe you should try another lens. And then, almost as quickly as it arrived, the light is gone.

You pack away your camera, pleased you got the shot. But walking away, there’s a strange realisation. You spent the entire time trying to capture the moment without really experiencing it.

Most photographers will recognise that feeling. Sometimes, perhaps, the best photograph is the one we choose not to take.

When the Camera Gets in the Way

In a 2016 study, Kristin Diehl and her colleagues observed that taking photographs can actually increase our enjoyment of an experience. Looking for photographs encourages us to pay closer attention to what we see, making us more engaged with the moment.

But that isn’t always the case.

When taking photographs begins to interfere with the experience, that benefit disappears. And later research found that photographing something with the intention of sharing it can actually reduce our enjoyment.

The problem, it seems, isn’t necessarily taking photographs. It’s when our attention shifts away from experiencing the moment and towards capturing it.

Being Mindful About the Photographs We Take

In later research, Diehl and Gal Zauberman describe the idea of mindful photo-taking: allowing photography to direct our attention towards the experience, rather than away from it.

Perhaps the simplest way to do that is to occasionally ask ourselves why we’re reaching for the camera.

Is making this photograph encouraging us to look more closely and engage with what’s happening? Or are we thinking about the finished image, sharing it, or simply making sure we’ve captured the moment?

If it’s the latter, perhaps we don’t need another photograph.

Sometimes, we can simply put the camera down and enjoy being there.

The Photographs We Keep for Ourselves

Not every moment needs to become a photograph.

Sometimes, putting the camera down allows us to notice the things a photograph could never capture: the wind on our face, the sounds around us, the people we’re with, or simply how it feels to be there.

And perhaps there’s another benefit.

When we stop feeling that every beautiful moment needs to be photographed, the photographs we do take become more deliberate and meaningful.

We haven’t missed an opportunity by choosing not to press the shutter. We’ve simply decided that, this time, the experience is more important than the photograph.

Photography can help us become more present. It encourages us to look more closely, notice more, and engage with the world around us.

But not every moment needs to be captured. 

Sometimes the camera helps us experience what’s happening. Sometimes it becomes the thing that prevents us from doing so.

Perhaps the skill isn’t simply knowing when to press the shutter, but recognising when not to. So the next time you find yourself somewhere beautiful, stop for a moment before reaching for your camera.

There will always be another photograph to take. But there won’t always be another chance to experience this moment.