Picture this (literally). You are out with friends at a new place you’ve never been to. You wanted to snap a picture, but no one wanted to take it for whatever reason. Are you ever too afraid to even ask someone to take a picture of you experiencing something new or exciting? I see this often and it’s very disappointing. Everyone has some excuse to not take a picture. Here are some examples:

“It’s not the right lighting”.

“There’s no filter to make my skin look better”

“I don’t feel like it”

“We have enough pictures already”

“There are too many people around”

“I look so bad!”

I’ll admit that I will make these excuses every once in a while, but I’ve learned over the years that it does not matter how good or bad you look. Those pictures mean you have PROOF in your own hands that something you experienced was worth getting a picture of. Growing up, I used to decline my mom’s offers all the time whenever she would say “Want me to take your picture with your friends?” I would just want to walk away. Sometimes I didn’t even get a choice. “I want a picture of you and your brother.” Back then, I would dread it for no reason. Now, looking back, I am forever thankful of her and wanting to be my own personal photographer. I’m at the point in my life where I don’t care what the situation is or how awful my face looks, I take every chance get to snap a picture, or pose for one if I can. They don’t have to be serious. They can be funny, or classy, normal, or even a candid. Moments should always be captured, even if the picture isn’t of the best quality.

Don’t get me wrong, I have always been a believer of enjoying every moment without technology in front of me, but sometimes, those moments are so precious that you just have to capture them. Some examples include seeing fireworks at a new location, witnessing a wedding, attending a concert, or going on vacation and seeing a celebrity there. It can be meaningful to look at life through a lens because you can go back to that moment whenever you please.

So, don’t be afraid to ask for someone to take a picture with you, of you, or for you. We take precious moments for granted and constantly tell ourselves “Oh, well. Next time.” What if there isn’t a next time? What if you never go to that new place again? It’s hard to remember what was so wonderful about a powerful moment in your life when you go through pictures on your phone and they aren’t there.

Every chance you get, take the picture. You’ll thank yourself later when you go back to that memory and that’s all you have. They say if you want to know what people are afraid of losing, watch what they photograph. So, keep your eyes open, smile, and don’t give a damn about what you look like. Capture moments with people you make the best memories with. And even if one day you aren’t as close with those people, you still get to hold onto that memory for as long as you want. People change; pictures don’t.