I’m not a huge believer in “New Years Resolutions”. I believe that if someone wants to change something bad enough, they will do it right now. Right. Now. One goal that I am setting for myself is something that I believe everyone should set for themselves. It’s very simple:

Reach for your best camera.

Not your cell phone! When something happens that you want to document, reach for your camera. When life happens, reach for your camera. When your little one smiles, reach for your camera. Those first steps, the first bite, the way the light moves across his face during a late afternoon nap. Life is beautiful and your memories should be too.

Even if you are not the best photographer, in 10 years you will look back at your photos and you will yearn to remember everything about your little one. About your life 10 years ago. About their life 10 years ago. When I had my first son I had the first camera phone by Nokia. At 320×240 pixels I thought the quality was wonderful! It was still nothing in comparison to my little Canon point and shoot. Guess what I did almost every single time? I reached for my cellphone instead of my camera. I’m left with 320×240 pixel photos that I can barely use as thumbnails in the photo books that I am trying to put together now. I’m kicking myself over it and there is nothing that I can do to fix it. The only thing I can do now is to do better, to reach for my camera.

The best tip I can give for you to achieve this goal is to always keep your camera charged and close. I know it’s not the best idea to leave it out, especially if you have curious little hands in your home. Keep it somewhere safe, but readily available.

I wish you happy memory making in 2013!