While I’m often seen holding my camera, I don’t always have it handy. There have been moments I wanted to capture that I missed. Walking into a room to discover Trillian has wrapped Dahlia completely in toilet paper. Or the two of them sitting on the floor together sharing a bag of goldfish crackers they pilfered from the cupboard.

Those opportunities to catch the children playing together sweetly were missed until I gave up one thing: my camera.

Strange for me to say that given the title of this post. In my quest to photograph these moments I lost them. Once I started being satisfied with the camera I had in my pocket, I was able to catch a lot more. Sure, I would never use my cell phone to do proper portrait work. But for everyday moments, there’s simply no need to haul out my gear. Taking the time to grab it can often be the difference between getting the shot or missing it. The best camera you have is the one you have with you.

It took me examining the reason I was taking pictures before I let that go. There are many opportunities to set up photos that capture their childhood. It was the moments between those that I wanted to keep as well. When the purpose of a photo is to capture a memory, it does not need to be technically perfect.

The images in this post were all captured on my cell phone. I’m probably not going to frame them and hang them on the wall. I will however, enjoy looking at them to remember their childhood as they grow.