We all might take a cheeky picture or portrait of a person when travelling or during photo walks, but do you ever stop and think about the person you’re taking a picture of? Mr. Smith as he introduced himself was delighted I asked him for a photo. He thinks most tourists in Sydney are very ignorant, take a picture and run.

They see him as an attraction and more of a statue than a human being due his interest in pigeons. Some people just shove the phone in his face, take a picture and move on.

He was delighted I asked to take his photo, and even more delighted that we took our time to stop and chat with him.

While Mr. Smith is not homeless, he described the difficulty of living in Australia and Sydney he had over the last decade. We got to know him a little bit and put a different level of meaning behind this portrait.

Every photo or portrait has its story, it has meaning and purpose. Something that you hold dear to your heart and soul.

I suppose the moral of this post is to think about the photos you take during your travels and family occasions. Take fewer photos, but make more meaningful memories. Put some thought into every photo you take and make it special and one of a kind.

In my eyes, this is what sets a photographer appart from a casual snapper to someone who creates outstanding photos. Visualise, think and create!

And don’t forget to print your photos. Memories are meant to be relived, not locked up in a digital storage.