There she is, the woman of your dreams is walking towards you with one of her closest friends. Your heart is racing, your palms are sweaty, and you might have a case of the butterflies. She approaches you and with the tiniest, but most gentle voice she says, “Can you take a picture of me and my friend?”

Have you ever been in a situation where you thought you were going to be in a picture, but you’re asked to take the picture instead? Photographers love to take pictures so that they can have something to remind them of what once was in the past. However, never making it into the frame can make creating spectacular memories difficult.

I have seen numerous photos of people during football games, birthdays, and parties where they seem to be having the time of their lives, but I always wonder who is behind the camera that took those pictures. I wonder how they felt, what they were thinking, and if they noticed that they will not have any of their own memories.

The camera loves me. Being able to see myself act goofy and crazy in a picture makes me reminisce and it would help me to relive the happiness I felt when the picture was taken. And not only do I love seeing myself in the picture, but I absolutely love it when I see my friends acting goofy and wacky with me. Eventually, when I grow old, I will be able to reflect on these pictures and feel as if I am back in that moment–kind of like being able to use a time machine.

However, photographers do not have this luxury. They are the ones taking these pictures for other people and documenting their experiences for them. I cannot help but feel sympathy for those behind the camera. What will they have to look at when they are old? How will they see themselves and feel as if they were young again without pictures? How can they reminisce about the past?

Living the life of a photographer is rough, and I myself do not want to have that job. But looking at it now, I guess a lot of people love to take pictures and enjoy being behind the camera and they can live their lives happily. For me, however, my life will consist of being in the frame where I can create memories that will last me a lifetime.