Photos on Vacation!

So my son and I will be spending a week in Washington DC in April. I am excited for this for many reasons. He has never been there so it will be a great trip for him as everything will be new. It will be his first time on an airplane as well so that should be an interesting experience.

I have been planning the trip out, and viewing the spots where we will go. I have already come up with ideas of the kinds of shots I want to get in Arlington Cemetery, the White House, the reflecting pool with the Washington Monument behind it...the thought of all of the photos I am going to come back with is super exciting.

But here is my question...

Where do you draw the line between taking amazing photos and putting down the camera and enjoying vacation?

I have photo-brain. I am ALWAYS thinking of what shots I can get, no matter where I am. I could be in Walmart and see something to take a photo of. I am sad I know, but thus is the life of a photographer. I sometimes have trouble turning my photo-brain off and just enjoying the moment. I automatically think, if I don't get this picture I won't remember it, or I really need this shot so I can show everyone what I am up to.

The good thing is that Cody has his own camera and absolutely loves taking pictures as well, so maybe I can balance between having a fun vacation and making it a learning experience for my budding photographer. :)

When we went to NYC I managed to do a pretty good job of not taking too many photos (We were there for two full days and I only took around 150 photos, which for me is usually what I take per hour). DC is so much prettier than NYC though!! I am hoping the cherry blossoms will still be out when we are down there.