Want To Hear Something Nostalgic?

I have photos of my old house in New Jersey, snapshots my parents took when I was little. Playing in the front yard. My mom and sister in the front yard with me in a 1970’s baby carrier, my sister and I playing in the living room of our childhood home with my little toe busting out of my jammies. These weren't intentional keepsakes. They were just casual family snapshots that never even made it into an album.

I have no idea what prompted each photo, or which ordinary Tuesday it was taken on. But I'm so glad they exist anyway.

As a photographer, I've captured plenty of the big, obvious chapter markers: first headshots that launched someone's brand, galas that became the event everyone talked about, family portraits that made the holiday card that year.

But over the years, I've also photographed a lot of in-between moments, everyday images that didn't feel like anything special at the time, but turned out later to be diamonds in the rough.

Those New Jersey snapshots won't win any awards. The lighting was nothing special, and the composition was pure luck. But they're proof of something: how much it matters to document the everyday, not just the big occasions.

You don't always know in advance which moments you'll want to revisit. But if you keep capturing them, chances are good you'll have a record when you do.