I’m the dad with the camera. Or as students at my children’s school used to say, the ‘Picture Man’.

Sometimes that’s a good thing, a fun thing. Capturing them as they grow, those little moments that you cherish for the rest of your days. A personal favorite is my son Sam on his new scooter riding through the kitchen … naked.

But sometimes that camera gets in the way of being a parent. I worry that spending time taking pictures of their every move takes the place of actually spending time with them. So I try to find balance, taking it along when it feels like the right thing to do.

This past weekend was our first father-son camping trip with the Cub Scouts. I just couldn’t decide to bring it or leave it at home. I packed it. I unpacked it. Finally I decided to bring it along, but made it sit in the tent when pictures were unlikely. As a photojournalist, that’s the wrong thing to do because moments come and go in an instant. And yes I missed some pictures. But as a parent it felt like the right thing to do.

It was good to have the camera along early Sunday morning when the boys were savoring their hot chocolate in 38 degree weather. And it was equally good to have it put away when Sam and I played a game of cards in our tent at bedtime, just the two of us under the glow of a flashlight.