The person carrying the camera should occasionally experience the gathering without looking for a picture.

Documenting an event puts a small distance between you and it. When part of your attention is scanning for the shot, you are half in the room. The photographer often ends up with the fullest record and the thinnest memory of a day. The pictures matter, and so does having been there in the ordinary unrecorded way. Both are possible, but not in the same minute.

At the next gathering, put the camera away for a defined stretch and stay in the conversation. Trust that the moments you miss were still yours.