Then and now: photographs

It is hard for even me to believe, but when I first came to Japan I didn't bring a camera. As someone who takes at least one photo a day, every day of the year now, it is so strange to think that I went my first few years in Japan without a camera. Moreover, that I traveled half of Japan without taking one single photo!

At the risk of sounding ancient: it was different times! I made a conscious choice not to bring a camera to Japan when I was a student. I occasionally bought a disposable camera, so I have a few photos from my first year in Japan, but only a few! When I came back to Japan to work, I also made a choice not to bring a camera. But at least then there were flip phones with a camera. However, at the time it was hard to store those photos on another device and the quality was really bad when printed, so I don't really have many photos from that era either. 

It was only when I was pregnant with my son that I bought a camera in Japan, nine years after I first arrived in Japan. Even in the first years of having a camera, I still wasn't in the habit of bringing it everywhere. It was years later when I started carrying a Canon camera around with me almost daily. But now, in the last two years or so, I just use the camera on my phone.

Thankfully phone cameras have improved hugely over the years and seen as I have it with me at all times, I take a huge amount of photographs now. I don't know which is better - the time when I just enjoyed the moment without taking a photo or now when I have a huge stock of photos online of practically anything and everything! The latter is certainly handy for writing city-cost posts! 

Do you take a lot of photos? Did you always?