So this is something I've been thinking about recently too. We don't print out images on our camera any more. When I was back home recently for a weekend, dad took me through a load of old family photo albums from when my brother and I were younger. It was nostalgic, it captured the memories perfectly. I think it's a shame now with the way things have gone digitally with cameras we lose memories because of the more throwaway nature of it all. If you don't take the photos off your camera they are in a way lost forever. Then there's the case of taking all your photos off the camera, putting them on to your computer and your hard drive dying. With the HD dying, those memories do too.

I like it how Polaroid seems to be reinventing themselves, getting Lady Gaga on board etc because I like the concept. Instantly printed photos. But the photo quality isn't as good as say your conventional 8MP+ digital camera. If Polaroid teamed up with Carl Zeiss and did some super sweet instantly printable photo camera I'd be there like a shot.

I was only discussing this idea on our recent trip to NZ when I had to stop and laugh at myself for worrying about running out of space on two 1GB SD memory cards This is roughly 2000 photos, or in old film terms about 84 rolls! If you ever saw an amateur photographer carrying around that much film on holiday you'd probably think they had lost the plot. Back in the days when we used regular film (in the dark ages prior to 2003), when there was no 'delete' button, we were forced to choose the moments to capture more wisely because, god forbid, you didn't want to waste a photo! Compared with today, I guess it equates to quality over quantity. Don't get me wrong, I am besotted with the digital age and love the freedom that digital photography provides to experiment and retake shots that don't work out. On the flip side, I wonder if this effects how we remember a moment because we always erase the bad shots and keep the ones where we look like professional models – not exactly an accurate account of reality!

I must add that am always surprised at gigs at the sight of hundreds of little square screens of digital cameras and mobile phones waving about – many a time have I felt like snatching one away and saying "don't you think 200 blurry photos of the band is enough? Make a memory for god's sake!"

Have we become so concerned about saving things for later that perhaps we don't enjoy things as much as we possibly could at the time? Could we be losing the art of living in the moment?

Makes you wonder why our minds would continue to bother making memories if we can store them all somewhere else.

PS. All the best on Saturday!

It probably also depends on how we want to remember and recreate scenarios.

For instance, I remember visiting a popular wedding photographer many years ago when we were looking for someone to take photos of our big day. One in particular stood out, but not for the right reasons. Page after page, album after album – every single wedding party – looked the same. The same "jump in the air and smile" shot. The same "walk down the laneway, turn back and smile" shot. It repulsed me that so many people were choosing to spend this special day posing for moments which never really happened, so they could have a book full of empty memories.

Our wedding album is full of stories. In fact you have reminded me to write them down.

Now that we have children, I'm cautious not to make them hyper-aware of the cameras recording their lives. I'd like to think that the lens can enhance our lives without being too intrusive

Simone McDermid
Ha. I somehow knew I would be named in this post as soon as I saw the topic. Glad I could be a conversation starter. For me there is nothing better than hanging with ur mates after a night out and reminiscing about the night that was. I call it bonding with mates over a few funny pics. The digital age definately has that voyeristic approach too. I … wont deny that. No one is going to post a bad pic of themselves online knowing everyone is watching. Im a leo too so don't mind being the centre of attention. Although I do know when it is appropriate to stop taking pics and just enjoy the moment too. A friend I recenty travelled with in Thailand was so caught up in taking photos that she forgot to take in the amazing sunset or scene before her ( she fell in the river trying to take a pic and was punished!) and that's what I think about that…

In many ways, it is a shame. But the value that comes from reliving moments is well worth it.

This post was mentioned on Twitter by matthewgain: Hate when your friends post 80 shots of their night out on Facebook? Is it wise to spend the night behind the lens? http://bit.ly/c9bYqR...