When I was a teenager, I was sitting with my grandmother, looking at photographs of her larking about with her sisters in their youth (see below). This was about 60 years after the photos were taken, and long after her sisters had sadly died. She turned to me and said happily: "We LIVED when we were young!"
I didn't realise it then, but that throwaway comment ignited my passion for photography. It made me realise how important it is to capture the small things in life that invariably mean the most - those baby giggles, that glorious sunset, a hug between old friends.
Now, as a photographer, I make sure those moments are never lost (just ask my husband - he hasn't had to take a photo for over 20 years!).