When I am on a client photo shoot, I never put my camera away even after the shoot has ended and we have said our goodbyes.

I didn’t always used to do this though until the day I missed a killer shot because I put my camera away too early.

A few years ago, I was photographing a small family of three in Dagenham. After the shoot, we said goodbye, I put my camera in my bag and started to walk to my car.

As I approached my car, I took one last glance at the family (who decided to stay behind in the park) and noticed the mum, dad and baby entwined in a cosy embrace. I missed that beautiful shot.

Since then, I never EVER put my camera in my bag after a client shoot. Even if I’ve taken all the shots I planned to take and it looks like the shoot is over.

I’ll tell you a little back story about this photo right here. It is from a recent photo shoot with a family of five in Romford.

As I finished shooting, the mum and two kids walked ahead of me while I followed on with dad and the other child.

I still had my camera out. So when I looked at mum and her kids and immediately saw this beautiful moment, I quickly raised my camera and took this shot.

I would have missed this moment if my camera had been in my bag. To be honest, this is one of my favourite images from the session.

If this says anything at all, it is, don’t put your camera away because you never know what the next scene unfolding before your eyes may be. It may very well be the best image you capture.