Papa-razzi

My boys, ages 5 and 20 months, are used to being photographed. So much so that the little one, upon seeing me with a camera pointed at him, rushes over to look at the image on the digital preview screen. I was likewise spoiled as a child. My parents took photos all the time, and my dad favored his Polaroid, which was about as instant as gratification would come in the '70s.

Digital photography can pile up the images faster than old film photos collected in a shoe box years ago. Taking pictures is painless and cheap once you've got your camera, memory card and batteries taken care of. This is a simple solution, but I recommend carefully editing out the "bad" photos, having them printed somewhere cheap and slip them into albums either by date or event. Put them on a handy shelf and look at them often. Otherwise, you'll never catch up on all those CDs of images you've burned over the years, they can get scratched or lost and over time may no longer be compatible with the device you try to retrieve them on later.

And by all means, at important milestones or on important occasions, hire a professional (even someone other than me!). It's not only the equipment pros use to capture images, it is the study, practice and expertise in setting up the images. And legitimate professionals will offer top-quality prints you can't find at the discount stores. It takes even more skill, in my opinion, to get a decent candid, spur-of-the-moment photo because of varying light conditions, motion and being in the right place at the right time. High-volume studios offer low prices, but your photos will look like everyone else's. For a unique experience, find a professional who will listen to what you want rather than tell you what you will get.