The Photographer's Balance

It's conflicting. Some photographers tell you to never put your camera down; to always have it with you. Others say, take a few shots, but then be present in the moment. Who's right?

I don't know that there is one right answer, but as a new photographer, I'm trying to figure our my balance. I honestly don't take my camera with me enough places probably.
 
There is a fine line, I think, between documenting enough and living in the moment. Take baseball for an example. When I'm photographing a game, I'm not really experiencing the game. I'm only seeing one tiny part. So I try to only photograph part of the game, and watch closely to the rest.
 
Growing up, I didn't develop the mentality that so many people have to photograph and post online everything. I didn't get an iPod until I bought my own in high school. I just got on Instagram last year; it's my first social media account. Because of these things, it's not second nature to just document everything. On the other hand, when I do have my camera on vacation or at an event, I have to make a conscience choice to NOT stay behind the lens the whole time. It's so tempting to think, "I'll likely never be here again, I've got to get a ton of photographs so I'll remember," but the danger is that you effectively miss out on your vacation or event by always having your camera out.
 
Like so many things in life, it's a delicate balance. There are so many things that only happen once and we want to capture them for memory's sake. But what if the photo becomes the ONLY memory?
 
Everyone is different. Some people won't have a problem putting down the camera. On the contrary, their problem will be picking it up. For others, the opposite will be the issue. Very few, if any, people will naturally strike a good balance. I believe that balance is something we have to work at to achieve.
 
I encourage you to document your life, your kids, your vacations. At the same time, I encourage you to LIVE those moments, because you don't want to miss the moment in photographing the moment.