I'm amazed. You can file this post as one of the 5 Reasons Gadling Has Jumped the Shark.

When traveling the cheapest, most personalized, and best souvenir you can ever bring home is a photograph you took while on your trip. Sure, they may not be professional quality, but you sure as hell aren't going to get any closer to taking better pictures if you leave the camera at home. The suggestion that one should purchase a post card or view the Gadling photo pool instead of taking their own pictures is absurd and you should be ashamed. Perhaps no one should ever attempt to cook a recipe or paint a picture and they should just dine in five star restaurants and buy paintings because, well, we'll never get it right and should leave it to the professionals.

If you think the point of taking pictures is to force others to endure a slideshow upon your return then maybe you think the point of taking pictures of special family moments is to show the pictures off to friends as well. That is deeply saddening and I pity you a bit. Just recently I was at a family member's home following a funeral and do you know what it was that lightened the mood? Photographs. The vacation photos from when our whole family got together and the "remember that?" moments and memories those photos allowed us to have were instrumental in everyone's ability to cope as well as inspiring us to get together more often.

As far as creating a barrier, I believe you're wrong there too. So many times I've asked someone to take a picture of myself with or without others and it enables me to interact with the locals or others travelers, practice their language, ask a few questions, and possibly strike up a friendship. Many times I've ended up hanging out with people in other countries who I may have forgotten had I not taken pictures of them. Bringing home photos of them allows me to look back and remember their story, which in my eyes builds a bridge to other cultures rather than a barrier.

Sure, a camera may be one more thing to worry about on a trip but there is always insurance to cover any loss or theft and the real treasures are the memory cards or rolls of film which can be easily carried in a much safer place. I believe the biggest loss would be the missed opportunities should you decide to leave your camera at home.

I suppose you're certainly entitled to your opinion, but to suggest that readers should "leave it to the pros" is bordering on offensive. I suppose then, that it's a good thing this post wasn't written a year ago as I might have had second thoughts about picking up a camera, teaching myself the basics of photography, and subsequently having several photos licensed and published. Perhaps, Sean, you should leave writing to the pros.

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