Having picked up a camera at the age of 8, I discovered the magic of taking photographs long before I realized that being an observer is the role that suits me best. If it weren't already, that role has become second nature.
Being blessed (or cursed) with an eye and mind that always see the details before they see the whole, my camera has effectively became a tool that helps me to understand what I am seeing; a tool that sometimes uncovers relations that weren't so obvious at first sight -- but that may well have unconsciously triggered me to take a picture. The very act of recording provides me with an opportunity for reflection.