Being a Dad is hard....I mean, outside of the whole take care of the kid so that he doesn't die and make sure that he eats properly and treats people with respect and learns his manners and cleans up after himself and pays attention and learns in school and doesn't talk back and helps others and cares and is kind and and and and and....

Outside of all that, for me being a Dad is hard because I want him to be the happiest kid on the planet and also the healthiest of course, I want him to make decisions on his own for his life that will ultimately lead to his happiness. I don't want to be too forceful in the way he decides or does things, but I also want to lend a helping hand in what he does. I want to be there, but don't want to take total control.

Today we played around taking photos, which I LOVE, obviously. I try not to get too involved, I set the camera so that he should achieve a half decent exposure, for the most part. I don't want to overwhelm him with the settings, or force him. So far, he really enjoys it. He is getting it.

When as parents do we try to help them decide what to do with their lives? Ben is almost 11, he has some great ideas on what he wants to be when he grows up, which include a YouTuber, a Photographer and an Artist. To all of which I ask him, "Will that make you happy?" He is in our gym every single day and not once has he said he wants to own a gym. (We own a CrossFit Gym in Sydney River, CrossFit Per Ardua. It's a huge part of our lives, we love it and the people that support us)

I also try to gradually and firmly establish in him that happiness is the most important thing in the world and it's the goal we all should have, our goal is to be happy isn't it? I used to think that being super rich was the goal, the meaning of this life, but it isn't, not for me anyway. Maybe having an endless bank account would make for some serious happiness, but at what cost?

I guess if these are the hardest things about being a parent, then I have it pretty good. I do know how fortunate I am and I never take things for granted, but I just always wonder how things will turn out and how much involvement we as parents need to have.

Like I said, he is almost 11. I have a very short amount of experience as a parent, so it's easy to wonder if you are doing things the way they should be done. Then again, is there even a way?

Anyway, below are the two cameras we used today, I plan to do a post about all of the equipment I have and use, I am without a shadow of a doubt a gadget geek, my biggest struggle is always wanting and buying new gear. I have a bad case of GAS, (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) the all-consuming desire to expand your collection of photographic gear. Jeff Cooke makes fun of me all the time, but he's even worse than me, he just won't admit it!

I am a wedding and portrait photographer in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Over the last 12 years I have photographed thousands of people, families and hundreds of weddings locally and abroad.
I now focus on wedding and high school senior photography. If you have a unique idea for some images, let me know!
Cape Breton Island Wedding Photographer • Scott McIntyre