When to use your camera?

I was at a military promotion party last night for a friend's (really, more of a friend of a friend's) advancement to the rank of Brigadier General. I brought my camera thinking it would be a good opportunity to document a rare experience (at least for me). The room was packed with the full range of social strata of military life. It was perfect for a series of intimate photographs / portraits of people in celebration of something momentous. As I moved about the historic house on Fort Hamilton at the base of the Verranzano Bridge, conversation followed the usual norm with basic party chatter; however, it also veered toward pending transfers, the effort required to move families, uncertainty of long term planning and difficulty of building a life in specific place that could change with short notice, very little of actual war. In the faces of those attending I saw all kinds of human emotion: elation, jealousy, fear, happiness, envy, sadness. Throughout the evening I was surprised at the feeling of an overriding sense of community, not based in a physical setting but one based on something larger - shared purpose, duty, family.

I couldn't bring myself to use my camera. It seemed like an intrusion, especially as an outsider to military life. I feel like a photographic opportunity was lost, yet attempting to think like a photographer added a level of intensity that made the experience incredibly enjoyable.