Shooting with intent.....

I just wrapped up the last session in my first level photography class.  I cannot believe how fast the past 7 weeks have gone by!  At the very start of the class - the instructor broke out his sword and knighted us as photographers from there on out.  With such a title, came responsibility.  We were now supposed to "shoot with intent".
What does that mean?  Well - anyone with a point and shoot camera, can take snapshots of anything.  That's what we all were before....snapshot takers.  Photographers shoot with the intent of capturing some sort of mood, emotion, reaction, etc.
I recently took a small vacation with family and friends to Coos Bay, OR - one of my friends is also in my class.  We both brought our nice SLR cameras on the trip - determined to take a ton of photos.  We went on a special "safari" around downtown Coos Bay, with it's historic buildings and small town charm.  We reflected on this yesterday before class - and both came to the same realization.  We didn't really take any random "snapshots" like we would have before....we were on a mission to capture a great photo...we were shooting with intent! 
It's funny how things change....