Why am I so passionate about making use of the smartphone camera that you always have with you?

My mother passed away in 2015. After her passing, I was devastated to find so very few photos of her. The two main reasons for this were;
1. I had the best DSLR equipment money could buy for my day job at the time. My passion for taking photos outside of the day job was non-existent. I mostly used this camera on special occasions.
2. Mum was quite ill for a number of years - hence, she had a camera phobia and was very reluctant to have her photo taken. I respected my mums' wishes and never pushed.

My daughter was eleven when mum passed away and I only have six photos of her during that time.

Photos of moments in time are a gift - not only for yourself but especially for your loved ones. I rue the fact that I did not explain, that photography would allow us to relive our precious family moments and experiences long after her time. Mum lived for her family, and always put everyone else first. If we had that discussion, mum may have allowed us to capture more photos. She would have been uncomfortable at first. However, even uncomfortable, awkward moments can be great captures.

As a professional photographer and trainer, I was a late adopter of mobile photography, comparing the phone camera to my DSLR.

After challenging myself to take advantage of the convenience of the phone - it forced me to return to basic photography principles.

It was so liberating to leave the big camera at home. Now, I leverage a selection of incredible camera replacement and photo editing apps to recreate some of my favourite DSLR images. I have now become a mobile photography purist, capturing and editing all my photos on my phone and tablet.

So please, get out there, take photos of your loved ones and yourself!

Buy a selfie stick. No, you don't have to do that - simply get in front of the camera. Get over your inhibitions, it is not narcissistic - take photos of yourself for your loved ones to cherish.

My mission is to deliver jargon-free training, empowering you to get the most out of your smartphone, love your photos and photography.

Passionate - Creative - Curious

- Mike