[an apparently smoking Two Temple Place where a friend and I saw a William Morris exhibition and gawped at the Astor interior]
I don't take many photos with my iPhone, but when I do and I look through them a while later, I am always surprised by them. It's not that they are marvellous or anything, but they capture passing moments in a way that takes me by surprise. I'm still amazed in a very old-fashioned way that something so small can do so many things, and do them well. I can't quite believe that I can video a minute of Phoebe drumming in a concert then watch it on a train. Or that I can photograph Alice in her smart work uniform and send it to her Nana in a matter of seconds. Or that I can snap a scrum-half at a rugby match and let Tom know which team we are watching even though he's in a library, writing an essay.
[old meets new near St Paul's]
I don't always bother or remember to carry a camera when I go to London and I often regret this omission until I realise that I am carrying a camera - in my phone. So if I am passing something that catches my eye, I can still take a photo. The thing is, I'm not always quite sure what I'm doing; hence the surprise when a photo turns out OK.
[passing Maison Bertaux]
The iPhone seems to do blue particularly well, and it's so fast and quiet, it can be used on the move with the minimum of fuss (but with a sad proportion of badly composed shots).
[passing St Martin's-in-the-Fields' intriguing modern window]
It's great for when I'm walking past London landmarks,
['living wall' outside to the National Gallery]
or when someone else is walking past the Van Gogh 'living wall' last year.
Or when we have a very laid-back snowman made at midnight last night by Phoebe and Eloise. He's just passing, too.
[all photos taken with my iPhone]
