article: There are few of us that do not have a camera in our pockets for most of our waking hours that: I say a camera and not a phone because as the quality of smartphone camera functionality has improved, we have increasingly communicated through the visual image rather than the spoken word. The average number of photographic images stored on a smartphone device in the UK in 2014 was estimated at 2,000 - but how many of the people creating and storing those images would describe themselves as a photographer? Not many, I suggest. And yet those images are being shared and therefore published through social media platforms and creative platforms such as Twitter and Instagram to an eager and interested audience just as a professional photographer would want their work to be seen. The photographic image has become an instant method of communication, a democratic visual language with no national boundaries, not just a hobby or profession - but have you considered how to improve your smartphone photography? The smartphone camera in your pocket has also led to a vast amount of images being created that document the everyday, the minutiae of our daily lives, images that have been created to tell stories, record moments and precious memories. But it can also be used as a tool to improve your photography and make you more aware of factors such as light, texture, form, composition and juxtaposition, the very elements that constitute the building blocks of visual creativity. That is the basis of what I call "photosketching". Too often, we are concerned with creating a "good" photograph - but what makes a "good" photograph? Everyone has their own ideas and definitions on this, so rather than worrying about how your photographs look before you take them, photosketching frees you up to just have fun in the process of creating them. Taking photos just to see what things look like as photographs can be an incredibly liberating experience and the perfect way to begin your photographic experimentation. With no need to worry about the mechanics of photography, you are also free to capture images focusing solely on the aesthetic. This makes us more aware of our environment and of the basic elements that constitute a successful photograph. Don't play safe when photosketching, have fun, take risks and experiment, be instinctive and not cerebral. Of course, this way of seeing is nothing new to photography. Experimentation has been at the basis of its being since its earliest days, but it is never been easier or cheaper to do than it is today. One good way to start photosketching is to take a walk in your immediate neighbourhood with your smartphone in your hand and the camera functionality on and ready to shoot. Walk slowly and deliberately looking out for anything that catches your eye. That could be a sign, a shadow, an old painted gate, something thrown away or left behind, a person seated waiting for a bus, a reflection in a window, some graffiti, anything that you usually walk past. When you see
summary: Professional photographer, writer and lecturer Grant Scott explains how you can use your mobile phone to improve your creative photography.