My favourite #lookforthelight shots that I took this month.  Lots of crazy new light for the new year. — *My favourite #lookforthelight shots that **I took this month**. Lots of crazy new light for the new year.*

I fell in love with photography 20 years ago now, having purchased an old Nikon film camera on the advice of a friend. I shot with it almost every day, until I felt really comfortable with the camera. Eventually, I moved on to a digital SLR camera (one Marcus bought for me soon after we got married), and I did the same. Then, I went back to film, but this time using a medium format camera (another gift from Marcus. He's a good, good man). Each time, I've forced myself to return to the roots of photography: paying close attention to composition, lighting, that sort of thing, until I really got to know the camera.

It's the beginning of a new year, and this year, I've decided to focus on another camera in my arsenal: my iPad.

Of course, I've been shooting with my iPad quite a bit already -- ever since I joined Instagram late last year, and began looking for the light, my iPad has rarely left my side. But I don't know that I've ever really thought of my iPad in the same way I think about my cameras: the iPad, for me, has always been sort of just my sketch book. My place to doodle. To take a quick note of things I wanted to remember. The bigger cameras were for the "art."

But it occurs to me that one of the most insulting things you can say to a photographer is, "Yeah, if I had a fancy camera like yours, I'd be able to take good shots, too." Because every photographer knows that it's not about the camera. Sure, a good camera can make it easier to achieve an effect a photographer is aiming for, but good photography is far more about the ability to compose a shot and to read the light, and being able to work with whatever camera is at hand to make good art.

And so, for 2014, I'm going to focus on attempting to make good art with my iPad. To be clear, the cameras in these mobile devices are better than most digital cameras were 10 years ago, so it's a great tool in and of itself; still, once you get used to having control over aperture and shutter speed and ISO and the like, mobile cameras can feel a bit stifling. But I'd love to be able to make art with this camera as well; and happily, I have tons of inspiration from iphoneographers and smartphoneographers and iPadographers (<-- I just made that word up, I like it), like you guys. Because the images you're sharing when you #lookforthelight are seriously stunning.

Case in point: the following 10 images illustrate this beautifully (be sure to click on the links below each diptych, to see the rest of each photographer's work).

Left:  @nicole_humphreyRight:  @libertadleal — Left: @nicole_humphrey
Right: @libertadleal

Left:  @staceyechinRight:  @crystalmoody — Left: @staceyechin
Right: @crystalmoody

Left:  @katherinelightnerRight:  @geotravelermedia — Left: @katherinelightner
Right: @geotravelermedia

Left:  @_heyhellohi_Right:  @xantheb — Left: @_heyhellohi_
Right: @xantheb

Left:  @livwhite19Right:  @laurieanne — Left: @livwhite19
Right: @laurieanne

As always, thanks so much for sharing your light this month, friends. See you in February.

Thanks again to all of you who participated this month in #lookforthelight -- keep 'em coming! If you'd like to participate and you have an Instagram account (it's free), simply grab shots of the light in your life with your mobile device, and add the hashtag "#lookforthelight" to your shot, either in the caption or in the comments. I'll feature my 10 favourite shots again at the end of February here on Chookooloonks, giving lots of link love, naturally. And of course, click here to see all the submissions (and feel free to follow along my own progress at heychookooloonks on Instagram!).

Song: Love of mine by Vic and Gab. I heard this on NPR yesterday, and I love the sound of these two sisters.