Landscape photographer Terry Waite was on the BBC's Breakfast TV show this morning to promote a landscape [URL="http://www.take-a-view.co.uk/"]photography competition[/URL], sponsored by the Sunday Times, National Parks, and Natural England (only two weeks left to enter if you are interested!).

But what struck me was Waite's enthusiasm for the competition's new camera phone category. He explained that up to 47 million people in the country have a camera, in their phone, in their pockets. "And sometimes rather a good quality camera," he added.

I have rather mixed feelings about camera phones. I have been very optimistic about camera phones over the years and I'm not at all disappointed by the quality of some, mainly high-end, examples. However, the biggest problem with a camera phone is, ironically, its accessibility. What should be the biggest advantage of a camera phone, in being with you almost wherever you go, is sometimes frustrated by the fact that getting to the right mode on the phone to enable the camera can be very long winded, and I have lost that magic moment on a number of times as a result.

Of course you generally have much more time when photographing landscapes!