This is my mother. She's not smoking a spliff but one of her beloved cigarettes. The photo was taken last summer and although she doesn't normally like being photographed, she didn't seem to mind on this particular day. Here, I caught her in a rare moment where her guards were down. No make-up, relaxed and with a smile on her face. It was a good day.

It's my favourite picture of my mother. Photography-wise it may not be anything special but it puts a smile on my face every day when I see it on my wall. And really, that's what it's all about: How the photograph makes you feel. The mood it conveys or the story it tells.

We all know our rule of thirds and how to use leading lines - and all the other tried-and-true guidelines of great photography, but all this matters exactly nothing if the photo doesn't move anything inside you.
 

When did you last photograph your family?

As photographers we're always busy pointing our cameras at new, interesting subjects. Going places, collecting new experiences. We tend to forget what's right in front of us every day.

I recently went through an old backup of my iPhone camera roll and I realised how few photos I have taken of my family during the past 2-3 years. I made a conscious decision to shoot more at home, even if my kids complain and hide from the camera - they'll just have to live with it.