When Apple first introduced its Live Photos feature, I wasn't all that enamored with it. It seemed interesting enough, and obviously the comparisons with newspapers in the Harry Potter universe --with their moving images-- were spot on, but I just wasn't all that sure I'd ever use it. Or use it enough to really care about it.

And then, last Christmas, I realized why it's so great. It's similar in scope to the current Portrait Mode that's available for the iPhone 7 Plus and its dual-camera setup: it's not for every situation. But when it works, it works really well. I got a really fun shot of my kids standing in front of an arriving holiday-themed train, and the results were pretty fantastic.

Live Photos aren't for every situation, but when it works it does the job really well. They bring a bit of life to what could have been a pretty standard photo, and watching it "come to life" is still pretty awesome, even a year later.

The only hindrance with a Live Photo is, since it isn't for every situation, remembering to turn it on when the time comes. I have Live Photo turned off more often than not, so remembering to turn it on to catch a moment as it happens can mean missing the shot altogether, or not getting exactly what you were wanting.

I've also been leaving the feature off more often than not for another reason: other apps and services. iOS 10, for instance, makes it possible to collect a series of photos and videos that you've taken, and put them together in a short video showcase. But even Google Photos can make what it calls "animations," which takes snippets from a video and highlights a certain part. It's not exactly the same, but still pretty cool to see the results.

I was on the fence at first with Live Photos, but, as I used the feature and saw the results, I realized that it's a pretty cool bonus. However, I think I'd be okay with the stock Photos app handling the process for me, so I could just take a series of shots in the moment, and have the app put them together in an animation after the fact.

I'm not sure if that will ever happen, but if it did I don't think that would be a bad move on Apple's part -- even if it meant killing off Live Photos in the process.

Still, I don't think Live Photos are a bad thing by any means, and I'm glad it exists at all. Like I said earlier, the animations that I've been able to see so far have been great, so better to have it than not at all. But, I'm curious: Do you take Live Photos at all? Let me know!