Written & photographed by Dan Barr.
In our hectic day to day schedule, we often don’t get to spend quality time with our children. Spending time with your child over a creative activity is a fantastic way to bond with them. Photography is one such activity that you and your child will enjoy.
Five tips for teaching your kid photography
In our hectic day to day schedule, we often don’t get to spend quality time with our children. Spending time with your child over a creative activity is a fantastic way to bond with them. Photography is one such activity that you and your child will enjoy.
Learning photography will improve your child’s focus and concentration. It increases their creativity as well. It allows them to express the way they see the world. Also, your child will learn to be more physically active.
Here are a few tips to help make the experience of learning and teaching photography a joyful one for your child and for you.
- Choosing the Camera
- Teach the Functions
- Get a Grip
- Point and Shoot
- Edit
- Share
“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” — Aaron Siskind
I: Choosing the Camera
The choice of camera will largely depend on your child’s age. If your child is small, it would make sense to purchase a kid’s camera. Kid’s cameras are lightweight. Children tend to drop things often. Keeping this in mind, the kid’s cameras are built sturdy to withstand accidental drops. The buttons on the camera are small and the settings are very simple. If your child a little older, you might want to consider buying them a Polaroid camera. The camera produces a hard copy of the captured shot instantly. Seeing immediate results will make your child more interested to learn photography. If your child is 10 – 12 years or older, you can consider purchasing a digital camera for them. Alternatively, you can give them your old camera if you have one. These days, even getting your kids a drone is in vogue.
II: Teaching the Camera Functions
If you have a purchased a new camera, it would be a great idea to quickly browse through the user manual. You can then explain to your child, the function of each button on the camera. Teach them to use the camera with a strap at all times, so that they can prevent the camera from falling. If the camera has a separate lens cover, teach them to put it back on at the end of every photo session. This will teach your child to be more careful with the camera.
III: Get a Grip
If the camera is large for your child’s hand, they may not find it easy to get a firm grip on it. Explain to your child, the correct technique of holding the camera. You can teach your child to use the timer setting on the camera. This will help them hold the camera steady as the shot is being captured and not put pressure on the shutter release button. If you feel your child still isn’t able to get a steady grip on the camera, you can purchase a tripod for them. This will help your child focus on clicking the photograph rather than spending in trying to adjust their grip.
IV: Point and Shoot
If your child is very young, you may not be able to teach them as many photography skills. You can, however, help them get familiar with a camera and help them build an interest in photography. If your child is older, and use a camera with slightly complex functions, you can begin with teaching them to click pictures of the same object with a different setting on the mode dial. This will help them understand the difference of which setting needs to be used in different situations. Teach your child the importance of light in photography. Explain the difference between different types of light. For example – indoor and outdoor light, direct and indirect light etc. Teach them the usage of Camera Flash. Ask them to use the Camera Flash when the ambient light is low. And they must not use the Camera flash when taking pictures of reflective surfaces such as mirror, glass or metallic surface, as this will leave the end result with a bright white spot in the picture. If you have pets at home, you must ask your child to refrain from using Camera Flash when clicking photographs of the pet as this bright light pointed towards them may cause them to feel nervous or get scared.
V: Edit
As a beginner, your child may click a lot of photographs that are otherwise fantastic barring a few distractions in the background. Or may need some corrections. It would be an excellent idea to teach them how to edit the photographs. There are many free editing software tools and mobile apps available, to correct the image or enhance it. They can be used to adjust the brightness and or the contrast of the image, or make a photograph into black and white and make only one color pop out. Learning how to edit photographs will further heighten your child’s creativity.
VI: Share
Validation and appreciation from you will work as a positive reinforcement for your child. You can upload the photographs captured by your child on your social media like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. and share them with your family and friends. When your child will get words of appreciation from people they look up to, it will encourage them to further pursue photography with more zest.
Teaching photography to your child will help them create memories for a lifetime. When your child is older they will have wonderful memories documented in the form of photographs.
Photography is a wonderful skill that will bring your child close to nature. It makes them more physically active. It increases their confidence, creativity and positively impacts their overall development.
You can ask your child to incorporate photography with a lot of activities they normally do. For example, if your child is playing in the backyard, you can ask them to click photographs of the trees around them or if they have finished working on a school project, they can click photographs of the project etc. This will instill a sense of accomplishment in them.
Children always have a fresh perspective on how they look at the world. Seeing the world through their innocent eyes can also help us look at things differently.
About the Author:
Dan Barr is a photographer, a parent to two girls, and the founder of KidsCameraGuide.com, a blog which is all about teaching photography to kids and kids’ cameras. You can visit Dan at his website www.kidscameraguide.com.
