My daughter owns two digital cameras.
Did I mention that she’s six years old?
My mom says I am to blame for my daughter’s camera obsession. According to my dear, sweet mother, I’ve scarred my child by having her pose for nearly 15,000 photos since her birth. Apparently, my kid is so sick of being in front of the lens that she has taken to hiding behind it.
I think my mom’s analysis may be a bit dramatic, though my daughter really does prefer being behind the camera than in front of it. However, I attribute that trait to her natural gift for picture-taking. At six, her keen eye and willingness to experiment with different angles and lighting far exceeds shutterbugs three times her age.
If you have a budding shutterbug at home, you should seriously consider fostering her talent by enrolling her in a photo workshop for kids or taking time to run through some basic photo rules yourself. For example, if you have a younger child, then point out the parts of the camera and explain how each functions. You could then teach your child how to hold the camera properly and allow her to experiment with the zoom lens. Older kids can experiment with more advanced features and work on picture composition.
Unless your child is really into photography, then I would suggest holding off on overwhelming her with a lot of technical jargon. Instead, teach your kids the basics and let them experiment on their own. Consider giving younger kids disposable cameras and allowing them to head outside to snap interesting subjects. The key is to encourage creativity. You can inspire this by giving kids fun and easy photo assignments. For example, you could design a scavenger hunt-type list of things to photograph, such as a dog, tree, flower or a car.
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