Five tips for teaching your kid photography

In this day and age, where children are addicted to gadgets such as laptops and mobile phones, it is getting increasingly important to get their minds diverted to creative activities. Photography is one such hobby that can not only get their creative juices flowing but will also work wonders for strengthening your bond.

Photography is extremely creative and captivating as a hobby. It helps your child capture moments of their childhood which they will cherish when they are older. As your kids learn the art of photography better, they will get all the more fascinated with the unbounded creativity. With time, this hobby can transform into a passion. It can be a rewarding career choice as well.

Besides helping your child become creative, photography also helps them become more aware of their surroundings. Photography establishes a strong connection with and appreciation of nature.

I have listed a few tips on how you can introduce your child to this creative art.

Five Tips for Teaching Your Kids Photography by Kids Camera Guide

Purchasing a relevant camera: When teaching photography to your kids, it is important to let them have their own camera. Cameras used by adults are not advisable as they are too large for kids to hold. There’s always the risk of kids dropping the camera and causing damage to themselves and the camera. Also, the function keys are too complex for them to understand as beginners. Having their own beginner camera helps to kindle responsibility for their belongings. Also, the feeling of ownership encourages their interest further.

There are plenty of options available for inexpensive cameras. When deciding on which camera to purchase, you might want to consider a Polaroid camera. It is best suited for children, as it processes a hard copy of the photograph immediately. This instant result provides them with a sense of instant gratification, which can at times be essential as kids come up the learning curve. You can consider a digital camera if you think your kid might click a lot of photographs.

Holding the camera: After you have purchased a camera for your kid, you must teach them the correct technique of how to hold the camera properly. Teach them how to balance the camera so that it doesn’t fall. In the beginning, as kids learn to click photographs, the initial ones can be blurry. Explain to them the importance of using a strap around their wrist or neck, so as to get a better grip which will result in clearer pictures. Teach them to steady themselves by finding what body posture they are most comfortable in while clicking pictures. They can also use a hard surface such as a table to support their elbows. Once they learn how to steady themselves, teach them the placing of fingers, so that the lens is not covered and they are able to apply enough pressure on the shutter release button. If you have purchased a camera, that has a lens cover, you must emphasize on its importance to keep the lens getting damaged from dust or scratches.

Object selection: Kids are likely to cram as many objects as they can into the frame. This can cause them to get distracted. Ask your kid to select an object of their choice, which they would like to click. Begin with simple objects such as a fruit or a flower or their favorite toy etc. Once they get better with capturing simple objects, you can teach them about clicking objects in motion, such as a person walking or a tree when the wind blows. You can then teach them the difference between a subject (theme/sunset/skyline) and an object (fruit/flower/toy)

Trial and error: As they say, practice makes perfect. More photographs your kid clicks, the better they get with each capture. Make sure you check each photograph and provide feedback. Explain how same objects can look different under different lighting condition and different times of the day. How same objects look different with the use of flash function and without. Help them understand functions such as zoom, so they can click photographs from a distance. Your kid is bound to have many questions as they begin on this learning journey – this is an excellent opportunity for you to spend quality time with them and interact.

Edit and share: With access to various free editing tools and software, you can enhance the learning experience for your kid. As your kid improves their skill, they can also learn how to edit the photographs to remove background flaws.

Kids look for validation and appreciation. You can demonstrate your appreciation by sharing photographs clicked by them, on social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram etc. There are websites where photographs can be uploaded and printed on greeting cards. You can use photographs clicked by your kids, on greeting cards, cards for birthdays and Christmas.

Conclusion: Teaching photography can be a great experience for your kid and for you as well. However, you need to be patient with them and make an effort to fuel their creativity and their curiosity. Your kids gain not only a new viewpoint but also see things differently from behind the camera.

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.