Kids and Digital Cameras

Do you own an inexpensive digital camera? Do you ever let your kids use it? This summer teach them a few simple tricks with your digital camera, and let them use their creativity to see what they can come up with. All three of my kids take hundreds of pictures each year. And the best of the best end up being submitted to our local County Fair for judging. The picture above is from three years ago, but they often end up winning ribbons and prizes on their pictures.

Ali found her creative side last winter when she decided she was going to be a photographer when she grew up. I said "Why wait?" Take the camera and your brothers and see what you can do. They spent ALL DAY in her bedroom trying different poses and different backgrounds. The picture above is my personal favorite. I did help her with the editing on the computer to get rid of red eye, change the colors, and soften the edges. They all had a real fun time and were excited to see what they came up with. She will be entering this picture this summer.

Matt has an eye for nature. We have multiple pictures of different flowers from our Como visits. He also takes nature pictures in our own backyard. His subjects range from the dogs to frogs by the neighbors pond. He has taken some wonderful pictures of the trees all the way down to a close-up of new growth on a pine branch. He has a different way of looking at nature, and that is what makes them so unique and beautiful. He has learned that sometimes less is more in pictures.

And then there's Timmy. He started taking his own pictures when he was just 2 years old. We limit his pictures to the inside of our house. We also let him use the old digital camera in case he drops it. His pictures are all from his vantage point, so they are more abstract. I do end up deleting a good majority of his work due to fingers in the way, or him taking them to fast for the auto focus. But every once in awhile there are a few real good ones. The picture above is the inside of his new crawl thru tube. I never would have thought of this, but he thought it looked cool, and I like the way it turned out too. He is going to enter a few pictures into the Fair this year too. He probably won't win against 12 year olds, but you never know. It is always a good learning experience, win or lose.

YOUR PROJECT:

Let the kids lose with a digital camera this summer. Let them do whatever they want with it, and you will be amazed. The first few will be safe and predictable, then they will start to experiment and the pictures will get more creative. Print the pictures and put into old frames you already have around the house. every kid loves to have their artwork displayed. The best part is except for the paper & ink, it is pretty much free. You can just delete the bad ones and save the good ones on your computer. Start a file labeled with your child's name and Summer 2008. You will be able to look back year after year to see how they have improved.