The Benefits of Photography: Let Kids use your Camera

Pictures are fun to look at for children.

They like to see that they are included in family pictures or have pictures of themselves taken. This is important to them, especially as they grow so they can see what they looked like when they were little. They also enjoy seeing pictures of relatives including their parents when they were younger. They love listening to stories about how life was when their loved ones grew up. Grandparents and great grandparents didn’t have the luxuries they have today and grandparents remember listening to their great grandparents talk about life on the farm and not having any luxuries on the frontier. Most of the baby boomers have great grandparents that were born 25 years before the turn of the 20th century. Pictures are a good way to teach your children where they came from. It’s important that they learn how to use a camera even if you buy a disposable camera for them and teach them how to snap a picture. They can also use your phone or a small camera so they learn how to focus the lens and this is good eye and hand coordination.

Now that smartphones and tablets are around, kids are learning to use cameras at a younger age. They can start with selfies and a few snapshots so parents are beginning to see how important photography is whether it be in the backyard, a portrait, a video or still life pictures. Kids are able to see their surroundings in a new light.

Photography has become important to the modern generation because pictures show how kids and their families interact and learn how to communicate. Kids like the fact that by taking pictures they can share what happened during their day or on an outing or at an event instantly. Some children enjoy photography because they understand how to become creative by adding funny faces or pretty flowers around the pictures they take with different apps they can use.

Photography is a way for children to speak, see and even identify the things that they see with their families, friends and school teachers. It helps them with different expressions especially visual. Kids learn that by taking pictures they can see things and objects in different poses and using different angles. They look for a wide versus a narrow shot and see where the light is at. Let them make their mistakes because this is how they learn and grow and gain confidence by using their critical thinking skills when it comes to photography.

If parents decide it’s time to teach their children about photography, start with a family walk. Ask them to look for animals like squirrels and different birds and try using different colors as a way to encourage them to visualize a picture. A squirrel might be brown or greyish but against some vivid autumn leaves, the squirrel will stand out more when the light is right. When they choose to take a picture or two, ask them why they chose to take the picture and what intrigued them about photography after the walk is over and you are viewing their pictures. Ask them if their photograph is trying to say anything.

Parents can also create a photo challenge by using their imagination and teaching their children to use their imagination. Kids will learn quickly to create their own challenges with pictures and you can give them some ideas. You can suggest that they can take pictures of things that remind them of their families. They can take pictures of their favorite toys or hobbies. They can also create a story by using pictures they took and put them together into a photo book. You can make a list of funny looking objects as well and have some sort of scavenger picture hunt.

If they are running around with their cameras tell them there are boundaries and people like their privacy so they shouldn’t start snapping pictures of the neighbors if they are having a private gathering. They should always ask permission first to take anyone else’s picture because this could start a problem and this is very disrespectful.

When kids first start using a camera, you don’t have to run out and buy them an expensive camera. In fact, most children start by using phones or tablets. There are several different apps and one is called Kid Cam. This app helps kids control the number of pictures they take, make picture taking easier and will keep their albums separate from yours if they are using your camera. There are also point and shoot cameras designed for kids to help them get their pictures correctly in the frames. This is a simple camera without many effects but is put together well for kids. Most kids enjoy iPhones or tablets because there are more effects to have fun with.

As children grow older, they can always get their parents or grandparents old cameras if their grandparents choose to buy a new one.

This is also a good time to bond with your kids as they grow older and teach them what you like about photography. Photography is good to assist with creativity with the younger kids and help them improve their motor skills. This boils down to standing very still and pushing the button at the right time. As kids get older, they learn how to use the technology they learned and also how to problem solve with a camera and getting the angles and lighting correct.

Kids will always enjoy taking pictures no matter how old they are. In addition, they will enjoy saving these pictures and putting them into books to look at as they grow up. All people like to show off their pictures of their children or some event they are attending to show their families and friends that they are having fun. This is the importance of photography, the laughter, love and memories people and kids can create for a lifetime.