A few years ago my now five year old daughter showed an interest in taking photographs. Obviously as I love taking photographs I was keen to encourage this, but not with my camera! So Grandpa gave her a children’s digital camera for Christmas and we encouraged her to just take pictures and didn’t even think about learning suitable photography tips for children. She enjoyed the freedom and even joined me in starting Project 52 last year and completed the first two weeks (I created the template but she did the rest of the layout in Photoshop Elements, with just a bit of guidance).
Supplies from ScrapGirls
But she lost interest, the camera was hidden in the toy box and we didn’t change the batteries, so it didn’t work when she picked it up. Sometimes I just need a trigger to get me into action, and it was a combination of the KiaWalkToSchool photo scavenger hunt and the May Center Parcs challenge. B really enjoyed hunting out items on the way to school and taking pictures on my phone and when I saw the Center Parcs suggestion to “grab a disposable camera for your little ones to take their own pictures” I was reminded that she has her own and I just needed to recharge the batteries for her. B saw me with her camera and asked if she could do another photography scavenger hunt (also a suggestion on the Center Parc blog) so we created a list together (notice how she used the KiaWalkToSchool list for inspiration with colours and shapes although I don’t know what a proper shadow is).
Photography tips for children
I left her to take the photographs she wanted, but she was soon keen for me to be involved so I took the opportunity to provide some guidance on taking pictures. Obviously I’m not talking about camera settings because she has a fully automatic camera, but  instead thinking about the picture before and after taking them so you get what you want.
The tips I covered were:
- stand so your shadow is not in the picture (unless it is meant to be)
- consider different positions
- check the picture after taking it and if it isn’t correct take another one
Digital Photography School has a great list of 13 photography tips for children and I’ll introduce some of these when I next have the opportunity, although I think I may start with staying still.
Results of the scavenger hunt
B had a great time hunting around the garden and photographed all the items herself including some items I didn’t expect such as the mulch for something new. The only picture I helped with was the glider as she couldn’t find it in the view finder.
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Longevity of the photography tips
Has my daughter learnt the tips? I’ll hopefully find out today as she is currently on the beach, with Granny, Aunty and her brother, and was very keen to take her camera. I don’t have high expectations she’ll have remembered everything because she has been busy learning other things during the past week, and if I’m honest I find it very difficult to remember how to take good pictures (especially camera settings). I believe the key is to encourage her to take lots of pictures and talk about them with her so she can learn through repetition.
As well as photography, the garden has lost of opportunities to help children learn including English and Maths.
Do your children enjoy taking photographs? How do you encourage them? What are your photography tips for children?
Great tips and great photos. My little man loves taking selfies on my phone and I usually end up with a dozen photos of his left eye! He likes to take photos of the cats too, hundreds of them!
#LAB
Thank you Anne. My children like playing with my phone but haven’t found the camera feature yet. I love the idea of pictures of cat, maybe you should print them off for his room, but then it may just encourage him more 🙂
I love the idea of a photo scavenger hunt, definitely going to give this a go with my 7 year old:) Sounds great fun, plus good idea to talk about what makes a good picture etc..
She really enjoyed the hunt, but next time I’m not sure whether I’ll prepare the list myself or if it is part of the enjoyment for her to write it herself. Unfortunately I’m not sure how much she learnt from the day because the photographs I’ve seen since appear to have the strap in (this should not be possible because it should be around her neck).
My eldest is a keen photographer, and has her own film cameras and a far posher digital than me – and she can develop her own pics! The middle one, my ten year old boy, has just been given a cheapie digital, and taking pics does entertain him on family walks etc. The toddler just likes messing with my phone camera so I am often finding pics of his nose on there!
Oh wow developing her own pictures that is impressive. It is something I wanted to learn as a child, but I’m much happier with digital and playing in Photoshop Elements. B enjoys taking pictures at times, but generally wants to do it when she hasn’t brought her own camera. My concern with her camera is it seems to have a slow shutter speed so she often moves before it has finished taking. M is 2 years old and loves looking at pictures on the camera and pretending to take pictures, but hasn’t really progressed to taking any yet – something for me to look forward to 🙂
N likes looking at pictures but not fussed about taking them. He has one of the first ELC cameras which is somewhere in a box, uncharged and full of rubbish photos that I took. I might try and help him with my camera so he can learn to look after it, and then get him a cheap digital one of his own. These are some good tips.
When we discussed getting B a camera we looked at the children ones but didn’t think they had very good specs apart from robustness, but she was bought a camera which I guess is designed for older children because it is still robust and has big buttons but looks more like a real camera. M likes to role play taking pictures and looking at pictures and videos instead of actually taking them.
Brilliant – I love the idea of a scavenger hunt on the way to school – I might make good use of this in September when D starts school and we have a 25 minute walk each way!
Thank you Laura, it can be handy to have something to encourage the walk along to school 🙂
Great tips, thanks. Just spotted you heading to Britmums – hope to meet you IRL there.
PS I’ve a new blog – stopped beccaloucreates.blogspot.co.uk and now started a new mummy blog.
Hello Becca,
Thank you for the new link, I’ve added it Feedly so I can follow your new blog. Yes I’m going to Britmums I really must do my introductory post to let other know too. I must also create a list of the people I want to meet in London, I suspect they will be so much going on I’ll miss loads of people.