Photography for kids

For the last six months or so I have been letting Cakey use my little, very old digital camera. It is not the one I use on a daily basis but hangs around to be used when I let the battery run down on my other camera. I guess what I am saying is – I let her use it, knowing there is a possibility it will get broken. If that happens we are down to one camera and we will live with it. No doubt one hour after this gets posted the camera will get smashed and I will feel like a total doofus.

When she uses the camera she has the wrist strap ON AT ALL TIMES... she doesn't fight me about this, she knows using the camera is a privilege.

So far she has had six sessions of photo taking and produced more than 400 photos. I have followed her around as she photographed all the rooms in our house and the garden. I have also given her the camera during quiet time (to try to keep her quiet) and let her photograph all her toys on her bed.

When she first started, her fingers were planted permanently over the lens. She was mystified as to why all her photos then contained finger-shaped lumps. Now she is getting better at keeping her fingers to one side. A lot of her photos are of the ground and things on the ground. Her focus is always hit and miss – some are crystal clear, others are very blurry. In fact, she has taken a number of photos where she must have been moving – they have this fabulous swooshing effect. I have included a sample of her photos in this post. I love them.

Fingers over the lense

Slightly spooky photos of dolls taken during quiet time

The garden series

A study of feet

In the aquarium

Cool blurry effects

Her feet and our pantry

Linked to Friday's Nature Table, Family Frolics, It's Playtime and Red Ted Art