Source: photography.lovetoknow.com
The world of digital photography can be a lot of fun and introducing your child to this magical world can be very fulfilling for both of you, to say the least. Needless to say, kids see the world in quite a different light as adults do. So, if you want to see the way they see things, then you should start introducing them to the world of digital photography. Be prepared to be astounded for you may never believe what you’ll see through their eyes once they start clicking away!
So, how do you start teaching your kids the art of digital photography? How do you start harnessing their creativity and honing their photography skills? To help you with this, here are some simple yet extremely useful tips on how this can be done:
Do not complicate things. Well, basically, this is the first thing you should consider. Never complicate things for your kids, especially when you are about to teach them the art of digital photography. Simplify things whenever you can or you will lose your kids’ interest altogether. You surely wouldn’t want that to happen, would you?
Start by introducing the basics. Keeping in mind that you need to simplify things, teach your kids the concepts of filling the frame, eliminating background distractions and the rule of thirds after teaching them hold to hold the camera properly. Don’t hesitate to discuss the concepts from time to time until you are confident that your kids have completely understood the concepts you are teaching them. All other things can follow after they mastered these concepts.
Let them practice what they learn. Kids do not want extensive lectures so let them hone their skills by putting into practice what they learned. You can either let them out on a photo shoot or you can have them take photos of things that can be found indoors. Let them take a lot of shots and be ready to answer their questions on how they can improve their photography skills.
Teach them the importance of finding a point of interest. After learning the basics, your kids should learn how to identify their point of interest before hitting the shutter button. Tell them how important this is in coming up with really interesting photos.
Encourage them to express their creativity. To encourage your kids to tap into their innate artistic abilities, you should concentrate on the things they can improve upon rather than pointing out each of their mistakes. Praise them for the good work they are doing and they will eventually be confident enough to express their creativity in more artistic ways. You can also try having contests to see how creative your kids can be.
Encourage them to experiment. If you notice that your kids are taking photos of the same things in basically the same way over and over again, you should teach them how they can vary their shots. You can teach them to shoot from different angles and perspectives, how to use their zoom and how to experiment with their exposure settings. Let me tell you – your kids will surely love this part!
Teach them the basics of proper camera care. Aside from teaching them how to take better images, you should also educate your kids on how they can keep their camera in top condition. You should always remind them to keep their camera straps on (this can be very important especially for younger kids) and to store their camera in a waterproof bag when not in use. Remember, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Make it fun! Kids learn better if they enjoy what they are doing so try to keep it light at all times. Let them do what they want and don’t be so critical even if they didn’t get it right the first time. Remember, practice makes perfect.
Introducing kids to the wonderful world of digital photography can be a great adventure for you and your kids so why don’t you try it? For sure, you and your little ones will enjoy every minute of it!
I hope you find today’s post quite interesting.
May your kids find great joy in digital photography,
Ray Baker
