What would you teach a 6 year old about photography?

JustJazzie · Jun 8, 2014

(I hope there isn't a rule about how many threads you can start in a day. Surely I am breaking it if there is)

It all started a little over a year ago when ds (5 then) took all the flashlights he could find, and asked to borrow my cell phone. He came back an hour later with a set of these and asked. "Do you like my lighting?!"

Here we are, a year later and he is ALWAYS asking to use my camera, or my phone, or asking me to take a picture of something for him. He truly enjoys taking pictures, and I would like to teach him some foundations. However, I'm not sure what would be appropriate to teach him or if I should just keep leaving the camera on auto and letting him have fun. He seems very interested, but I would hate to push and end up with him disinterested.

How and when did you start sharing your joy of photography with your kids? When is a good age to teach them how to use a dslr?

table1349 · Jun 8, 2014

Get him one of these. Kid-Tough® Digital Camera

See what follows. He is too young to understand the concept of composition at this point. As he grows a bit older, usually around the age of 7 or so, he will if he still is interested in photography begin to compare what he does with what you do and try to get similar results. At that point you can begin to teach him the concepts of photography. Understand even then he will not have the capacity to fully understand or fully achieve those concepts as he will still be seeing a tree instead of the forest. But he will begin to be able to focus in on that tree. When he is older he will see the begin to see the forest.

480sparky · Jun 8, 2014

They need to WANT to learn more than just point-n-shoot. If you try to force it on them, they'll buck.

The_Traveler · Jun 8, 2014

Get aqn inexpensive P&S, put it on auto and let him shoot.

pgriz · Jun 8, 2014

First, your son needs to WANT to take pictures. Then, he has to WANT to take better pictures. And instead of teaching him the exposure triangle and stuff, tell him there are secrets. There is the blur weapon, and the freeze trick, and the "seeing-in-the-dark" magic... So P&S, is a good place to start. When he finds out there's not enough light, ask him how to make light. If he thinks the colours are all weird, ask him why? The more he can figure out on his own, the better is the chance that he'll "get it".

deeky · Jun 8, 2014

My daughter (8 now) has always wanted to be taking pictures. Based on my experience, unless you want to spend a couple hundred, skip the kiddy cam and even the blister pack cameras marketed for older kids. I got a decent p&s for $50 (half off) on Black Friday. It has optical zoom, flash, and is easy for her to figure out the basics. Forget the technicals. Work on basic composition. They actually had photography day at her school and they taught them to walk around with their thumbs and forefingers in a rectangle, visualizing a shot. Shooting inside, we've talked just a little about thinking about where the light is coming from and shooting the light side of things.

Previous points have been right - kids just can't grasp most abstract concepts. Keep it fun and simple and lay a solid foundation for the future.

minicoop1985 · Jun 8, 2014

My son's got a tough kid camera and two in his kid tablet. Spoiled, I know. He loves taking pictures with digital cameras where he can see the screen, but even more so, he loves mechanical cameras that make a mighty loud noise when they fire. I've decided it's never too early to start teaching him, and if he's interested, I plan to give him the best tools I can (well, the ones that fit best, not a Leica S2 for his first DSLR, obviously) if it's something he really is interested in. I'm not going to shove him into it, just nurture it if that's what he needs/wants. In any case, I've obviously been working with him...

Coop and Blad by longm1985, on Flickr

Why not? :lol:

Mike_E · Jun 9, 2014

Take him to a museum and teach him about beauty. Not only the shapes of things, whether paintings or sculptures, but show him how the light holds these objects for us to see (3d) or how the artist used the light to hold them in a painting.

Then teach him about the written word and how it correlates to the things he's seen in the visual arts. How to picture a scene in a book and imagine not only the objects there but how they are lit and the color of that light. How to define the emotions you get from a poem and then to picture the light and the color of light and then which objects or people it might show.

Play with the gadgets but teach him beauty and he'll do just fine no matter what.

robbins.photo · Jun 9, 2014

Simple enough, just tell him he's not allowed to book his first wedding until he's at least 10.

Seriously though, best bet is usually one small step at a time. Pick a really simple concept and show him that first. Something it doesn't take more than say 5 minutes to explain. Then let him take tons of pictures to practice that. A week or two later try another concept.

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Civchic · Jun 9, 2014

My boy is 4.

may 4 033 taking pics by civgirlca, on Flickr

I agree on skipping the kiddy cams - at least the ones I've seen (and have one). He uses my little Olympus P&S, probably $75 5 years ago - if he breaks it, it's no great loss. But it gives him quality images for what he wants. He loves to take pictures - especially of people and scenery. Just this weekend he was with me while we were watching an osprey, and he lamented "Ugh Mommy I need a better lens." Ha. Wonder where he heard that one? I've just been teaching him, when HE asks, how to accomplish something he's trying to do. Hence this picture - he asked how to take nicer pictures of the flowers, so I said he had to get close or a "different view of them".

I also completely agree with Mike_E. Inspire him. He goes to a daycamp at the Art Gallery for March break (and is excited for his summer camp week at the Art Gallery), and he loves trips to the ROM or other museums. Learning how to see beauty is the most important part of capturing beauty.

paigew · Jun 9, 2014

That tough kid camera is awesome! I'm going to have to get one for my daughter. (4.5). She loves to take iPhone photos. I am slowly teaching her about comp. rather than click click click. I tell her think about what she wants to take a picture of first. Line it up, then take it. She is actually doing pretty good !

Check out the photography project they did in my daughters art school. I think it would be cool to create sets with their toys etc. get them really into it.

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JustJazzie · Jun 9, 2014

These are all great ideas! Thanks everyone. I think for now, I will let him keep borrowing my NEX. And I will at least teach him how to focus. (Auto mode is almost NEVER focusing on what he wants) and see where his interest leads from there!

Derrel · Jun 9, 2014

I would keep it simple when you have the talk with him. Just tell him that whenever two cameras get together that, as a matter of nature, "other" and "new, and different" cameras appear a few months later, often over years or decades, and that it's all perfectly natural. Don't make a big deal about it. He will soon hear about this from other kids, but since you'll already have had "the talk" with him, he'll know that the cameras come from BestBuy or Adorama or B&H Photo, and not from some horrible creature seen in some movie.

And of course, let him know that you can love EACH camera as much as any other camera, and that there ARE NO FAVORITES! Yes, some will have big lenses, and others will be faster-firing, or more-compact, but each and every camera is its own, rare,and special gem.