Friday, 22 May 2015

How to get children into photography

To tie in with my link up Through My Child's Eyes, I wanted to share some tips on how to get children interested in photography and how to make it fun and interesting for them. 

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Photography can be a fun activity to do together as a family. For me, teaching the boys how to use a camera can be so much fun but can also at times be extremely stressful. I think the boys first started wanting their own camera when I first started blogging which meant I had to start taking pictures of literally every moment of our lives. Children love to mimic their parents and will pick up your interests and hobbies so it was obvious that they were going to want to try photography too. If you too have children that are starting to show an interest in photography then I have written a few tips below on how you can really get them excited about taking pictures. 

☆Allow them to have their own camera

The best way, that I have found, to get children excited about photography is to buy them a cheap, basic camera that they can call their own. I wouldn't recommend handing over your posh, beloved camera as it may have a short life expectancy in the hands of a young child especially, if like my children, they are prone to trip over their own feet while out walking on pavements. There are a number of amazing children's cameras on the market that have bumpers round the outside. As they get older and more responsible, you may feel they are ready for an upgrade. My eight year old has use of my old fujifilm  finepix pictured above which he tends to use for snapping away at his lego and his family. He is very responsible with the camera and he is definitely showing an understanding of the valve of certain things, which makes me more comfortable to allow him to take the camera on our days out.  Having their very own camera to hand will make such a huge difference in increasing their interest in photography. 

☆Start with the basics

A fun thing to do before they start using their camera, is to teach them about the joys of picture taking. Cut a rectangular "view finder" out of a cereal box and let the children run around framing the landscape until you feel they are ready to start taking some real photographs.
Once your child has their own camera to use, you will need to teach them the basics. Start off simple, if you rush and go crazy trying to teach them all the photography technical speak, like describing shutter speeds for example, they will be in danger of losing interest. 

☆Have Fun

When your child becomes more comfortable with their camera, start planning some fun outings or projects. It can be something as simple as taking photos of fascinating objects they have found or a walk around the local park. Or it can be as structured as a scavenger hunt with a list of objects to shoot. Don't make it feel like homework, make photography an enjoyable activity that everyone can get involved in. You can even make photography a game by asking your child if they want to go and see how many animals they can capture. The person (I let my children win) with the most beautiful animal gets to display their favourite photo on the fridge or placed into a frame. 

☆Show and Tell

My children really love it when I upload their photos to my laptop so they can show me what they have captured. I  have started to show them some simple edits to improve their photos and what filters to use to make your photos really stand out. To make it fun, I will use filters that will over exaggerate the effect, such as using space themes, night vision or the darkest black and white. They will shout at me to change it, kick me off the computer, and sit for ages picking the filters that they love. This is my method to teach them that photography isn't just point and shoot, there is so much more you can do to make the perfect picture. They have learnt so much from me letting them having free rain on the photo editing apps, they definitely enjoy it more if I'm not shouting over their shoulders, telling them what to do. 


If photography is your passion, it will probably become your children's too. You will know when it is time to teach your child how to use a camera and what level of prodding they can take before they lose interest in the camera you so kindly brought for them. I hope the above ideas help you to spark their interest and that you can have lots of fun, sharing your passion with your children. 

Remember if your child does love photography, I am hosting a link up called Through My Child's Eyes where you can show off your child's recent captures. 

Gem 
Mums' Days
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15 comments

  1. Fantastic ideas. I love the one about cutting a rectangle out of paper. Brilliant. I can see how that will get them to understand the concept really well. Love it. #TheList

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    1. It's such a fun activity and a great way for them to practise.

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  2. Alice Emma Thompson22 May 2015 at 06:13

    Great ideas Gemma - my daughter loves taking pics which is fantastic although does involve large numbers of photos of the teddies :-) #TheList

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  3. What fab ideas. My hubby is always taking pics of our daughter! I never thought to get her into photograpahy too! It totally makes sense! Angela x

    #TheList

    Angela recently posted "NHS/Calp0l Drama - Haliborange to the rescue" http://wp.me/p5XRN6-1sy

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  4. Great tips! At the moment I am trying to get my boys to pose infront of the camera. I might have gone too far and now Harvey avoids it. Maybe he is like me and likes to be behind the camera. Just got to get him to learn light room. Possible follow up post Gemma?? haha.

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    1. Thats such a good idea. I will try and write up some tips for you on getting the children to pose. It is hard work, mine never let me take their picture but they are little posers now.

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  5. mummyonmymind.com22 May 2015 at 09:05

    This is a great list, and getting kids into photography is a great initiative! I can't wait til my boy is old enough to get him into cameras! #thelist

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  6. Kriss MacDonald22 May 2015 at 10:33

    My kids love taking photos. Before I got them kids cameras they even took out their little tablets on some walks to capture scenes.

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  7. Great ideas.
    I want to get my eldest daughter a children's camera for this Christmas.

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  8. lifeatcookscabin.com22 May 2015 at 22:18

    I am getting my little one a camera for when we go away later this year, great post x

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  9. This is fantastic!! I love the idea of a viewfinder to get them going! Fab tips! #TheList

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  10. Victoria Welton22 May 2015 at 23:48

    This is perfect for me at the moment as I am about to let Grace use her camera on a regular basis. Thank you for linking to #PoCoLo x

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  11. Love the viewfinder idea. That'll really help with distance, zoom and close ups - reckon I'll try this with N. I've written my post up, so I'll go and link up now. #thelist

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  12. As you know my son loves the cams! Always borrowing mine so we got him a cheap one and he never goes out without them! #pocolo

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  13. you baby me mummy25 May 2015 at 05:44

    Fab tips honey. I think giving them their own camera is key. Thanks for linking up to #TheList x

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