How to teach photo to children [???]

I take my nephew with me about once a week to the local arboretum. I bought him a small digital just so he could follow me around and have some fun. It took about three shots when he realized that I did not have a picture to look at immediately. He thought this was the most absurd thing in the world. I loaded another roll and let him shoot the whole thing (with my assistance of course) and when we were done told him he had to wait until the next time we hung out to see his pictures. How to know if a 5 year old is interested in something? When he calls you everyday for a week checking up on his pictures. When he finally saw them he was ready to go again.

At such a young age our core curriculum is pretty simple. We have to come up with 4 good reasons to take a picture, and I just make him do everything slowly. He doesn't realize that the time is passing because we talk about the shot as we set it up.

Just make it fun. Right now my main goal is to produce a calm, laid back who knows that instant gratification is not the only gratification. If he ends up loving photography that's just a perk.

Here's how my dad taught me when I was about 10 or 12 years old:

He handed me a camera with the shutter set on 60. He showed me how to focus. He showed me how to turn the aperture ring until the little needle inside the viewfinder was between the lines. He said, "When this little number gets up to 24 give the camera back to me." He sent me on my way with a final warning: "If you bust that camera I'm going to bust your ass!"

When I was done, he took the film out and that was it. Dad had the film developed and he gave me the results.
We sat down together and he told me what was good or bad about each shot. Which ones were in or out of focus. Which exposures were too dark, too light or just right. He took a red magic marker and wrote a note on the back of each one and gave the pictures back to me.

Those pictures are still around, somewhere, because I know my mother has several envelopes full of photos stashed away that are marked, "Taken by Randy."

kennycouch said:

I take my nephew with me about once a week to the local arboretum. I bought him a small digital just so he could follow me around and have some fun. It took about three shots when he realized that I did not have a picture to look at immediately. He thought this was the most absurd thing in the world. I loaded another roll and let him shoot the whole thing....

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Very nice. You are a lucky man to be doing this.

r

Mats