I always say that a photographer is someone who, among other things, has the ability to see what others don’t see. To see a great photograph where others see a wall with a shadow, to see the potential of some lines that escape towards the horizon, to chase mirrors, to throw themselves on the ground, to climb on benches or to get excited when finding a good natural frame for your photos.
That capacity is 50% of what a photographer needs to take good pictures, plus a lot motivationa lot practicea camera and some technique. And guess who has that innate ability to observe, to surprise, to marvel at the world. Exact. Boys and girls should be the envy of any photographer who thinks of it.
In fact, if I had a magic lamp to make a wish to, without a doubt, I would ask them to give me back my girlish eyes to be fascinated with the world around me to a level that only boys and girls are capable of ;-). But since I don’t have it, I’m content to let myself be inspired by their way of seeing the world (which is not little) and to try to teach them to capture it in the best possible way in the form of photographs. Do we see some notes to share with them?
Teach them to take care of photographic equipment
Be responsible with what they are lucky enough to have and value the material with which they work, it is the first step that we must teach children. The importance of not getting wet, not being hit, or keeping the equipment clean and in good condition, as well as not being forgotten anywhere, is the basis of confidence to be able to work with the most important object you need. any photographer; the camera 😉
Teach them the basic functions of the camera
They may start with a compact with different functions (automatic, macro, landscape…) In that case, explain what each of those means automatic functions so you can choose based on what you intend to portray. Obviously, the degree of deepening of the explanation will not be the same for a three-year-old child as for a 10-year-old child.
Advice: A child is a child, that is, no matter how responsible it is, it is more than likely that the camera will suffer some other mishap, so, no matter how excited you are and no matter how much budget you have, it is better to start with one simple camerathat weigh littleand allow them focus on photographythan giving them the best SLR camera on the market, from which they will not know how to squeeze their potential and will end up being cumbersome when carrying it.
Here the best cameras for children with recommendations and purchase advice.
Hold the camera correctly
We have already talked in the blog about the importance of holding the camera properly to avoid camera shake. Adapted to a child (and the occasional adult with the Smartphone too) it will avoid:
- Little fingers in the middle of the frame (a classic not only for children 😉 )
- drop the camera
- Trepidations
Advice: The portrait format also exists ;-), let him know, offer to use it when he sees a dominant of vertical lines (for example buildings, lampposts, etc.). Also teach him to hold the camera well for this format.
Composition for children
I am not very much in favor of intervening too much in the creative process of a child, since they possess all the originality that innocence, intuition, and a whole life gives them outside of the corseted clichés that adults constantly drink from and that both inspire and stifle our creativity.
However, we can teach you some basic “rules” or composition tips that you can keep in mind when taking your photos.
The lines
That the lines fall due to carelessness, is an easy error to solve and at the same time it gives great results. Teach them the importance of keep the horizon or horizontal lines very straight, as well as the vertical ones.
The center (of the image)
Although it is not forbidden to center the image, when we start we have a tendency to put all the protagonists of our images in the center of it. Attempt move from time to time to the protagonist of the center of the image to one of the sides (rule of thirds for adults), it can be a good exercise for them to train their composition.
The center (of interest)
Teach them to identify what is the center of interest, that is, what is the protagonist of his image, it will help them to frame it better and become aware of it (try not to cut it, keep it in focus, get closer to it, etc.).
Advice: A good way to make them aware of this protagonist is to encourage them to put titles to the images they are taking, so they will focus more on what they have wanted to photograph, they will analyze the image and, what is more important, it will help them in the future in the practice of naming their photographs and being aware of the importance to do it (isn’t it something that crosses your mind from time to time? 😉 ).
The importance of point of view
Children already have a completely different point of view. different that of an adult. They are shorter, so they are closer to the ground (with the addition that they spend the day lying on the ground 😉 ) and they are also used to seeing the world from below. His “normal” point of view is always a few inches below that of an adult, and his imagination is limitless. Take advantage of their desire to move, to jump, to throw themselves on the ground so that they can work on the different points of view and analyze the results:
- At ground level: What can we photograph if we stretch out on the ground?
- bottom up: This is usually the way in which a child experiences the adult world, and the most representative, therefore, of his way of observing the world in general.
- Normal: teach them to get up to “normal” or face to face with the elements they want to photograph. Do you have a pet? A little brother or sister? Well, we crouch down at their eye level. That they have older brothers? An Argentine Dogo? Do they want to photograph mom and dad? So we climbed somewhere high (and safe) to do it.
- From up to down: No matter how small they are, there is always something smaller to be able to photograph from above 😉
Topics
There are so many things that can be photographed for someone who finds the world so fascinating, that sometimes you need to give them something to focus their creativity on.
One way to do this is to offer them various topics to focus your attention. You can, for example, motivate them through challenges or games in which they must pay attention to various aspects:
- textures
- Colors in different scenarios (make several series of different colors)
- Objects to be found, for example, on the street (a tree, an animal, a person’s face…)
- self portraits
- Your favorite doll in different environments
So you will teach them persevere and to have patienceessential ingredients for any small or large photographer 😉
Edition
Although we have edited images all our lives (yes, at the time of the reels we also did it), it is true that editing today is the order of the day and forms, more and more, part of the seal of each one of U.S. In this article you have 20 free online editing programs for you to practice with your children, although I recommend that you start with PicMonkeyvery intuitive and complete.
- Show him the difference that increasing or decreasing the exposure makes in an image
- Same for color saturation.
- What happens if we increase or decrease the contrast?
- Let him play with the different filters
- Or add letters, stickers, etc., let them be children 😉
Crafts
I don’t know any boy or girl who doesn’t love cutting, gluing, painting and daubing in general. So I can think of few better ways to top off the creative process than printing out your favorite photos and coming up with something to do with them:
- handmade photo albums
- Photo frames
- Collage
- puzzles
- Mobile
- garlands
Here are a few more ideas.
Remember it’s just a game 😉
The creativity that a child has is a treasure for which all adults with a moderately artistic soul dream, and creativity is, above all, free, so my main advice is that you teach them without making them stop being themselves, without losing their innocence, intuition and that special way of seeing the world that characterizes them. Childhood is a game, they learn by playing, and photography should never be more or less than that 🙂
Oh, and one last piece of advice: don’t teach them everything at once or it will seem like a roll monumental. Go giving them the instructions little by little, turn it into a game, and they will surely fall in love quickly, especially if they see their mother, father, grandfather, grandmother, uncle or aunt, whoever you are reading this article, all day camera in hand. At that moment, his curiosity and interest in photography began. That they don’t lose them only depends on how much they enjoy it 😉
I hope this article has been useful to you but, above all, I hope it will be useful to create a new generation of boys and girls who are passionate about photography 🙂 , who know how to see the beauty and magic of the images that surround them and that they themselves they are capable of creating. I would appreciate a recommendation on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ so that this article reaches as many people as possible. Thank you and see you next time.