Not too long ago I was taking pictures of a religious dance festival in one of the remotest destinations on the planet, up in the Himalayas. I was completely engrossed in the dance, my eye glued to the viewfinder. Suddenly, I felt something trying to crawl up my arm! Then I heard a giggle, saw a stream of drool rain down from above, and a set of small hands reaching out to grab my camera. It was a toddler and though we didn't speak the same language, we shared the joy of photography! With his smile he told me "All I want to do is direct!"
Though as parents we think of photographs as something that we take of our kids, empowering them with a camera can unleash their creative potential.
I'm not suggesting giving your expensive digital camera to your three year old - I don't want their tears or yours should the inevitable breakage occur. But there are alternatives that can really get your kids thinking about themselves and their world in a new way, making them content creators rather than passive viewers.
Hardware
Fortunately, your youngster doesn't need a multi-megapixel camera to get started with photography. They will be happy viewing their pictures on a screen, and that doesn't require a big pixel count.
Young camera buffs will really enjoy a device built for them from the ground up. One of my favorites is the Playskool Showcam 2-in-1 Digital Camera ($38.95 on Amazon). It stores up to 1000 pictures, and even has built in editing capabilities and silly stamps that you can add to enhance your pictures. What makes it stand out from the other kid-cameras is that with the flip of a switch it can project the pictures on a wall! Now, are these hi-rez pictures. No, but it is more than adequate to get your three to six year old on the road to becoming the next Ansel Adams or Diane Arbus.
Another alternative is one of the tablets from Leapfrog. Some are even capable of taking videos as well as photos. Like mom and dad's tablet these are multi-function devices, but built from the ground up to be rugged, kid-accessible, and empowering.
If your child is older consider passing down one of your older cameras or cell-phones, or purchasing a low-end point and shoot, something inexpensive enough that it won't cause a family crisis if it is dropped or left-behind.
I'm not saying that camera is going to get lost or destroyed, and in fact giving a hi-tech gift is an opportunity to praise a child while reinforcing your expectations of responsibility, but - face it - it could happen.
Giving a camera should not be the end of parental involvement. Learning to use the features of the device is an opportunity to develop skills they will use for a lifetime. Whether you're explaining (and your child is developing listening skills) or you're helping your older child learn how to work through a manual, the process helps your child become resourceful, competent, and self-confident.
Projects
As I mentioned, your child's first photographic projects will probably reside on the screen. In fact, most of us view or pictures on mobile devices and computers. That doesn't mean that once taken we need to become passive. Some of the most exciting things you and your family can do with a camera happen before and after the pictures are snapped.
There are many brain-building games that can be played with a camera. You can construct learning activities tailored to your child's needs and interests. Create your own color, counting, and alphabet games by taking pictures around the house and neighborhood. Send your child on quests to take pictures of things in threes, or with the number '3', or things that are red. Or, take them yourself.
Is your child learning about visual concepts like "over", "on", and "under"? Take pictures that illustrate these ideas and use them to help your child put it all together.
If you've shared the I-Spy picture books with your children (where various objects are assembled, photographed and turned into visual puzzles) why not take a stab at creating your own.
Photos and videos can, of course, be used to tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end. A game to play with your child is to put three, four, or five photos in order based only on the clues found in the images.
Disney's free app, called "Story", is a good place to create narratives with your kids. Unfortunately, it only works on iOS devices from Apple. Using a drag-and-drop interface you create "moments", Disney's name for a mini-album. Rather than a blank canvas, Disney's Story helps you create small, focused projects, each of which can have up to twenty images (plus two videos), with four images to a page. You can add captions bringing verbal as well as visual literacy skills to the project. This makes it more than a photo gallery. It is a great start to communicating in the new-media world our kids have inherited. Oh yes, and it is free (and also relatively light on Disney cross-marketing, though there are movie based themes). It makes a great project to work on with your children, even if you are somewhat technophobic.
One of the best things about Disney's Story is that it helps organize photos and videos after the fact into a narrative.
But, kids also enjoy creating their own free-form video creations. Using blocks, trains, dolls, and action figures, they can use digital cams to act out their own stories.
Digital cameras can be used to bridge the tween years when kids struggle to find themselves as they transition from childhood to adolescence. Now, instead of just snapping away, using the camera as a toy, they take on new significance as tools of expression and social identity. The provide opportunities for parents and children to communicate about responsibility and privacy as they begin to operate in a larger world that extends beyond the front door. Safety issues come to the forefront: what information do we share with others; with whom do we share information.
The technology in newer cameras, including many smart phones, may surprise you even if you take selfies all the time. Beyond stills and movies, you'll find 360 degree panoramas, tilt-shift focus, variable focus, stop motion and amazing filters. These are often somewhat obscured by menus, which means your input might be required to help reveal the treasures within. On the other hand, as your children becomes more capable, perhaps even outstripping your own technical prowess, let them demonstrate their expertise.
As their creative aspirations grow you may want to expand the apps and software they use. They will surely want to have the ability to share, edit, and display their works.
This would be a good time to introduce them to photo sites like Instagram, Flickr, 500px, and SmugMug. They offer ways to edit and display pictures on-line. Each offers its own take on privacy, so be sure to review the policies before proceeding.
Though printing photos has become less important than it was in the days of film cameras when it was the primary way of seeing what you had captured, there are more options than ever on how to get hard copy of your pictures.
Piccolo.is is a subscription service founded by my daughter, Kate Oppenheim, that automatically sends you photos from your on-line instagram or facebook account once a month. It is a way of making sure you'll have access to the pictures you've shared online years from now when the site you use today may no longer exist. Packages range from 20 prints a month ($10) to sixty for twenty dollars a month.
Photobooks are the modern version of a photo albums. They come in all shapes and sizes from paperback to hard cover. All sorts of options are available: the thickness and reflective nature of the paper, cutout windows, end papers, and more. Shutterfly, Snapfish, are good for first time users looking for a variety of ready made templates. Blurb.com is my favorite source for making books because it offers both on-line and off-line book creation software and also works with more professional solutions like Lightroom.
You'll find lots of photo projects at Shutterfly and Snapfish that go well beyond books. You can make cards, prints, wall art, magnets, phone cases, aprons, and mugs.
