13 Lessons to Teach Your Child About Digital Photography
Today while sorting through some old boxes I found a photo album filled with the first ever photos that I took as a young budding photographer. I was around nine years old when I first started using our family’s film point and shoot camera and I still remember my Dad’s ‘training’ on how to use it. Basically it consisted of this advice:
‘Don’t take too many shots’
Remember, this was back in the day of film photography where film and processing costs made my Dad’s advice pretty sound. However looking back over my early images I wish he’d taught me a few other things about taking photos. Here’s some of the advice I could have benefited from hearing.
Note - before I start I should say that you can probably teach a child too much about photography and ‘kill’ some of the playfulness that I think makes the images that a child can take special. My main advice would be to instill in your child the first lesson below - of experimenting and having fun:
1. Experiment
Looking over many of the shots that I took in those early days shows me that I took a lot of shots of almost exactly the same things. I approached my subjects in much the same way with every shot and as a result ended up with very similar results. Teach your child how to vary their shots in a number of these ways:
- shoot from different perspectives - up high, down low etc
- getting in close - stepping back for a wider angle shot
- moving around your subject to shoot from different sides
- experimenting with different settings (teaching them about different exposure modes)
2. Check your Backgrounds
A very simple concept that can enhance an image is to check out the background of a shot to check for clutter or distraction.
Teach your children to scan the background (and the foreground) of an image quickly and to change their framing if there’s too many distractions - otherwise their shots will end up like mine used to with all kinds of objects growing out of the heads of those I was photographing.
Read more about How to Get Backgrounds Right
3. Hold the Camera Straight
The other obvious problem with many of my first images is that they rarely lined up straight. In fact after viewing my first album for a few minutes I began to feel quite dizzy!
While shots that are not straight can be quite effective (they can be playful or give a more ‘candid’ feel to them) it is good to teach your children to check the framing of their shot before hitting the shutter.
Read more on Getting Horizons Horizontal and Getting Images Straight
4. How to Hold a Camera
It is easy to assume that everyone knows how to hold a digital camera - however while many people do it intuitively some will not - particularly children who are unfamiliar with them. In fact I’ve seen a lot of adults who could do with a lesson or two on how to hold a camera and whose images must suffer with camera shake as a result of poor technique.
A quick lesson on securing your camera could help a child get clear, shake free images for years to come.
Further Reading on How to Hold a Digital Camera
5. Get in Close
Almost all of the shots that took in my first rolls of film have my subject somewhere off into the distance of the shot. This is partly because the camera that I was using didn’t have a zoom lens - but it was partly because I didn’t understand how getting in close would help capture the detail of a subject.
Teach your children how to use the zoom on your digital camera - but don’t forget to teach them how using their legs to move closer can achieve the same results!
Learn more about Filling Your Frame
6. Take Lots of Photos
While my Dad’s advice did save our family a lot of money at the time - with the advent of digital photography, taking lots of pictures is no longer something that is too costly (although there are costs in terms of storing them all). Taking lots of images is a great way to learn different techniques of photography.
While you probably will want to encourage your children not to take 100 shots of exactly the same thing - encourage them to experiment with lots of different shots over time and as they do you’ll see their photography improve.
7. Getting the Balance Right Between Photographing People, ‘Things’ and Places
I still remember coming back from my first overseas trip as a teenager (a school trip) and showing my parents my photos. Their first comment was that I had hardly taken any shots of people. All my shots had been of buildings. While some of them were interesting - I missed one of the most important aspects of the trip - those I was traveling with.
I chatted to a friend with two children recently and she told me that one of her children did the same thing with me - but the other came back from a school trip with hundreds of photos of their friends but none of the sites that they saw. I guess some children get too focused on photographing sites and some too focused upon photographing people. If you see your child doing this - perhaps reflect back to them that they think about different types of photography.
8. Find a Point of Interest
Interesting photographs have interesting things in them - they need a visual point of interest (a focal point). Teach your child to identify what this point of interest is before hitting the shutter.
Once they’ve identified the point of interest they can then think about how to highlight it (by positioning themselves, using their zoom etc).
Learn more about Finding Points of Interest in Your Photography
9. Rule of Thirds
A simple principle of photography that I’ve taught a number of children is the Rule of Thirds. While I’ve talked numerous times about how breaking this rule can also be a powerful effect - it is something that I’ve found really can lift a child’s images - particularly when they are photographing other people.
Even if the child doesn’t completely understand to position their subject right on the intersecting third points - to teach them how to place their subject off centre can be enough.
Read our Rule of Thirds Tutorial
10. Review Your Children’s Images with Them
One thing that you can do to help your children drastically improve their photography is to sit down at the computer with them after they’ve been out with their camera to go through their shots.
As you scroll through them pause to affirm them with what they’ve done well and to point out things that they could do better next time to improve their results. Pay particular attention to the shots that they do well with as this will give them positive reinforcement and inspiration to keep going with their hobby.
11. Focal Lock
One important technique that children will do well to learn is how to use focal lock. While most cameras do well in auto focusing upon subjects there are times when you’ll end up with shots that are out of focus because the camera doesn’t know what the main subject is (particularly if they are placing subjects off centre with the rule of thirds).
Teach your child how to press the shutter halfway down to focus and then to frame the shot while still holding it down and they’ll have a skill that they’ll use forever!
12. Different Modes for Different Situations
The day that i discovered my family film camera had a little dial for different ’shooting modes’ on it was a day my photography improved a little. Most digital cameras these days have the ability to switch a camera into modes like ‘portrait’, ’sports’, ‘macro’ etc. Teach your child what these modes mean and when to switch to them and you’ll be taking them a step closer to learning about how their camera works and how to learn about manual exposure modes (see the next point).
Just knowing that different situations will mean you need to use different settings is an important lesson for kids to learn as it helps them to become more aware of not only their subject but things like how light, focal distance and subject movement can impact a shot.
Read our tutorial on Different Camera Modes
13. Exposure Settings
Once your child has a good grasp on the above techniques it might be time to teach them some basics of exposure (this might be one for slightly older kids). Learning about the three elements of ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed are a useful place to start your lessons and giving them an introduction to how changing these settings can impact a photo.
The best way for them to learn this is by introducing them to Aperture and Shutter priority modes.
Learn more about different aspects of exposure including Shutter Speed, Aperture and ISO.
What do You Teach Your Children?
Of course deciding which of the above lessons for kids on photography to teach your child will depend upon their age and experience. Some are obviously more appropriate for some children than others. I’d be interested to hear what readers do when it comes to this topic? What have you taught your kids?
With my own son (who is 16 months old) we’re obviously not up to any of these - however I am teaching him to become familiar with cameras - showing him images once they’ve been taken on the LCD, letting him look through the viewfinder and even pressing the shutter. This familiarization is really nothing more than that - but in doing so he’s becoming more comfortable with cameras - and I’ve noticed when I’m photographing him (which does happen a lot) he’s much more happy to pose for me.
Read more posts like '13 Lessons to Teach Your Child About Digital Photography'
October 30th, 2007 at 5:43 am
thank you for a great blogpost.
We have a daughter on 3 1/2 who has our old little digital camera to shoot with - she absolutely loves it.
Now we have a lot of great tips on how to educate her in photography - awesome !
October 30th, 2007 at 6:05 am
I have been working with my son and his camera for 2 years now. He’s 5 now. He has an incredible eye and I love just letting his imagination flow. I have tried to teach some basics that you mention here. Thanks for reminding me of new things to try with him.
October 30th, 2007 at 6:18 am
Those are all good points, but I think you may have missed the most important one: Play and have fun!
These are kids, after all. It doesn’t really matter how technically good their photos are. If they’re enjoying what they’re doing, they’ll learn and remember far more than if they’ve had ‘obey the rule of thirds’ drummed into them.
October 30th, 2007 at 7:24 am
Here’s one from experience…don’t try to sneak up on a skunk to get a great shot. A couple of years ago my son was using my old digital camera taking photos while camping. He spotted a skunk (having no idea what it was) and wanted to get up close for a better shot. Needless to say the camping trip ended early we had to flush out his eyes and scrub him down for the rest of the day. The camera wasn’t usable for over a week either from pure stench.
Moral of the story, teach you kids the precautions to take when trying to photo animals :)
October 30th, 2007 at 7:30 am
Some good stuff there - but I think it depends on the kid how much “coaching” you should do. I have just started lending my son the point and shoot and he really enjoys using it (and I like seeing what he thinks it is interesting to take photos of - some quite surprising). I don’t think he would take well to “instruction” at the moment (he likes to do his own thing) but I am hopeful that he will be interested enough to ask some questions. This will be a useful reference. Thanks :)
October 30th, 2007 at 8:07 am
Teach them…
…to love the blades of grass
…to see a story in the light
…to feel the joy of colours
…to sense the mood of a scene
…the wonder of an intricate detail
…to anticipate a magical moment
…the patience of post-processing
…the fun of sharing a photo
…the benefits of listening to comments
…how to put people at ease
…the beauty of order and patterns
…an appreciation of the greater artists who create the architecture or gardens or scenery
October 30th, 2007 at 9:29 am
do you have any suggestions for a beginner digital camera for a 9 year old girl? While she certainly has an interest in photography and the photos that we all post on our slideshows, she really doesn’t seen all that ready to take care of a camera…i.e. charge it, not drop it, keep it clean. Taking care of the camera can certainly be part of the fun of learning to take pictures..
October 30th, 2007 at 10:19 am
Now if only someone would teach my mother how to use focal lock…
October 30th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
I’m enjoy taking better pictures now, the only problem is how to teach my hubby to take better photos of me! Maybe I have to take my own pictures too.
I guess I become more demanding when it comes my own photos. Ah I just need to loose weight to look good at all angles ;) .
October 30th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
michael - one camera you might want to consider is the - it’s not cheap - but it’s tough!
October 30th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
5) This sucks the most. Whenever I give my D80 somenone else to make a picture of me I am far to small and 90% of the pic is just fore- and background. I even get better results holding the cam myself with a stretched arm.
Just a few of my pals know how to shot right. It’s always a pleasure to give the cam to them!
October 30th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
Excellent article. I have no child of mine for the moment, but my nephew seems to show interest in photography.
These points are a good reminder of what I could teach him.
Also, it’s would be much useful for adults (hey, Mom ;)).
October 30th, 2007 at 11:38 pm
I feel kindof weird now.. a couple things there I don’t even know much about at all!
October 30th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
a very good idea to bring the children nearer to the camera. many a children, despite their parents encouragement, do avoid taking photos. this photoblog will at least put their parents at rest while coming to the teaching basic techniques of taking a good photograph. very encouraging. thanks.
October 31st, 2007 at 8:36 am
Michael - I got my daughter a Fuji S602 for a great price (under $125) on Ebay. It is a very versatile camera, even has a B&W mode, several scene modes and full manual, AV, Tv, and macro modes. At age 15 she took two blue ribbons and a third place at our local Fair. With a 6X zoom and the feel of a small SLR it is a great camera!
November 1st, 2007 at 11:52 am
This is an excellent step-process tutorial. There are some very good ideas here. I wish more young people would become interested in photography. It has much more to offer than just the artistic side. Your 13-Steps has the potential to launch many new, young shooters.
Personally, if I were teaching a young person your 13-Steps I might consider exchanging the order of step 12 and 13. Teach manual setting and manipulation first then work with automatic settings. Too many of us (me included) fall back on the ease of auto settings. We need for this new wave of photographers to understand what it is to control exposure manually. Empower them with the knowledge of how to stop and think about an image before taking it. Allow them to discover that their brain can be infinitely more flexible and creative than an automatic setting. Auto settings tend to make for “lazy” beginners and seasoned pros as well.
Show how to set up depth-of-field by varying aperture and shutter. Help them discover selective metering for complex shadow and highlight scenes. Teach them about manually setting their cameras for flash photography by calculating the distance, ISO, and shutter speed against the aperture. Teach them how to manually set “Sun Sync” to use fill flash properly with sunny day photography outdoors. Explain Ratio Lighting and how to use it in making dramatic portraits and product shots. Allow them to explore the technical side of photography then let them loose with their cameras to break all the rules.
Fiat Lux!
Bilka
November 2nd, 2007 at 1:11 am
michael g-
My niece showed a real interest and knack for photography, so I bought a used Canon PowerShot 2 or 3 year old camera from B&H Photo. It was about $60 and banged up just a bit, but not bad at all. Perfect, IMO for a 9-year-old, which is what she is. She loves it and it’s got a lot of functionality for the price, since it’s used. She doesn’t care!
November 2nd, 2007 at 1:20 am
Thanks for a wonderful article! I’ve had my granddaughter out shooting since she was 2 1/2 years old. Here’s a pic of her at age 3 setting the camera [http://www.megalink.net/~rkluz/pix/Riley-and-camera.jpg]. The hardest part at that age was getting her to wait for the digital camera to finish focusing before she pressed the shutter button. I cannot tell you how much *I* learned by seeing the world from her level. She’s now 7, and I have her doing video. She loves to walk around her world and narrate what the viewer is seeing. =)
November 2nd, 2007 at 1:34 am
I have a sample of what not to do when giving a camera to a younger family member.
http://www.jozefnagy.com/?q=node/33
You don’t want to leave the camera in either of the 2 priority modes unless the person knows what they’re doing. I should’ve left the camera in fully automatic since it’s usage that day was just point and shoot.
November 2nd, 2007 at 1:40 am
I bought a Canon PowerShot for my 6yo son last Christmas and he absolutely LOVES taking shots. It’s so fun to see what kind of interesting stuff he takes pictures of! He’s really big into doing macro-type shots where they’re so close, you have to look at it a few times to figure out what exactly it is. Thanks to that camera, most of his shots are really crisp and have an awesome DOF!
Eventually, I want to teach him more of the above, but seeing as how he’s only six, I like just letting him run with it and take whatever shots he wants. He comes up with some pretty neat artistic shots!
November 3rd, 2007 at 4:52 pm
Great post! Kids can take the most amazing shots if you stick a camera in their hands and give them freedom.
I learned photography back in the film days. Got my first camera at age 6 (Kodak Brownie). Started developing and printing my own sometime in my teen years. I had a darkroom right off my bedroom (was a kitchen when that space was an apartment).
The best advice my father (photographer and Kodak exec) gave me was “film is cheap.” This is particularly true when you’re developing it yourself, but the expense of redoing or missing a shot is much higher than the cost of another frame of film.
The great thing about digital is that “bits are free”. It makes it so much easier to “experiment” and take “lots of shots.”
November 9th, 2007 at 8:03 am
This was a marvelous lesson. The lessons were spot on, and I laughed quite a bit. Now, that’s what learning is all about. You do have a great sense of humor!
December 23rd, 2007 at 1:57 am
Target sells a digital camera for 3-6 year olds made by V-Tech. It was on sale for $40 when I saw it (usually $50) and it has two viewfinders so your child can use it like binoculars. It even has an lcd screen and you can hook it up to your TV to see the pictures!