Family Photography: A Hobby for All Ages

Kids love to take pictures. Most children find cameras and photography fascinating, often asking for a camera at a very young age. Fortunately, there are plenty of beginner cameras that are inexpensive, sturdy, and easy to use. Recent additions include digital cameras that are affordable and designed especially for children - no film required!

Photo Projects

There are many children’s books available that explain in detail the history of photography, how early cameras worked, the inner workings of a modern camera, and various techniques and projects that children can do using their cameras. Projects might include using photos to tell a story, such as “a day in the life of…” or to illustrate a children’s newspaper or family newsletter. He or she might seek and photograph patterns and colors; or create optical illusions, photo collages, or puzzles. Your child might want to create a file of "mystery pictures." Who can guess what they are and where they were taken? It’s fun to find new and unique ways to use your own photographs!

Photo Journaling

Encourage your child to use his or her camera to record special events. Take pictures of friends, family, holidays, vacations, and places they have visited, and use these photographs as an integral part of a personal journal. This can be hand-written with photos glued in scrapbook-style, or typed in a word processor with photos inserted, printed out, and bound. Share photos via email or through Internet photo albums with far away friends and relatives. Remember, printed photos can be scanned and turned into digital files very easily for sharing over the web. Your child might even want to build a simple website or weblog using his or her own photography.

Make a Pinhole Camera

Does your child understand how a camera uses light to expose film and create a photograph? One way to learn firsthand is to build a pinhole camera. You may have made a pinhole camera from an oatmeal box, but now your child can make an impressive working pinhole camera from a cool template and ordinary paper! Simply download the template and directions; then print, cut, and build your camera. This model looks like an actual camera, and uses regular 35mm film. Amazing!

Cameras for Everyone

As you explore and experience photography as a family activity, you'll likely end up with several cameras in the house, especially if your family members vary widely in age, abilities, and needs. The youngest may have a simple point-and-shoot camera, while your pre-teen or teen may want a few one-time-use cameras for trips or parties. A compact digital camera may be perfect for an older child; and you may have an SLR camera that you're still learning how to use (as well as a more sophisticated digital video cam).

Photography has truly become a hobby that the whole family can enjoy!

~Sandra Bynum

An avid photographer since childhood, Sandra Bynum set up her own darkroom at age 14. She earned her BA in Fine Arts, and continued to hone her photographic skills while homeschooling her children. Ms. Bynum is a freelance writer who recently opened a fine arts teaching center.