Photography
Many children find cameras very interesting because a product (a picture) can be obtained almost immediately. This makes photography a fabulous hobby to be engaged by kids. They can use the cameras to take artistic and creative pictures, to create a personal ‘time journal’ as a way to record meaningful and special events that have happened, or simply for fun. Taking pictures can occur both indoors and outdoors and can be on virtually anything! The versatility of photography renders it suitable for children and individuals of all ages and various abilities.
By taking up photography, your
child can develop better awareness of their immediate physical
environments and become more observant. His/her creativity will be
nurtured and individual styles can be explored in the process of
producing a product that reflects him/herself. As they increasingly
progress towards more sophisticated techniques, they will also use
and hence develop different skills, such as geometry, artistic
abilities, fine hand control etc.
In your exploration of this
activity with your child, remember to make it fun and hands-on. You
may wish to begin by showing your child how to operate, before
allowing him/her to play with an old digital camera or even the
camera function on an unwanted mobile phone. Even though
photography equipment can range from disposable cameras and simple
point-and-shoot analogue models (film-loading) to complicated
professional SLR digital ones. For children, digital models are
preferred as they are easy to use, provide instant feedback to help
sustain their attention and more economical (you don’t need
to develop unwanted pictures!).