Photofocus

It’s time to jump-start your photographic vision. Here’s a fun photo assignment that will absolutely help.

You will need another photographer to complete this assignment. But not just any photographer will do. You need a special photographer. You need a kid!

That’s right – a kid! Go get your son, daughter, niece, nephew or neighbor kid and take them out shooting this weekend.

Buy up one of those disposable cameras at the grocery or drugstore. Go find something pretty. Show the kid how the camera works. Then sit back and learn.

Yep, I said learn. What can a kid teach you about photography? Plenty! Look at how they “see” things. Notice their perspective – it will be very different from your own. You’ll probably be amazed at what they photograph that you would not. Hopefully you’ll be reminded of times when you were younger and more willing to explore and take chances. Kids haven’t made up their mind about everything yet and accordingly, they’re much more open minded, creative and free. There’s a lesson there for all of us.

To make this photo outing work, it’s important that you don’t interfere. Let the kid be in charge. You’re just there to observe. Your job is transportation, safety, security and support. Let the kid have fun and shoot whatever he/she wants.

Then, make a date to look at the pictures when you get them back from the drugstore. I know you can do this simpler with a digital camera, but trust me, it’s important to do it this way. If you use the drugstore camera, you return some of the magic you used to feel back in the old days when you couldn’t chimp (look at the back of the camera at the LCD.) There’s a magical discovery waiting for you when the prints come back. Share that with the child. Ask them to pick a favorite and then make TWO enlargements – one for them and one for you.

Make sure to keep that enlargement handy so you can look at it once in a while as a reminder. . . a reminder that photography is something so beautiful and special that both kids and adults can do it – and can do it well enough to make a difference in the world.
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This post sponsored by the Digital SLR Store