Skip to main content

How young is too young for photography


Meet Evan, my grandson, a precocious three year old. As you can see, he is quite comfortable being in front of the camera. I guess when you are born into the family of a photographer you come to accept having a camera in your face as normal.
As you can see, he is quite the ham. Every time I point the camera at him he'll look into the lens and say "cheese". He is also fond of pressing the buttons on the back of the camera. At first it was just the fun of pressing buttons. As he became aware that the buttons actually do something he got a kick out of the preview button and the live view button. Trust me, he knows the difference.

One day I decided to bring the camera so I can get photos of his new baby brother. If I got lucky I wanted a photo of the two together. Unfortunately that wasn't to be. Baby Bryce didn't want to cooperate and Evan wanted to hog the camera. It was time to switch gears.

I had set up my camera on a tripod with a wired shutter release on 10 second delay. I then showed Evan how to operate the shutter release and instructed him on how to do a self portrait. Needless to say, this kept him entertained for a good hour and a half.

He would click the shutter, run to the couch, pose and wait for the sound of the shutter. Once he heard the shutter click he would run back, press the preview button and do the whole procedure over again. and again, and again...

My wife and I got a kick out of watching the various expressions and poses he attempted to do. Most of what you see in the photo above is his imagination. The only suggestions we gave him was to, "try a different pose."

We were really surprised at how well he handled the equipment. My step daughter had given me a look as if I was crazy to let a three year old have access to my camera. I guess I had more faith in his abilities. I was also right there to guide him and prevent any mishaps.

I guess now I know what to get him for Christmas. Only it will be a kid's version.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Post a comment only if it adds to the topic being discussed. Spam, hate or derogatory comments will not be allowed.

Most Popular Posts

Upgrade Merry-go-round

Canon's release of their entry level full framed camera, the 6D, was a heralded event that received its fair share of anticipation, trepidation and arguments. I for one was looking forward to its arrival as I was in the market for a FF sensor but couldn't justify the cost of a 5D or 1D. Plus the fact that they have more features than I really need. When it came out I was one of the early buyers down at Milford Photo and before long I was unwrapping my new toy. Not soon after I discovered one of the hidden pitfalls of buying new gear; compatibility. In particular it was the compatibility with Adobe's Lightroom 3 which did not support the new 6D. " No problem, " I thought, " I'll just upgrade to LR4. " After all, the newest offering from Adobe promised some nice features I would appreciate. And this is where I got on the merry-go-round.
5 comments
Read More »

The Decisive Moment - a brief discussion

Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare, 1932 “Making a photograph means recognising, all at once and in a fraction of a second, an event and the exact organisation of the visually perceived forms that express and signify that event. It means aligning the head, the eye and the heart along the same line of sight. It’s a way of living.” Henri Cartier-Bresson Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) is credited for the expression, the decisive moment . The image at right, Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare , has become one of the most iconic of his images to represent that expression because it succinctly captures, in a single frame, the whole of his teachings. While there have been many discussions both casual and scholarly, like the image at right, his teachings has been oversimplified and distilled down to a short definition that, to me, has lost a lot of its original meaning or, as in some cases, completely missing the mark. Rather than getting into a lengthy dissertation on what Bresson consider...
4 comments
Read More »

Must have non-DIY photo equipment

When building up a collection of equipment for either a professional studio or a serious hobby studio, price is always a consideration. I am a big proponent to DIY equipment, specially if it can be crafted in a way that doesn't look home made. However, some things just can't be home made that a well stocked studio can't do without. Here is a small list of some of those little things you will always find yourself reaching for when doing studio work. Keep in mind that this is by no means an exhaustive list and there are some useable items I'll surely have forgotten to include. Feel free to add to the list in the comments section below.
4 comments
Read More »

Large DIY Diffusion Scrim

One of the most commonly used tools in my photographic arsenal is the all purpose diffusion screen . I use it to soften light, create gradients and light fields or as a background. One of my current favorites is a metal framed 4' x 4' foot scrim with thick white artificial silk made by Matthews. I didn't think I would use it so much, being so large, but having borrowed it from a friend I really came to love it. The downside for me is the price. At just over $100 I couldn't really justify the cost, considering I want at least two of them. Time for a DIY alternative.
2 comments
Read More »