Here is my experience with 2 children I am close to. When they were toddlers I used to let them use my Ricoh GR-1 to take any photos they wanted. Toddlers often take very strong and interesting photos.
As they have grown older, I let them use my p&s digital camera, or we buy them single-use cameras. I often also let them use (supervised) my Leicas, which are a good size for them now (9 & 12), and my Contax SLRs, which are far too heavy, but they insist. Neither of them has really got to grips with the idea of focussing or exposure, so I tend to set the SLRs on auto, or set the exposure on the Leica and focus on the hyperfocal distance. I might teach them to use the MX sometime. That would be a good learning camera if they want to learn about exposure and focus. I don't think either of them is likely to want to grow up to be a photographer, but their mother is arty. We have dragged them (often willing) through some of the best museums in the world and they know what a good picture looks like. So even if they don't grow up to be photographers, they will be able to take good photos. As they already do - far better than I did at their age. -- Cheers, Bob > -----Original Message----- > From: Vic Mortelmans [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: 15 August 2005 21:23 > To: pentax epostlijst > Subject: raising photographers > > Hello, > > a while ago, there was a kind of poll on the list about what > inspired you to get into photography. > > I'd like to twist the question towards how you would inspire > aspirant photographers. > > My kid is less than 1 year old, so it's not really an urgent > question, but I guess some of you have older kids and some of > them may have become interested in photography as well. > > Very concretely: what kind of camera would you provide your > kid for first experience? > > I (as most of you probably did) started with a completely > manual viewfinder camera (for me: AGFA Silette Vario) with > variable focus, aperture and exposure time. I just used the > pictograms that were on the inside of film boxes to set the > apertue to 'sun', 'cloudy', 'shade' or whatever... and that > worked. Then an inherited Pentax Spotmatic F came and added > the lightmeter to that (only had a single lens for long!). > > These days, I guess most kids would start either with a cheap > fixed-focus (disposable?) camera, or with a (digital?) > point-and-shoot after some 'upgrade' of the parents. Few > would get a completely manual camera and learn the meaning of > focus and light conditions. > > Would you be in favor of providing them manual equipment? > What is the risk of them getting discouraged because of bad > results compared to any point-and-shoot? At what age does it > make sense to give them anything manual; and what kind of > equipment would you be thinking of? > > Groeten, > > Vic > > > >
