I like your disposable camera idea, John. It would be a lot cheaper than the Holga and would achieve the same result with the advantage of built-in flash.
The only advantage of the Holga would be that they get to keep them, but in this digital age, realistically, how many would get used once they get them home? Film, processing and prints would be a huge expense for most youngsters. Much easier grab a p&s. Cheers, frank --- Original Message --- From: John Sessoms <[email protected]> Sent: January 14, 2012 1/14/12 To: [email protected] Subject: RE: OT: Photography for Kids? From: Christine Nielsen > Hello all... > > ...and Happy New Year! > > Well, 2012 has gotten off to a busy start, and I haven't had much time > to cruise the list lately... I hope Santa was good to everyone! > > One of the things I've been doing is teaching some classes, sort of a > "Photography for Moms"/Beyond "Auto" kind of thing, and it's been > going pretty well. I've been asked several times if I do kids' > classes... and I think I'm going to put something together in that > vein. > > So... I'm doing some research & thinking about how that might work. > And soliciting input from anyone who might have it... > > Thus far, this is what I'm assuming: > > - Kids aged 9 & up... maybe even a 9-12 group, and a 13 & up? > - Mostly p & s cameras, esp with younger kids > - Composition getting greater emphasis than ins & out of exposure - > we'll deal in Auto modes > - Teaching practical applications... finding "good" light, how to > photograph your friends, your pet, sports, landscapes, your vacation, > macro, etc... > - Keep it fun... a photo scavenger hunt? a website they can post > pics/contribute to? "A day in the life", or other photo projects..? > - Maybe 4 - 6 classes, 90 mins each > > What do you think? Anyone out there ever done this sort of thing, or > have any good resources to share? I'd be most grateful... > > > -c 90 minutes is too long; 20 minutes would probably work better with kids, certainly with teenagers. Heck, I know adults who can't pay attention for 30 minutes. I'm a big believer in starting kids out with one of those disposable film cameras and turning 'em loose. When they come back, THEN start going over the basics of composition, exposure & such. Get the kids involved early by having them find the compositional elements in their own photos & encourage a little self analysis - "How could I have made this better?" When they can relate abstract concepts to their own photos, they just seem grasp them a little more firmly. HINT 1: Use the flash indoors. That's what it's there for. HINT 2: The built in flash works really good for back-lit portraits. Then give 'em another disposable camera and turn 'em loose again to apply what they've learned. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
