My 10 year old son Ashley received a letter in the mail today, indicating he had won first prize in the "Plant and Animal Habitats" category for Years 4 to 7 of Chevron Australia's Focus Environment photography competition.

As can be expected, he was pretty excited about the win, and is looking forward to the presentation ceremony in October.

Here's his winning photo, taken in our back yard with one of my favourite lenses, the Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens:

explorative spider

photo by Ashley, aged 10

back yard, Western Australia
Canon EOS 350D, 100mm f/2.8 macro @100mm, 1/125 sec, f/11, ISO200

Update (19 October 2009): We attended a presentation evening on 15 October, where Ashley received a certificate, and a cheque for $200, as well as $1500 for his school.
All the winning photos from the 2009 competition have now been published on Chevron's website, and the winning entries for each of the categories can be seen on these pages:
        People and the Environment
        Nature's Moods
        Plant and Animal Habitats

Having written recently about Getting Your Kids Started In Photography, here's a list of reasons why you should get your kids into photography.

Ashley (my 10 year old son)
Mandurah foreshore, Western Australia


1. Encourage Creativity
   
   Photography encourages a child's creativity by making them think about colours, composition, framing, light, depth-of-field, etc. The creativity is not just limited to the photography either, but also extends to how the child uses the photos they take. For example, photos can be used by the children for scrapbooking, making bookmarks, making cards, etc.
   
   
2. Keep Them Entertained
   
   Photography has the potential to keep children occupied for many hours. This includes the action of taking the photos, as well as post-processing, learning more about photography by reading, etc.
   
   
3. Get Them Outdoors
   
   Today's children often spend too much time indoors, behind the tv / computer / game console. Outdoor photography provides another reason for them to enjoy the outdoors, both close-to-home in your back yard, and the greater outdoors, in parks, forest, etc.
   
   
4. Share Your Passion
   
   As you're reading this photography blog, I assume you have at least a passing interest in photography yourself. Getting your kids into photography allows you to share your passion with them, as well as sharing your photography gear with them.
   
   
5. Photography is a Great Social Activity
   
   Photography can be a great social event, particularly if there are multiple photographers in the family. I regularly take my two older children (aged 8 and 10) on photography outings.
   I also have taken my children on a number of photowalks with other friends and colleagues.
   
   
6. Capture Memories
   
   Photography allows children to capture their own memories from their own viewpoint of significant events, such as birthdays, family outings, holidays, etc. These photos can mean a lot more to the children than just the photos taken by a parent, as the children will often see different things to photograph, and will see them in a different way.
   
   
7. Potential Source of Income
   
   In the longer term, photography can potentially provide some income to the child, either via micro-stock agencies, print-on-demand prints (such as redbubble.com), or by taking photos of events and people and selling prints. As the children's photography prowess improves, there may be opportunities for doing family/group photos of friends and family, and possibly also weddings of friends and family.
   
   
8. Photography Doesn't Have To Be Expensive
   
   You don't need to spend a lot of money to start your children in photography. A cheap new or second-hand point-n-shoot camera is all that's needed to get started. With digital cameras, the on-going costs are minimal, as there's no film-developing costs.
   
   
9. Photography Requires Less Manual Dexterity than Other Visual Arts
   
   Compared to other visual arts such, as painting and sculpture, photography depends least on manual dexterity, making it ideal for kids of all ages.
   
   
10. Photography Has No Age Boundaries
    
    There are no age limits for starting photography. Children of any age can enjoy it.

Nicholas (my 5 year old son), Mandurah foreshore, Western Australia

Having recently written about getting your kids started in photography, I decided to sit down with my 10 year old son Ashley, and my 8 year old daughter Michelle, and get some feedback from them about their thoughts on photography.
Here are the results.


Q. How long have you been taking photos?

10yo: Err...I don't know...from when I was about six or seven.

8yo: About two and a half years or something, when I was about six.


Q. How did you learn how to take photos?

10yo: My dad told me how to, and I just tried.

8yo: Dad taught me. He taught me how to hold the camera still, how to focus, and how to press the button.


Q. How complex was the first camera that you used?

10yo: I just needed to get used to it, and then it was pretty easy. Then other similar cameras are pretty easy to use.

8yo: It was pretty simple.

With technology continually advancing, digital cameras are becoming cheaper, with manufacturers packing more powerful electronics into smaller and cheaper cameras. I think it's fair to say that most households in western society would own one or more digital cameras.

Digital photography is great for children, because the ongoing costs are very low, compared to the costs of buying and processing film. When using a digital camera, children also get instant feedback, as they're able to see the photo they've just take on the LCD screen on the back of the camera.

Point Peron, Rockingham, Western Australia

I introduced my children to photography at a fairly young age, and in this post, I want to share some ideas and suggestions for getting your children into photography.