How many times have you been taking pictures when your child asked if he or she could have the camera? Chances are you were reluctant, or practically held the camera for your child while he or she took few shots. Maybe you were even thinking about the cost of the film and how many pictures you would have left after the child was finished.
Kids love to take pictures, and photography isn’t just fun for them, it’s creative. You might not want to hand over your expensive camera to let your child follow his artistic pursuits, but there are inexpensive ways you can allow your child to explore photography, develop a hobby, or even start on the road to a career taking pictures.
The days of purchasing rolls of film for 110, 35mm or even instamatic cameras have given way to the age of digital photography. While traditional film and cameras are still the standard, they’re quickly becoming obsolete as people discover how easily and inexpensively digital photographs can be taken and shared. Digital cameras even let you see the picture you’ve just taken, and give you the option of deleting it instantly if you’re not happy with the shot. And while a typical roll of film holds 12-36 pictures, you can take hundreds of pictures with a digital camera before you fill up the SD card or the internal memory.
There’s also no wait to develop film—not even the hour some fast developers boast. Plug it into your computer and pull the pictures from the camera onto your computer. You can print them instantly or simply save them in digital form to be printed whenever you choose. While there is cost involved with printing them—the paper and ink, and a decent printer—there’s no charge to ‘develop’ the film, you merely have to download the pictures from the camera yourself. So not only is digital photography more convenient, it’s less expensive, especially if you take lots of pictures and plan to store most digitally.
For a child who can easily take dozens of pictures of things like the wall and a piece of furniture just for the fun of taking pictures, a digital camera is ideal. You don’t have to pay to develop a roll of film full of such pictures. You can buy digital cameras especially for the young photographer, well-suited for small hands and child-like picture taking. Older children can benefit from more expensive models to help them get more serious about their hobby.
Another benefit of letting kids have fun with photography by using a digital camera is that once the pictures are downloaded onto the computer, you can use any imaging software to embellish the photo, crop it and have some creative fun with the pictures. A young photography buff can even make slideshows and fun scrapbooks, with your help, that are completely virtual—no storage space or supplies necessary.
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