My son and my Bessa

Palolo Valley · 02-22-2011

My young son (3.5) has recently taken an interest in my R2a. Whenever I use it, he now begs to take a few pictures himself, too, so I ask him to patiently wait til the end of the roll, and have to set it up (usually just get the focus "close enough", and be sure it is at f5.6) then switch positions with him, or stand aside and let him click the shutter.

The first few times, he would look at the camera back, looking for a digital's preview screen, but he soon got the hang of it not being there and started using the film advance lever so he'd be able to take another shot. He's been watching me change the film (he is my pseudo-assistant, being entrusted to hold the fresh roll and put the exposed roll back in the canister).

I think I'll send him to school with a roll of Tri-X for show and tell and ask his classmates if they know what it is. I bet they're stumped; "C'mon guys, don't you know what this is? It is film. For pictures. It's the only film my dad and I use to take pictures..." Yup, he's three and a half and likely the only kid in his preschool who has handled film (let alone a rangefinder). He's also catching on to shooting with both eyes open...or, more likely, just hasn't figured out how to close the other one. Hopefully he'll learn some good habits early and keep them.

A few weekends back, I had the camera along and my wife caught him and I goofing around by an antique japanese tea house so she took some pics of him with my camera, which I'll share here if I can figure it out.

Looks like there's another rangefinder user coming along... and I have a sneaky feeling that he'll adopt my R2a soon enough. Gotta teach him to load the film properly, first. Then I can look at a new second body for me.

Guaranteed · 02-22-2011

Awesome first post!

Livesteamer · 02-22-2011

I'm a stay at home dad with a six year old daughter. She often wants to take pictures when we are out and about. She has used both my M6 and my IIIc. I set the exposure and the focus but she does the composing and does a nice job. Sarah will grow up in the digital age but I bet she will know how to work a manual camera. Joe

Juan Valdenebro · 02-22-2011

So sweet! Great story!

My twins are two now (February 14) and drool with my film cameras, but they haven't shot yet... They are not allowed to touch yet... I'm pretending to be hard so they enjoy a lot very soon...

I started developing and printing by 12, and "still learning" after a photography career, so your boy's 3.5 age talks about higher hopes...

Just don't be too soft on him... Use him now for rough stuff like development and wet contact prints!

Beautiful boy! There's just nothing in life like seeing them grow and enjoy!

Cheers,

Juan

Livesteamer · 02-22-2011

And the first time they get to see a b+w print develop in the tray. Magic. I did my first darkroom work at age ten with the help of older brothers and have been hooked ever since. Joe

wolfpeterson · 02-22-2011

I don't even let my girlfriend touch my R2a.

*click*
Wait, is this the one that focuses automatically?

v_roma · 02-22-2011

Similar experience here. My son has started asking for my Hexar RF whenever I take it out to snap a picture of him. He is 17 months old so he obviously can't actually take pictures. But he started bringing the camera up to his eye imitating what he sees me doing. Though he tends to point the camera up and put the top of the camera to his eye rather than the viewfinder. Still, he's headed in the right direction

Chriscrawfordphoto · 02-22-2011

When my son was your son's age, I began buying him single use cameras, and he easily learned to turn the flash on for indoor shots and everything. When he was 4, I got him a 35mm point-n-shoot, a Canon Sure Shot Owl. This was all before digital was affordable; my son will be 14 next month. Eventually, his mother bought him a Kodak point-n-shoot, when he was about 8, and I gave him a Nikon D70 digital SLR a couple years ago. He's making stop motion animations with the still photos from the D70, so digital is better for him.

He did this self-portrait with the Canon Owl when he was four. A friend of mine gave him a lightweight tripod and he learned to put his camera on it himself and set the self-timer. I didn't even know he'd done this shot till I developed the film for him!

So, keep encouraging your son and get him a camera he can shoot himself now!

Juan Valdenebro · 02-22-2011

What a beautiful self-portrait, Chris! He's so proud showing his works... One day in a long time he'll be very happy feeling all sorts of things about you and about himself when he sees it again...

Cheers,

Juan

Palolo Valley · 02-23-2011

Super advice; thanks everyone.

I'm about to get my negative processor going again, then figure out how to do prints again.

I do look forward to exposing my son to traditional photography, mainly because I can't afford a digital camera that's as nice as my film cameras, so we are stuck in the classic methods.

Love hearing the stories about parents and their kids, tucked away amongst all the other usual topics on a photo site. I'm a firm believer in letting kids explore and learn for themselves, and will now hunt for an age appropriate film camera. The low one on the totem pole is a Nikon FM2 that's languishing in the back of the closet, and it may just have to do for him for now.

Cheers

patrick

jsrockit · 02-23-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palolo Valley

The low one on the totem pole is a Nikon FM2 that's languishing in the back of the closet, and it may just have to do for him for now.

It's a great camera no matter the age or skill level.

robbeiflex · 02-23-2011

Inspiring stories everyone, and Chris your son's stop motion animation is great!

We're expecting our first daughter on or around April 1st. In a few years I'll refer back to this thread for ideas. Until then she'll start modeling from day 1 because I live far from my parents and will be expected to produce a lot of photos, not that I mind. ;-)

Cheers,
Rob

Askel · 02-23-2011

My daughter has just started to use film. She's 5 years old and uses my wifes old EOS 300. Second roll is soon to be processed. We just moved and I promised her that when I quit school I'd teach her how do do prints in a darkroom. The local photoclub has its darkroom just 2 blocks away from our apartement so that's great. I havn't done any darkroom-prints or shot with film since before she was born so I guess I have to dust of the skills to be able to actually teach anything.