Web Roundup-Fun with Photography

Image by Kim Hall, Design by Leslie Hall

The holidays are behind us and the kids have returned to school, but here in the northeast we will have days of deep cold or big snowfalls in the coming months. That often means the kids are home for a day and possibly bored.

That also means there is an opportunity for some digital photography exploration and fun. I love that we can experiment endlessly without spending money and time on developing film.

Just FYI: if your children are too young or  are older and have moved away, your inner child can still enjoy all of these ideas, whether alone or with a friend.

If you are concerned about your young ones (ages 3-6) using your camera, here are some reviews of cameras made just for kids, and I have included the top rated camera in my Amazon link at the bottom of this post.

Let’s get the party started with some fun photo activities!

Make a funny face

Can your child make a funny face? I know, silly question.

If you are familiar with the old comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, you may remember Calvin’s wonderfully telling facial expressions. Your kids can recreate Calvin’s faces, or capture their own unique ones. This project would certainly make for a lot of laughs and some funny scrapbook pages.  Petapixel: Recreate Calvin’s Funny Face Portraits

Create a dreamscape

Take a wander through your home for materials, and create some fun dreamscapes to photograph. Just think of the many uses: you can put them on Facebook, use them for unique cards, create a book filled with them, or just load them in as your screensaver. From photographer Jan von Holleben courtesy of Petapixel:  A girl’s dreams photographed using things from her bedroom

Here is a link to the photographer’s site, where you can find an album of his Dreams of Flying here, as well as a second collection here. Really fun stuff and unusual ideas for taking photos of children and adults. You can keep them busy all afternoon creating scenes, with you as the photographer! Just be sure you have a stepladder or something else sturdy to stand upon to get the higher perspective you’ll need.

If your child is still an infant, don’t despair. You can create more interesting floor collages with them. Mother Adele Enersen started a hobby blog during her maternity leave, and it blossomed into a career and a book! See her site and book here. She is having a contest until February 14, 2012, so get your creativity on! You can view entries at her Facebook page.

Take your child for a spin

Please take the proper safety precautions with this idea, and know that you are liable for whatever actions you take. That being said, I wish my girls were little enough so we could do this one. Strong back and hand grip? Check. No sweaty palms? Check. Set the self-timer on the camera? Check. Pick up child and spin!

Go on a color treasure hunt

Again, from one of my favorite photo sites, Petapixel, a great idea for photographs using everyday items. Pick a color, gather items, arrange on poster board or a sheet on the floor and shoot. Who knew yellow could be so interesting?

Capture an unusual self-portrait

Have your child choose some of their favorite smaller items, including packages of food, or things they use or wear all the time. Lay them out in a fashion pleasing to them, and shoot away. A tip after shooting our pink collection above: Measure off a space with a ratio of 2×3 and have kids stay within those parameters. Then you can be sure that their favorites won’t be cropped out of the final image, since that will give you a print that is 4×6.

Explode flower blossoms, a petal at a time

Do you or your children have the gift of patience, or would you like to practice working on that trait? Here is a great idea for photographing flowers from a completely different perspective, from photographer Qi Wei via Petapixel. They truly become works of art when disassembled. Flowers not your child’s cup of tea? How about taking apart something mechanical and photographing that? Just make sure you stress your children get your approval on whatever is being taken apart…

Show off the end results

Whether you print and hang/frame/put in an album, load images into a digital viewer, make digital scrapbooks or slideshows and share online, or create photobooks, make sure you take some images from the day and do something with them. You can check out this article: What to do with a Thousand Photos. Also, be sure to take photos of the process while your kids are busy doing their thing, as those are absolutely priceless.

Don’t worry about the photos being good enough. Remember that anything you take is now captured for posterity, and that the best camera to use is the one you have with you. I have also included some photography related recommendations via Amazon below (yes, I am an affiliate and do earn a small commission on any purchases you make when you follow my link, thanks so much!). The point and shoot is the model I use and love when I don’t want or need to carry my Nikon DSLR. The Lumix has a great zoom (16x!) and does video as well.

Above all else, remember to have fun with these ideas!

Sharing at No Ordinary Blog Hop