Seeing Beyond My View

I recently wrote an article that’s up at PBS Parents about how to get kids into photography. It’s a topic near and dear to my photo mama heart. It has been such fun for me to see both of my daughters as they have grown into little shutter sisters.

I watch as my 5-year-old haphazardly shoots away at anything that catches her eye with little thought or regard of how the photo is going to come out, if it even comes out at all. She’s all about being in the moment and isn’t too concerned about the future result. It works for her. Mistakes and accidents photographically speaking can make for some pretty artistic imagery. My 10-year-old on the other hand just recently spent her own money on her own camera, and what she is doing with her handy new little red point and shoot is quite inspiring. I notice her becoming more aware of her surroundings, more mindful with her camera and how she creates a photograph. Her images are much more deliberate now and they are awesome.

While camping over the summer, she snapped this shot of me using a cool panorama feature her camera offers.

Put your hands on your hips Mom.

*click

See mom, this is MY perspective—showing the photo—Pretty cool, huh?”

Pretty cool indeed. It’s one of my all time favorite shots from her to date.

Looking at myself (er, my bust line) surrounded by that surreal landscape among all the tents in the middle of the Amish country of upstate NY will always take me back to our summer adventure. And this particular picture reminds me of how much I don’t see. How impossible it is to see life through someone else’s eyes it and how important it is to try sometimes.

Have you been inspired lately by a photo someone else took that helped you see the world with fresh eyes? Celebrate someone else’s vision today by leading us to a photo that has moved you. It can be from a child, a friend, found on a blog or at Flickr. Any image at all that helps give you a new perspective.

And if you happen to have a little shutterbug at your house, you are encouraged to join the Flickr Group A Little Perspective—it was created just for clicks from the younger set. I’ll be hosting the Little Perspective Day this Friday at Mother May I too, if you want to join us over there.

Comments

[simply blogged / leaca's philosophy]

My son has taken to photography and mostly shoots film. This is one of my favorites.
http://flickr.com/photos/rustyyoung/2603898602/

[~Heather]

Thank you so much for this. I think that I am going to present my 8-year-old with my old point and shoot that I no longer use. I think I'll do it today. I know she'll be thrilled.

[shelli]

My two-year-old is a little too young to hand a camera to, but he loves it when I set my tripod up and let him click the button. Then when he takes the photo, he's thrilled to see me pop up on the little screen. So when he gets a little older, I'll definitely let him have my old point n' shoot.

I love the feature on Flickr that allows you to mark a photo as a favorite. I use it whenever I see a photo that captures my heart and takes my breath away. These two photos by "Life in Asia (aka Life in Nanning)" were some of the first photos I marked as favorites, and I often go back to look at them. They amaze me.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtbl/2469768537/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtbl/2017418408/

[jfrancis]

Vision: unusual competence
in discernment
or perception.

[jfrancis]

Growth of vision
is a true panorama.

[Lan]

my friend Jill takes amazing portraits. sometimes when i'm viewing her pix, i get all misty eyed.

http://jmyersphoto.wordpress.com/

[Julie Alvarez]

That's the greatest thing of these internet places, like yours, other blogs and flickr. That we get the privilege to see what others see through their cameras, and in their everydays...
I am touched by this picture, and the way you can see this boy from up above and feel his introspectiveness...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/berlinswhimsy/2788898237/

[spread your wings]

i became aware of my daughter's unique perspective and great eye when she came back from France with the most unusual photos. I felt she saw the beauty in the ordinary and didn't take the standard tourist shots. This was at age 14 and she has grown into an amazing photographer I feel.

http://flickr.com/photos/shutterxdown/1368864468/in/datetaken/

[Judy S.]

I'm so glad you posted this. My daughter is 9, and we just got her a small p&s from a pawn shop, and she is totally loving it!

[gonzomama]

i love this! henry is 2, but loves cameras. i try to let him shoot but my camera is to heavy for him to hold on his own. when his independent streak hits him i just set on the closest surface and he clicks away. very rapidly.

these are couple he took this summer while visiting family in illinois.

http://flickr.com/photos/59735955@N00/2656104818/in/set-72157603845082673
http://flickr.com/photos/59735955@N00/2655281293/in/set-7215760384508267

i love that most people are willing to crouch down into the frame for the little guy.

[Wayfaring Wanderer]

I am of the opinion that the photo challenge to take a picture everyday works wonders for seeing things that normally go unnoticed.

It also makes you realize how quickly time flies!
http://wayfaring-wanderer.blogspot.com/2008/09/eight-down.html

[Elaine]

I feel a bit like your 10-year old daughter: I just spent MY OWN money on MY FIRST digital SLR (Canon Rebel XSi) and am becoming more aware of my surroundings, more mindful of my camera and more deliberate about how I create photographs. But I haven't captured any awesome shots yet. (I've deleted 48 out of 50 shots.) Maybe I'm trying a bit to hard so I think I'll be more like your 5 year old and give myself permission to just enjoy the moments as they happen and make artistic mistakes.

Thank you for this post which gave me a new perspective.

And thank you for Shutter Sisters. So much. It's an essential part of my kit.

[gonzomama]

there is so much inspiration out there it is hard to pick just one. every month i go through my 'favorites' from flickr and post them on my blog on the last day of the month.

this has to be one of my favorites though. the pure delight and abandonment on her face say it all. girls are awesome.

http://flickr.com/photos/joyunexpectedcom/2452797698/

[Rachel]

My daughter is the reason I got started taking photos. Not when she was little -- then I took a lot of snapshots. But she started doing photography a couple years ago, and I was inspired by her vision (and also by the acquisition of a dslr). She's 16, and here's one of my recent favorites of hers:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rise_above_and_beat_it/2816391710/

[melody is slurping life]

A post which excites me. My son, Mac, has recently taken to photography and has a great eye. I'll definitely be participating in A Little Perspective on Friday.

Running short on time here to select a photo today, but your daughter's panorama is super.

[Lauren]

amazing photo from a great perspective

i dont have any children yet, so no photos to share on this

however, at my wedding, my nephew got ahold of my MILs camera and we have wonderful bossom/head shots of several ladies attending!!!

[~Heather]

p.s. I just gave my old camera to my daughter and she almost cried and I almost cried because I saw how thrilled she was. Thanks again for writing about this! I don't know why it never crossed my mind to just give the camera to her :)

[Maile Wilson]

one of my favorites ever! She is amazing! I (guess selfishly) hope that my children will get bitten by the shutter bug too, one day! Really great image.

[Heather]

My daughter caught the bug on a recent trip to the coast. We had so much fun together, wandering through the early morning fog at the beach.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fumblingforwords/2789725833/in/set-72157606910187923/

[Michelle S]

I decided to teach my 10-year-old how to use my camera today. It was so much fun to watch her. She was so excited. She took this one of me.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26029966@N02/2844320891/

[Shawna]

My dad just gave me his camera and upgraded himself. I love his perspective because he travels the world and I've envied his photos a while now. He just told me yesterday how glad he was that he gave me his camera, as I'm capturing shots he never would have seen before. Most of mine are within a one block radius of my apartment, and most of his are in another hemisphere but we envy and learn from one another's perspective. We never see things exactly as our children do, and I can't wait til mine can show me her own view some day.

[jeanie]

Hi, Tracey,

First, lovely photos. I've just started visiting Shutter Sisters because of the links posted by Robin (Bird Tweets). As a fellow photographer (by passion, not profession!) I am moved by the images I see here.

I'm also a PBS (local affiliate) staffer and loved your article, which I saw before seeing you mention it here! There's lots of great info there and one well worth sharing! So, it's nice to touch base on both levels -- and I'm so excited I saw it THERE first!

Can anyone post a photo related to the Shutter Sisters topic on their own blog? (With a link back, of course!)

Thanks so much!

[emily]

Oh, I love this.

My daughter has gotten into photography in the last year (She's 10).

She took the most beautiful pictures during our vacation. Perhaps, I'll see if she'd like to share a couple...

[angie]

What a great article. Thank you!

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