National Geographic Kids Photography Guide [Info]

National Geographic Kids Photography Guide

Tips & Tricks on How to Be a Great Photographer – From the Pros & Your Pals at MyShot.com

This newest National Geographic kids photography guide is perfect for both kids and beginners interested in learning how to take great photos.

Children are naturally curious about many things, and from my experience as Mom and Nana that includes how to take photos with any type of camera. Everyone of my kids and grandkids all enjoyed (and still do) taking pictures. Its fun to pick up a camera, point and shoot, and see what has been captured.

Today, photo capture moments surround us, literally at our fingertips with a camera-ready cell phone in most everyone’s, including kids, pocket. Learning is easier at a young age, so why not apply photography skills to early-learning fun, too! An expensive camera is not needed for this fun book, although they do discuss lenses and other equipment.

Using National Geographic Kids Photography Guide to learn basic tips and tricks can help develop kids’ curiosity and creativity, while also developing motor and cognitive skills in a fun, natural way. Also, a good foundation in photography basics can help start kids on a wonderful, life-long hobby.  And, who knows, possibly become a great photographer with a successful photography career. (Author, Annie Griffiths, is one of the first women photographers to work for National Geographic.)

Annie’s Tips found in the kids photography guide:

How can the newest photography book for kids (and beginners) from National Geographic help kids become great photographers?

• Kids will learn how to take photos using camera basics including equipment, manual settings, lighting. No matter what camera you use, you’ll find tips and tricks to set up shots for most cameras – from smartphones to even underwater cameras.
• Photography tips & tricks are taught for a wide-range of subjects using short sections with easily understood information.
• After the sections, authors, Nancy Honovich and Annie Griffiths, provide fun assignments that put the foundations and basics into practice…such as an easy to make smartphone projector.
• National Geographic photographers offer tips and tricks they use along with some interesting information about their career as a photographer.

How can National Geographic Kids Photography Guide help kids learn through the lens of a camera?

Photography provides a natural opportunity for learning about what was captured in the photo.

• Kids can explore what peaks their interest and catches their eye through the lens of a camera.  Photography helps to bring their curiosity up close and memorable.
• Kids can take a closer look at the environment with a parent or grandparent adventure. This is a great bonding activity with one-on-one time exploring, taking turns to try the new skills, and following up with a trip to the library to find a fun book related to your adventure.

National Geographic Kids: My Shot Photo Sharing Community

My Shot is for kids. It is the only moderated online photography community where kids can showcase their photography skills online. Kids can share photos, comment on each other’s pictures, and take challenges from National Geographic editors.

Sharing Our Photos

After receiving my free review copy of National Geographic Photography Kids Guide, I dug out my digital camera that I haven’t used in a couple of years (lazy cell phone camera user here).  As I read through it, I tried some of the skills myself. I think I have a “good eye” but then something is usually lost, blurred, or overexposed. As the book suggests, choose your favorites, then narrow them down to just two or three that others might find interesting.

When taking our digital photos, we used the pre-set settings. But after using the National Geographic Photography Kids Guide you will also be able to use the “manual” setting with a better understanding of what goes into taking a great photo. I’ve chosen these photos to share:

For the first photo, I framed my subject before I took the shot as advised in the book. Cropping afterwards usually loses something in the composition. My Fuji digital camera has preset as well as manual settings to choose from. The light setting I chose was “beach” rather than natural light. This was because of the brightness of the sunlight on the water and tube.

In the second photo, I chose a “sports” speed setting along with the beach setting. With a digital camera, I found that the water has more definition than it would with my iPhone 4. The movement of the water shows the upward movement. Next time I’ll take a similar shot from a lower viewpoint as the ball is caught up in the air. It will give a better feel for the height of the catch.

The next day, it was Emily’s turn. Emily chose the flower setting with natural light since it was cloudy. These are a couple of her photos she wants to share:

When we viewed the photo, we saw what the book had explained about having the object focused in the front and the background not, how it makes the Rose ‘O Sharon flower stands out with the detail of its texture. In the second photo, we talked about what contrasts she captured…colors, shapes, and textures…and the depth.

Without Emily knowing it, I had Luke set the camera to “portrait” and the first picture as soon as it focused. As you can see, she was a little annoyed. The portrait setting helped to layer the photo by bringing Emily to the front. The portrait photos have a dimensional feel to them. And in the second photo, Luke caught his Poppy in deep thought…or was he napping? LOL

By giving Luke, who is 6, the camera while waiting for our dinner to be served he kept himself entertained. I had a picture of him showing his Poppy the photos he took, but oops – it was deleted. Here’s another tip from the book that I often forget to do myself: label each photo ASAP! It makes it much easier to find. Organizing the photos into label folders or albums – even better!

National Geographic Kids Photography Guide Book Details:

National Geographic Kids Photography Guide: Tips & Tricks on How to Be a Great Photographer From the Pros and Your Pals at My Shot (Ages 8 – 12), by Annie Griffiths (one of the first National Geographic women photographers) and Nancy Honovich (children’s article, short story, and book author) is the newest of National Geographic Kids books. It is available from National Geographic Kids, Amazon.com and bookstores such as Barnes & Noble.

I received the book for the purpose of a blog review. It is my policy to not post book reviews that I or my grandchildren don’t care for. I enjoyed sharing this book with my grandkids and using the photography tips and tricks we learned. I highly recommend this book for fun learning activities with your children and grandchildren.

• Age Range: 8 – 12 years
• Grade Level: 3 – 7
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic Children’s Books (August 4, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426320663
• ISBN-13: 978-1426320668