Make a Joyful Noise – Create something!

Quotes of the day: 

“Painting is just another way of keeping a diary” — Pablo Picasso

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see” — Degas

“The important thing is to create” — Pablo Picasso

Kids’ Photography Class Sunday

Sunday was my second Beginner’s Mind Photography for Kids class. This time I was better prepared for the attention span and energy of 10-year-olds.

It was so amazing to see how the kids are soaking up what I’m teaching them. Most of all it’s exciting to feel their enthusiasm and joy in making pictures.

Endless creativity – taking a closeup of an eye

Having kids take at least one photo per day of something they’re grateful for or that they find beautiful is a great way to get a peek into their world and what is important to them. Photos of sister, Mom, and Dad, were interspersed with Lego creations, flowers, food, and more.

On a photo scavenger hunt

During our first class we talked about how photography means writing with light and about how important light is in photographs. As students brought back their photos from the previous week, I was delighted to hear about how they noticed the light conditions, decided to take multiple shots of an object in different light, and noticed the light when they looked at photographs taken by others.

Ready for class – lots of things for kids to touch and play with

During the class we did a photo scavenger hunt. Here’ s a list of the 5 things I suggested they remember and try when taking pictures during the scavenger hunt:

1. Get close
2. Look for a simple clean background
3. Consider balance – rule of thirds
4. Use framing
5. Use leading lines

Simple advice, but you can see from a couple of the photos above that they took me quite literally on the “Get close” advice! 🙂

Something red

Just for fun, here is the list I used for the scavenger hunt. You can try it with kids you know.

Find and photograph the following:

1. a smooth flat stone (get close)
2. part of a building (door, window)
3. reflection on water
4. path as leading line
5. something you find on the path (get close or an interesting angle)
6. self-portrait (could be your shadow or just a part of you)
7. a leaf with two or more colors
8. something common that you think no one will recognize
9. the strangest thing you see
10. an insect or animal
11. something old or rusty
12. a pine cone
13. landscape you like (rule of thirds)
14. flowers/plants (get close or an interesting angle)
15. something red
16. something that begins with the letter “T”

Something that starts with “T”

Give it a try — Create something!

Make a photograph. Paint something. Sew something. Sing something. Make a joyful noise! All of life is art. And playing is not just for kids.