Most important lessons for a 13Y.O. to learn
Jan 10, 2013 13:11:17 #
Hi everyone. Happy New Year. I bought my 13 Y.O. son the Canon T3 with a 18-55MM and 55-250MM for Christmas. I took him out last Sunday adn we learned about Apature (F-Stops and Depth of Field). I plan to take him out again and show him the impact shutter speeds can have on moving objects. Along the way we talk about Photo Composition, Lighting, The Rule of Thirds, etc.
Does anyone have any sage advice on other useful tricks or topics that could help make Photography more enjoyable for a young person starting out?
All suggestions welcome.
Thanks.
Does anyone have any sage advice on other useful tricks or topics that could help make Photography more enjoyable for a young person starting out?
All suggestions welcome.
Thanks.
Jan 10, 2013 13:16:43 #
Jan 10, 2013 14:07:55 #
Jan 10, 2013 14:29:50 #
Make sure he can see well through the viewfinder, so he can really study his composition and the details that make up his photo. Also, encourage him to keep both eyes open while viewing, so he can still see surrounding areas, and not just what's in the viewfinder. This can be very important when shooting action, or sports.
Jan 10, 2013 15:21:42 #
In my opinion, the most important lesson is the "Sunny 16 Rule" for manual exposure.
Anybody can aim a camera and push a button. All modern cameras are now "sophisticated", with full Auto exposure, where the camera selects the ISO, aperture, and shutter duration. The button pusher learns nothing from the exposure.
Once a person understands the relationship between ISO, aperture, and shutter duration, they are on their way to becoming a photographer.
FAQ: Understanding Exposure: shutter duration, aperture, and ISO
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-26504-1.html
Anybody can aim a camera and push a button. All modern cameras are now "sophisticated", with full Auto exposure, where the camera selects the ISO, aperture, and shutter duration. The button pusher learns nothing from the exposure.
Once a person understands the relationship between ISO, aperture, and shutter duration, they are on their way to becoming a photographer.
FAQ: Understanding Exposure: shutter duration, aperture, and ISO
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-26504-1.html
Jan 10, 2013 18:08:09 #
After introducing him to the basic go back and really study each aspect (shutter speed, aperture ect) Teach to get it right in camera and not depend of software. The biggest thing Have Fun.
Jan 10, 2013 18:32:13 #
lighthouse
Loc: No Fixed Abode
leatherhelmets wrote:
Hi everyone. Happy New Year. I bought my 13 Y.O. s... (show quote)
I spent a long time photographing "subjects".
My order of importance was
1) subject
2) composition
3) good light was considered a bonus.
I wish someone had made me realise that a better order of importance is
1) light
2) composition
3) subject
That doesn't mean that you don't photograph the subject that you want though.
It just means that you think about where the best light is, the best angle is, how to set it out, what lens to use, etc etc ..... and then you photograph the subject.
I know it sounds like it could be time consuming but after a while you end up doing it automatically and it takes between 2 and 10 seconds on most occasions.
As a landscape photographer often it's a case of -
look for the light, then look for something in it to photograph
or yes it looks nice now but if I wait an hour it will be great.
This is the single thing that I wish I had learnt a lot sooner than I did.
Jan 10, 2013 18:32:50 #
Rob O'
Loc: Freakin' Hot Arizona
Nikonian72 wrote:
Once a person understands the relationship between ISO, aperture, and shutter duration, they are on their way to becoming a photographer.
Once a person understands the relationship between ISO, aperture, and shutter duration, they are on their way to becoming a photographer.
This is the absolutely essential thing to learn. Learning to 'see' takes even more effort.
Jan 10, 2013 19:04:35 #
He is only 13. He has years to get technical. Above all, it should be FUN for him. Let him see through the eyes of a 13 year old, not yours!
See if his JHS has a yearbook/newspaper class. Give him the freedom he needs. If he's gonna run with it, he is gonna run with it. Try to involve one of his friends, even if you have to supply the camera. Otherwise photography can be a pretty lonely pursuit.
Good luck
See if his JHS has a yearbook/newspaper class. Give him the freedom he needs. If he's gonna run with it, he is gonna run with it. Try to involve one of his friends, even if you have to supply the camera. Otherwise photography can be a pretty lonely pursuit.
Good luck
Jan 10, 2013 19:13:38 #
lighthouse
Loc: No Fixed Abode
SharpShooter wrote:
He is only 13. He has years to get technical. Above all, it should be FUN for him. Let him see through the eyes of a 13 year old, not yours!
See if his JHS has a yearbook/newspaper class. Give him the freedom he needs. If he's gonna run with it, he is gonna run with it. Try to involve one of his friends, even if you have to supply the camera. Otherwise photography can be a pretty lonely pursuit.
Good luck
See if his JHS has a yearbook/newspaper class. Give him the freedom he needs. If he's gonna run with it, he is gonna run with it. Try to involve one of his friends, even if you have to supply the camera. Otherwise photography can be a pretty lonely pursuit.
Good luck
Maybe its just me, but I don't think that the exposure triangle, rule of thirds, leading lines and learning to see the light is very technical at all.
I know they are concepts that many people on this site seem to struggle with, but for a thirteen year old kid it would be a walk in the park.
Have you seen teenagers with cell phones and computers and entertainment systems? Technical doesn't scare them.
I do very much agree though that it being fun is a very important aspect. If it is not fun they will stop doing it.
Jan 10, 2013 19:23:36 #
From my experience with enthusiastic youngsters getting serious about photography, the best advice I would offer would to SLOW DOWN! One new mid teens member to our camera club manage to put 30,000 shutter actuations on his new camera in just a few weeks! It used to be that prosumer bodies had a shutter lifetime of about 100,000 shutter actiations.
But they all seem to dart from subject to subject, snap off a quick shot, and dart off to the next subject. Unfortunately, I have had limited success suggesting that these lads slow down and take their time and THINK about each shot.
I can't remember if I was like that all those years ago, but the cost of developing 120 film would have been limiting enough I suspect. :-)
But they all seem to dart from subject to subject, snap off a quick shot, and dart off to the next subject. Unfortunately, I have had limited success suggesting that these lads slow down and take their time and THINK about each shot.
I can't remember if I was like that all those years ago, but the cost of developing 120 film would have been limiting enough I suspect. :-)
Jan 10, 2013 19:31:47 #
leatherhelmets wrote:
Hi everyone. Happy New Year. I bought my 13 Y.O. s... (show quote)
My advice stems from my own experience:My Dad was the person who got me started with a camera.I had so much fun and loved every second of spending time with him, I soaked up all the info he gave me and I just fell in love with photography.
Then, after we did that, I got to go to the dump with him and watch him shoot rats!!
Just make the lessons fun, and your kid will learn a lot, and make new memories about spending time with Dad
Annie
Jan 10, 2013 19:42:55 #
lighthouse wrote:
Learning the basics of photography will build a strong foundation for future enjoyment, bypassing the "struggle" as you mention. I am so glad that my photo education was with film and manual cameras.I don't think that the exposure triangle, rule of ... (show quote)
Jan 10, 2013 21:28:51 #
You might also go to page www.camersim.com he can choose his f stops and aperature to take a photo and the results will be posted with comments as to how he did
www.camerasim.com
www.camerasim.com
Jan 10, 2013 21:43:08 #
tlbuljac wrote:
Make link active http://www.camerasim.comYou might also go to page www.camersim.com he can choose his f stops and aperture to take a photo and the results will be posted with comments as to how he did
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