Robbie7 Loc: Northampton. England

I had a quick look at the link from Nikonian72 and it looks really good. My opinion is all the above but as one member said, MAKE IT FUN for him. Let him take photos of what he likes not you and don't be disappointed if after a while he moves on to something else, photography is either in the blood or not, you can't make him love it..regards

texaseve Loc: TX, NC and NH

My first assignment was a lesson in seeing..... I was told to choose a favorite color and then go out take take photos of things that color and fill the frame. I came back with a lot of neat stuff and that was my first portfolio. After that it was textures, shapes, shadows, reflections, etc.

waterbug49307 Loc: All over, currently Big Rapids Michigan

Teach him to have fun. If he has no fun taking pictures - there will be no passion later on. IMHO

TonyP Loc: New Zealand

How about giving him a free :) subscription to this forum with a link to this conversation.

Let him pick up on the subject and see all the different aspects discussed here.

May even help him realise how much you care about both the subject and him, that you looked for advice. :)

RoysJungle Loc: Ohio

I concur especially on the book Understanding Exposure

I also think with how digital camera's are today an understanding the zone system and HDR for capturing the dynamic range of a scene
http://photo.tutsplus.com/articles/theory/understanding-using-ansel-adams-zone-system/

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Tell him to keep ALL of his snaps, then you can go through them together and you can explain to him why the disasters were disasters and why the OK-but-not-perfect ones weren't as good as they could have been.

Thinking back on my own learning curve, the failures taught me about camera limitations, and the non-keepers taught me about what situations to watch out for (low light, fast movement etc).

Let him start off using full auto mode, then after a while tell him about when auto mode will not produce the best results. That will give him a not-too-scary learning curve. I tried to raise that subject myself a while ago because I realised the answer to that question would be very informative.

And congratulations on being an excellent parent. Even if the photography thing doesn't click (excuse the pun) for him, not a single moment of the time you spent with him will have been a waste. When you're that age, it's like water to a thirsty plant.

Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)

You already have given him a rational intro to the basis of exposure.

Three additional considerations will cover all he...or any other photographer ... ever needs to internalize and bring into play before squeezing off the exposure:

Perspective: understanding the merits and relative effects of wide-angle, normal, and telephoto lens perspectives,

Composition: it ain't all rule of thirds..., and

CAMERA STABILIZATION! all the rest is for naught if camera movement and vibration render the image "soft" or frankly blurred! Learn stable hand-holding technique and other means of stabilization...especially use of a tripod!

These are the "Big Four" my dad instilled in me in 1947 and, through many decades of teaching photography, I have found no way to improve on the list! All the rest is detail and niceties.

Dave Graham, Estelline, SD

xphotog1 Loc: Lubbock, TX

Here's my 2 cents worth, Leatherhelmets. I didn't read all of the answers to your emails, but the ones I did read seemed to answer the 1st part of your post. Here's something for the 2nd part.

Make it FUN for him. Think about why you like to take photos yourself. I'm willing to bet you do it because it's fun for you. I know that's the case for me. It's sure not because I enjoy walking around with heavy weight around my neck and on my shoulders. It's not going out and shooting in freezing weather or blistering heat.

You have to help him discover what is fun about photography for him and then introduce the "rules of photography". As for reading a book or the manual, look for a dvd that can help him get the basics down.

Let him shoot his way. Don't force him to do it the "correct". After he tries it his way, then suggest some other ways he can shoot the same subject.

Make it a little bit of a contest between the 2 of you. Don't pull punches. Shoot to get the best photo you can. After he sees your photos, maybe he'll start to ask questions about how you did it.

On the other hand, look at the photos that he has taken. You'll be pleasantly surprised at some of his shots. Heap on the praise and ask him how he did it. You'll end up learning from him.

Talk him into joing UHH. We would love to see his work. Take him to a local camera club. Help him enter any local photo contests. Composition is a great motivator.

Hope this helps a little.

Al

Bruce with a Canon Loc: Islip

What to teach a 13 year old.

friend "Can I borrow your camera" 13 year old " NO"
friend "Can I play with your camera" 13 year old "No"

Clean your gear
Learn your gear
Protect your gear
Shoot shoot shoot and learn as much for your failures as your sucesses.
Have FUN

Brian in Whitby Loc: Whitby, Ontario, Canada

Try to get him to see with an artists eye. Don's see a flower see lines, form and colour.
Simpler encourage him to look for things most people miss and to choose a different perspective.
These are the things that make the difference between the snap shooter and the photographer regardless of the equipment.

BSpillane Photography Loc: Vernon, NJ

I can't agree more! All the tech stuff is absolutely important, but if you can't see . . .
Years ago my Mom asked me to accompany her to a Photography class at the local adult night school. You were supposed to bring, your camera, your camera manual and some photos you took recently to every class. A woman sitting behind us was always 'forgetting' her camera. Over the weeks we got to know her and one week she finally brought her camera and confessed, she was embarrassed because everyone else had SLRs (back in the film days) and all she had was a rangefinder. I told her not to worry, all cameras are simply a light tight box that exposes the film (Sensor now a days) to light. The photograph is created in the 12 inches BEHIND the camera. This woman shot EVERYTHING at 5.6, she never moved her f-stop! She did all of her exposure with her shutter, BUT . . .
This woman could SEE the photo. She was simply the best in class week after week. Could the photos been improved by better manipulation of the settings she had? Yes, but even still her composition was wonderful! She was the kind of person when you would go on a shoot with her and compare photos later you SEE what you missed.
Everyone can be taught proper lighting, proper exposure, etc. etc.
but being able to SEE the photograph comes from the heart and soul. Some simply have it naturally, the rest of us have to work at it.
Only other advise I'd give is let him experiment and find what he wants to shoot and develop his own style
Best of luck to you and your son on his 'vision quest'

leatherhelmets Loc: Center Conway, NH

LOL...I always say I want to come back as my kid. I just went into his room to put something away and when I look around I think to myself, are we spoiling him or giving him opportunities? He doesn't ask for much but I don't know if it's because he has everything or because he appreciates what he has. I tend to think it's the former, but hope I'm wrong.

leatherhelmets Loc: Center Conway, NH

Great suggestion Tony. Thanks.

Shutter Bugger

Setting "Missions" sounds like a great idea. Plenty of 13 yo boys
are going to enjoy "shooting the target species"

The mission of photographing a favourite colour sounds brilliant to me.

It leaves plenty of scope for the students imagination.

Of course he needs to know the technicalities of exposure and focus and sounds like you are covering that Leather.

rotorhead1955

agree he has years to learn the tech... ( yes he should learn it, but ease into it), I have a daughter age 13 & I too have encouraged her to learn some of these basics, but tell her, put it in P mode and shoot! She has developed a good eye composition ( even surprised me) and is starting to ask " how do I do this... or that" thus learning the process at HER pace and enjoys it.

Give him space with encouragement the rest will follow as well as maybe letting you see his world ! Have an open mind:)