Photography

Many people enjoy taking photographs from simple shots meant to preserve memories to elaborate, artistic expressions. Even young children can enjoy photography, especially if they have a caring grandparent to help instruct them.

Film or Digital?

These days, increasing numbers of people are choosing to use digital cameras rather than traditional film versions for a number of reasons, the most common of which is cost efficiency.

The use of a digital camera allows photographers to print only the shots that they find most appealing, saving a considerable sum compared to old fashioned cameras.

Years ago, it was common to develop and print an entire roll of film, only to find that the majority of the shots were poor quality. When children are the photographers, the chances of getting a good percentage of unusable shots increases dramatically, making digital cameras even more appealing.

Selecting a Digital Camera

Choosing a digital camera need not be a complex endeavor, especially if the intended use is basic, all purpose photography. Even the simplest models available today are likely to meet the needs of the hobby photographer.

There are a few features that are particularly desirable for novice users. It’s nice to have a variety of camera settings, especially auto-focus, which makes taking clear shots a snap.

Additionally, settings for evening, bright light, and action shots make it possible to capture memories in a wide variety of conditions. Battery life is important, too, since constantly replacing batteries can add considerably to the cost of usage.

Many models offer rechargeable battery packs; some even include convenient storage docks that recharge the camera’s batteries.

With the exception of professional photographers, there is no need to purchase a top of the line camera. Since the technology is constantly advancing, today’s high end camera will be tomorrow’s bargain, so choosing a reasonably priced model makes the most sense.

Sharing Photos

Many home computers have slots for media cards, allowing digital camera memory cards to be inserted directly into the PC. This is useful not only for sharing the photos via email, but also allows users to perfect their pictures by removing red eye, cropping out unwanted background, or even adding fun special effects.

Once the pictures are just right, they can be easily uploaded to a variety of sites that can then transform simple photos into photo mugs, computer mouse pads, or even tee shirt designs.

All of these products make great gifts and are an especially nice way for proud grandparents to show off their beautiful grandkids!

Organising Photos

Most every family has a box (or several!) of old photographs tucked away somewhere, just waiting to be sorted and organised. While those pictures may or may not ever make their way down from the closet shelf, new photographs should be immediately placed into albums or used in another capacity so that they do not meet the same fate.

Photographs may be organised according to theme or simply placed into albums by timeline. Grandparents can enlist the help of their grandkids in choosing favourite shots and then creatively displaying them in frames, possibly even homemade ones.

If grandparents are brave enough to retrieve the old boxes of family photos, grandchildren would probably enjoy looking through them and may even be able to find a use for many old shots.

Photocopies of old pictures are great for use in scrapbooks and memory books, projects that may be fun for grandparents to do with their grandkids.

Another good idea is to locate pictures of assorted family members at a specific chosen age and then framing them in succession.

For example, pictures of Grandma, Grandpa, Mum, Dad, and each child when they were ten years old would make a lovely display.

See Also
Child playing with video camera
Making Videos of the Grandchildren
Old Letters
Sharing Your Life Story with Your Grandchildren