I spent last week in Corolla, NC in the Outer Banks with my sister and her husband's family. It's always a nice reunion and I started getting invited about 8 years ago since I was close and it meant I could spend time with my sister AND my niece and nephews. And anyone that knows me even a little knows that I love those kids something awful. Kyle (13), Emma (10) and Joshua (8) are shy but inquisitive. They all take piano, love noodles with butter and no sauce, and are the soccer-kids to their soccer-mom and -dad. 

On Friday morning, my last day at the beach, Emma reminded me about the photo class I proposed we conduct while on vacation. I hadn't forgotten but at the same time I didn't want to force them into something they weren't interested. I'm so glad they were.

So we set out with our cameras (and iPhone) in hand to the screened-in portion of the deck and I started by administering my very first Pop-Quiz: What did we use to capture photographs before digital cameras were invented?, I asked. I figured the older two would know, so I was really asking Joshua in hopes that somewhere somehow in his travels he would have heard about FILM. (Beautiful, smelly, finicky, magical film.) After all his Grandpa Ed worked at Kodak for over 30 years. But I cut the kid some slack. He's only 8. His siblings helped him out and we moved on.

We talked about what they like to take pictures of — Kyle: animals; Emma: flowers; Joshua: [shrug]. And what makes a good photograph: Good compostion, interesting subject, or simply "something that you like". Our class would be short and it would only take place in and around our beach house. My goal for them was to look at normal everyday objects and scenes a little differently and realize they could create something interesting from the mundane. I staged a still life (above) from items from around the house and Emma did the same. And with that we were off, sometimes sticking together, sometimes wandering off on our own. I coached a little. I held some cameras straight(er). But I let them go. My photo class was going to be fun!

Here are their favorites:

Fruit (top) and Pool (above) by Kyle

 

Still Life with Coffee and Donut (top) and Goggles (above) by Emma

 

Latch (top) and Still Life with Lillies (above) by Joshua