National Geographic Kids Books ‘A Guide To Photography’ – The Perfect Start for Young Photographers
National Geographic Kids books never cease to amaze me, and they are my go-to birthday and “just because” gifts for all of the kids in my house. My nephew Jayden has a new hobby – photography. So, I was thrilled when I saw a book titled “National Geographic Kids Guide To Photography” on the official National Geographic website – I just had to order it.
What kid doesn’t like taking pictures? Every time I walk through the door my 7 year old nephew Jayden begins hounding me to play with my smartphone. But, he doesn’t want to play games or listen to music or watch silly cartoon videos – he wants to take pictures! I never realized what exactly it is that he does with my phone when he disappears for an hour, until one day when I opened my camera roll and saw hundreds, maybe even thousands of pictures he had snapped with the camera on my phone.
I always knew Jayden had a bit of an artistic streak, but his smartphone photography literally blew my mind. Okay, maybe I’m giving him a little more credit than what is due – probably half of the pictures that he took were of himself. But, the other half were great snaps of our pet cats, the flowers outside, and even the clouds in the sky. When I realized his obsession with pictures was why I never got to use my own phone, I dug out an old digital camera in our junk drawer and let him go to town. Now, he takes hundreds of pictures and rushes to go upload them to the computer so that he can “see them big.”
When the “National Geographic Kids Guide To Photography” arrived, I flipped through it and knew instantly that Jayden was going to love it – I decided to give it to him right away, rather than wait for a special occasion. I called him in from outside where he was snapping away with the old digital camera, and he squealed with excitement when he realized it was about taking pictures – his new favorite activity.
“National Geographic Kids Guide To Photography” is intended for kids 8-10 years old, and Jayden had no problem following along. The how-to book addressed all kinds of photo shoots – especially animals, which is my nephew’s favorite thing to photograph. There were also vibrant professional photos taken by other photographers, which inspired Jayden and had him brainstorming new ideas for pictures he wanted to take. The “National Geographic Kids Guide To Photography” even addressed lighting and different lenses – but managed to do so in a way that Jayden understood perfectly. Now, Jayden wants to trade in his digital camera for the cameras with different lenses like the ones in his new book!
After Jayden took a break from his book and went back to snapping pictures, I flipped to the front page and realized that Annie Griffiths was one of the authors! Now, if you are a National Geographic enthusiast like myself – then you know Annie Griffiths was one of the first female photographers to ever work for their magazine, and she is responsible for some of their most iconic photo spreads. What better person to teach Jayden abut photography than a woman who has shot pictures in over 150 countries and won so many prestigious awards?
If a kid in your house has caught the photography bug, then I high recommend checking out National Geographic Kids My Shot. The website is a safe place for kids like Jayden to upload some of the pictures they have taken, get some feedback from other kids, and show off their work. And, it keeps my nephew busy for hour! I am so excited about his passion for photography, it truly is amazing to see a kid fall in love with something and begin honing their skill – and National Geographic Kids is helping him do so!
Disclosure: I am part of the National Geographic Kids Insider program. I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.