We also decided to design and trial a camera ‘bag’ for adults and ‘tabard/apron’ for the children with pockets to contain a camera, notepad and pen, any small props for using in the photography and an easy guide to taking photos booklet.
To begin we had one bag and one apron in the setting.
This project was designed to be ongoing and organic, introduced one step at a time so that it doesn’t interfere with the already busy day to day activity in the nursery. We hope that it will evolve into something that is developed by all of the staff together.
We would like to aim for an exhibition of some sort to celebrate our work on this project over the year. This could be on any scale.
Key points:
• Less is more – Don’t try to fit in too much information in one picture. Focus on one activity.
• Get close up – The child’s face does not always have to be the focus. You may want to focus on their hands or whole body if that says more about the activity they are engaged in.
• Be quick – Sometimes you may want to snap a few quick pics so that you don’t impose on the activity that the child is engaged in with the camera.
• Delete – don’t be afraid to delete pictures if they are not good. This is the beauty of digital.
• Avoid posing – Try not to make the camera the focus of the activity. Really we don’t want to the child to think about it being there at all. Don’t ask them to stop what they are doing to smile!
• Pictures from afar – You don’t have to be involved in the activity to take a picture. Observe from afar and photograph so that the children do not even know that you are there.
• Think of the content – What do you want your picture to tell us? Is it showing the intense conversation between two children and how they are communicating? Is it showing the development of fine motor skills when learning to use scissors for the first time?
• Take your time – Sometimes you have the opportunity to watch through the lens of the camera taking your time to frame the picture, make the most of this opportunity, it doesn’t come along very often!!
• Be invisible – If a child/children are so absorbed in what they are doing, you can capture the intensity of the moment through the photo but you must make sure that the use of the camera doesn’t impose on their activity.