Several months ago I stumbled upon a site which featured portfolios of photographs taken by children. (I've long since lost the link and cannot find it again.) These photos were not art in the traditional adult sense of the word, yet I felt there was something very raw, something intrinsically artistic about the children's visions.

Lately I've been asking myself: "What kind of photographs would Harrison make? Or Ian? Or Emma?"

I'd decided that during the Monday Night Football season, when our group of sixteen adults and nine children gather, I might try to occupy some of the older kids by teaching them photography.

Tonight the MNF group met for the first time this year. I brought my digital camera on the chance that one of the kids might be interested in using it. As it turns out, both Hank and Ian were delighted with the chance to snap some photos, and the other kids were eager to pose for them.

Each of the following photos was taken by either Harrison (four years old) or Ian (five years old). Hover over a thumbnail to reveal the photo's caption. Click a thumbnail to view a low-quality enlargement in a new window.

I really like some of these shots, particularly the shot of Hank coming off the slide. It'd be fun to print one or two of these shots and then exhibit them at the fair next year.

This experiment went so well that I'm going to bring the digital camera with me to many future gatherings. I'd love to see what kinds of photographs the kids can produce. Also, I'm going to get each of the kids a $10 Pencam (the digital camera anyone can afford) for Christmas. The Pencams don't have a preview function on the back (which is one of the key features for the kids — they love the instant feedback), but I think the kids would still get a kick out of them. And at $10, it's not like they cost a fortune.

On this day at foldedspace.org

2005 — Bathroom Remodel: Part Four (with photos)   It's been a while since I've posted a remodeling update. Work progresses, though slowly. Visually, there's little to document.

2004 — Guilty Pleasure Music   What's your favorite guilty pleasure music? You know, music you love but know you shouldn't.