Usually I am the one with the camera and taking all the family shots. I also tend to consider myself an amateur photographer that likes to continuously learn to take more complicated and creative photos. Add to that the fact my husband is terrible with a camera it is a wonder I would let anyone else take photos.
That changed this last trip and it one of my most special memories. On one morning of the trip I went to pick up my camera and Little Man stopped me. He said “no big camera” and then picked up his camera and handed it to me. I quickly understood – he was the photographer this day and I was to just sit back and watch.
So we headed out to Animal Kingdom with our Fisher-Price Kid Tough Camera (affiliate link) in tow. A quick overview of this camera:
The Fisher-Price Kid-Tough See Yourself Camera is a great beginner camera for little ones. It takes photos and records video that are not high quality but perfect for little ones and includes a lens that flips from front to back for great selfies.
It takes a SD card so they can load it up with photos without worrying about running out of space. The camera also comes with software that allows you to add special effects to your photos. And when they say kid tough – they mean it! This camera had been through it all and it still works fine.
When we arrived at Animal Kingdom Little Man was adamant about what ride to go on – Jungle Truck!! (Kilimanjaro Safari). He had seen Mom taking lots of photos on this ride and now it was his turn. The entire ride I just sat by him and watched him take photos – both of us smiling from ear to ear.
We also talked a bit about photography. He would get upset when he would miss the shot and I would tell him how photographers takes lots of photos – some good and some are bad. You just have to keep trying. He quickly understood and kept on shooting.
Having your children take the reigns of capturing your memories is a wonderful way to pass on the tradition of photo preservation, spend quality time together, and to get an understanding of your child’s view of the world.
As many of you know sometimes your children’s favorite attractions may not be what you consider an actual ride. It may be jumping on the beds in the hotel room, the resort pool, the Lego Store at Downtown Disney. etc.
On this trip Little Man’s love was with all that was transportation. If it was on wheels, tracks, or water we had to get on board. Here are his photos of what he thinks are the best things at Walt Disney World…
I loved getting to know my son a bit more by sharing this responsibility. I look forwards to sharing more time with him taking photos in the future and watching how he grows and how he sees the world around him.
So on your next trip let them be the historian and let them capture their memories their way. It is magical!
What a fun idea!
How cute! My dad was a hardcore photographer, so of course I was taking photos when I was knee-high to a katydid.
Aw what a cutie! You are training him well! He’s taking some great pictures! My kids have always loved taking their own pictures and I think I started about that age. I know their first pictures were of Disney World shoes and knees.
Mary, I love seeing the pics my kids take- even now that they’re grown! It’s fun to see the world through their eyes! 🙂
Love, Joy
Some of the best pictures we’ve gotten are from the boy’s cameras on past vacations. He did a fantastic job with his pictures! 🙂
Will you be scrapbooking them? I want to do a full book of all his original work.
That would be a fantastic idea!!
My five year old niece has a kid camera and she loves it. She took tons of pictures at a recent pooch pageant and some how all the pictures disappeared from her device. She was so upset. I love seeing her be creative and asking to take pictures with my Iphone. I save all the pictures and videos she takes.
Sad to hear about the photo loss. But so happy that she hasn’t let it stop her and you are preserving them. I think the angles they use are so creative.
I think it’s great idea to get the kids more involved. He took some pretty great pics on your vacation. I will be giving this a try next time.
I love this idea! We have this Fisher Price camera- but it’s the 2004 version from my oldest son! The pictures are not very good, and it eats batteries! My son likes to take pictures, then delete them… not sure he’d do so well taking pictures on a vacation yet! 🙂 Maybe it’s time to upgrade to the newer FP kid tough camera and teach him NOT to delete the pictures as soon as he takes them!
LoL! Luckily he has not discovered the delete button yet, but you are right that it is to easy for the kids to delete the photos. Also, I would say the quality isn’t great but the battery life is much better!
What a great idea Mary! Gives you a whole new perspective from what is special to them to different camera angles. Thanks for sharing today!!
Wow! He’s quite a good little photographer – it obviously runs in the family. Funny . . . on Monday I’ll be posting a review and giveaway for a child’s camera (not this one, but one from VTech). Ian’s been enjoying being a photographer too!
Great job, we let our son use our camera a few times and he did get some interesting shots from his angle.
Such a cute idea, I would totally love to see the through the lens of my kids. Thanks!
Looks like you had a great time! I really love the idea, that kids take their own photos while traveling!