Spring Through Micah's Lens

I handed Micah my camera and asked him to take pictures of spring on our street--some up close and some far away. Then I sent him outside with Eve and without me to take some pictures. (Yes, my real camera. Yes, I was nervous. Yes, he was surprised.)

When he got home, I put them on the computer, and we spent some time editing out blurry pictures, talking about what worked and what didn't and why--with a little aperture and shutter speed and ISO thrown in.

I loved spending that time with him, me teaching him a little about photography and him teaching me a little about how he sees the world.

I picked a few of my favorites--favorite not because of the quality of the photo, necessarily, but favorite because I could see into his mind a little bit.  Remember, this is the first time he's ever had a camera in his hands.

He took this picture to show what spring doesn't look like.  I loved hearing how his mind worked.

This tree is in my neighbor's yard right across the street, and it's one of my favorite signs of spring, too.

Although this isn't a sign of spring, it certainly shows how much Evie loves being with her big brother.

This picture is really creative to me, even though it's blurry.  Micah attempted to take a picture of the reflection of the grapefruit tree in the lace-curtained window.  I never would have thought to do this.  A little practice and I may have another photog in the family.

This photo is a textbook art lesson--balance, symmetry, repetition, line.  I may have to go back to this spot and see it for myself through the lens.

And then this closeup of a statue . . .

Then I asked him to pick his three favorites.

He loved this picture of the sun.  He loved how the camera created rays and reflections and colors.  I had to explain to him how bad it can be to take direct pictures of the sun, but I'm glad he got this one.

He took lots of pictures of citrus and flowers.  Many were out of focus because I hadn't explained to him how to focus the camera.  This one, however, is perfect.  He told me he loves the bright flower color surrounded by all of the green.  Then he said, "This is close enough and clear enough that you could count the petals to see if this flower is a Fibonacci flower!"

This picture is both of our favorite.  He told me he took this picture to symbolize birds, but he couldn't successfully capture a bird, so he took a shot of their home.

Now he's itching to take the camera out again.  Maybe a present for his birthday?

I'm a little hesitant with the camera now.  Evie got into my camera bag last night and pushed a polishing cloth through my adapter mount and ruined it.  Sometimes I just wanna . . . . but then I don't.  Ya know what I mean?