Give Back To Your Community By Organizing A Kids Photo Walk, Part 1

If you reside anywhere that’s similar to the sleepy little town I live in, you’re aware that there aren’t many opportunities for children to get hands-on with art; especially photography. In light of this fact, my wife and I decided to create an opportunity for youngsters living in our home town to spend a morning with us expanding their knowledge of photography.

They're All Different

Let’s face it, not all kids are into sports. For those children who chose to spend their time being creative and pursuing alternative extracurricular activities, opportunities to really shine in whatever medium of art they are interested in are sometimes limited. You may recall when I posted an article mentioning my now seven year old son’s interest in photography. His interest has led to numerous outings specifically dedicated to his photography skills.

Instead of sitting around complaining about being bored, perhaps that old camera you no longer use could be just the outlet your child has been craving.

Where to Start

Interested in sharing your knowledge with kids in your community but don’t know where to start? Since the weather has been nice where we’re from, my wife and I have decided that we're going to host a kid's photo walk. We figure that an outdoor walk at a nearby preserve would not only be a great opportunity to get outside and be active, it’s also a great photographic opportunity at one of our favorite locations. 

Facebook Event

Step number one was to create an event on Facebook that could be easily shared.

Considering the small size of our town, I’ll be happy if a dozen kids show up for the walk.

Structure

After deciding on an appropriate meeting place, we planned the structure of the event so it'll operate smoothly. We decided to organize several stations, each with a specific focus:

Portrait Station

At the portrait station, kids will be able to photograph people to learn the principals of portrait taking. 

Still Life Station

Here kids will focus on objects and how light interacts with them. 

Nature Station

At the nature station children will walk on designated walking paths that lead through the preserve. The paths present various opportunities to photograph nature. 

Supplies

We want to encourage children to use any type of camera they have available. This means a cell phone, a disposable camera, an old DSLR, it really doesn't matter. We don’t want anyone to be without a means of taking a picture so we went ahead and purchased a dozen disposable cameras, which ran us less than $100. It’s a small price worth the investment in my mind. 

Other supplies for the event include basic amenities like water, ice-chests, and a first aid kit.

Closing

Have I ever done anything like this before? Nope. Which is why I thought some of you may be interested in seeing how it all works out. In the coming weeks I’ll write a follow-up article about the day and explain whether it was a success or a failure. While I can't speak for our readers in other parts of the world, I think that whether the event is a smashing success or only a few kids show up, more opportunities like this are needed throughout the country to help secure a solid future for photography. Who knows, perhaps it'll turn into an annual event and volunteers and sponsors will present themselves. This is only wishful thinking at the moment, but it's positive and specifically the type of productive wishful thinking that I'd like to see more of. 

Have you ever participated in a photography event for kids? Share in the comments below.