There is a certain kind of quiet joy in watching a child carry a camera that looks almost as big as her face and one of my greatest satisfaction from dabbling in photography is to be able to have my children explore the world around them with a camera.
Starting from 3 and soon to be 10 years old, the little one is now able to do a half day photowalk with me, comfortable in framing and using a simple camera.
Some of my previous experiences doing so with them are:
1. Following the Photography journey of Kei and Lynn with the Fujifilm X100 series
2. Teaching photography to children | Lynn X Instax mini Tsum Tsum
3. A 3 and 5-year old’s adventures with cameras
For today’s photowalk, it is now nine years old Lynn, with a Leica Sofort 2, a small brick of bright red in her hands as she skipped ahead while we explored a more rustic and laid back corner of Punggol.
We had agreed on one simple rule before we left home:
“Photograph anything you find interesting, and when we return, we will print your favorite 11 shots”
Leica M10-R, Light Lens Lab 35mm double aspherical in Titanium
No talk about composition guides or exposure triangles. Just some bonding time with the child, a camera each for us and the invitation to notice and document; all for a short discussion on the images captured later.
Warming up with a shy shutter
The first ten minutes were mostly Lynn getting used to how the Leica Sofort 2 feels and works . Unlike some of the digital cameras she has “borrowed” in the past, this one although a ‘standard frame on LCD – point and shoot camera’ comes with a total of 100 combinations of filters and effects should one is keen to apply them to the image.
Her first frame was classic Lynn; following what I had shot on my own camera.
And so after getting herself acquainted with the easy to work with controls of the Leica Sofort 2, we embarked on our walk from the Singapore Institute of Technology towards Coney Island along Punggol Waterway.
Key Technicalities of the Leica Sofort 2
- Hybrid instant camera with print function (instax mini)
- CMOS-Sensor, 1⁄5 inch, 2560×1920 pixels (4.9MP) output
- Internal memory for approx. 45 images), microSD slot
- Leica Summar 1:2/2.4 lens (equivalent to approx. 28mm format)
- 3 inch LCD, approximately 460k dots
- Minimum focus distance of 10cm to infinity
And so, we continue…
Entering Coney Island, we were treated to the perfect weather conditions, gentle sunlight and an abundance of gentle breeze.
And of course there were other visitors who were looking forward to some quiet moments within the forested area too.
Wildlife has slowly recovered since the ill-fated decision to hold a run across the island years back and I am glad to see small critters like squirrels around the area darting in and out across the foliage.
Walking towards the left, we soon reached the first sea-facing side within Coney island, where one is able to glimpse towards the Malaysia state of Johor.
Learning to choose
As we walked back out towards our starting point, a quick count was that Lynn had taken around 30 plus shots. And we soon circled back to the topic of choosing the shots she deemed worthy of printing on mini instax films.
I told her there is no such thing as a wasted frame if she can explain why she took it and that seemed to help her with the culling process and soon she settled on her top 11 shots.
Seeing light instead of ‘things’
What surprised me most during the photowalk was what Lynn decided was worth photographing, and it was quite interesting to hear her elaborate on the ‘why’ and ‘what’ she saw behind each image, a conversation that would have been tough to do when she was three.
Looking back at the eleven small rectangles
At the end of the day, we laid the prints out on the table.
There they were, the chosen eleven little rectangles, each imperfect in the best way ; slightly soft edges, occasional overexposure, the odd fingertip creeping into a corner. But as a series, they were unmistakably Lynn’s way of seeing the world.
As an adult, I can talk about the Leica Sofort’s lens, its exposure modes, its quirks. But what stays with me more is this: in the hands of a nine-year-old, the Sofort 2 stopped being a “Leica product” and simply became an excuse to slow down and notice, a way for her to understand what I do and bond.
She still can’t really keep the camera ‘straight’ consistently haha.
The photowalk today ending in eleven chosen prints gave Lynn eleven chances, and with each print, she thought a little harder, and shared a little more.
And for me, walking just a step behind her, that was the real enjoyment of the day.
Thank you for reading.
Disclaimers:
- All product photos and samples here were photographed by me. I believe any reviewer with pride should produce their own product photos.
2. All images were shot with my personal set of the Leica M10-R, Leica Sofort 2 and Light Lens Lab 35mm double aspherical
3. This review is not sponsored.
4. I write as a passion and a hobby, and I appreciate that photography brands are kind enough to respect and work with me.
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KeithWee | Photography 
Hi Keith,
it is a pleasure to see you spending time with your daughters in this way. I still remember, when I was at the age of 9, and the only digital camera we had was a Nikon Coolpix L11. My father was still using film with his Nikon FM3 and a bunch of prime lenses, but the Coolpix was what I would be able to use.
I was about 9 years old, and we were crossing the swiss alps with a mobile home, and now and then we would stop at a parking area, and have a look around. I remember my first experience with half pressing the shutter to lock the exposure, and recomposing the image. I was quite proud of having figurred that out myself and of the pictures I took.
So I think I can relate to what it might be like for your daugthers, and it makes me happy to see how they play around and have fun, just the way I did.
So maybe I can give you some advice, since I have been is a similar position myself.
I think it is important to understand that they are girls. The way they think, and see the world is connected to the emotion they associate with the things they see, and that is often different from how it is for boys. There is also a cultural difference between boys and girls and I think that holds the same challenges any cultural difference may hold. So I think this is something important to be mindful of, and to let them develop their girly way of photography in any way they please. For the same reason they might at first not be too interested in the pictures their dad takes.
You might have heard of Japan’s ‘Girly Photo’ movement in the 1990s. Through blogs I have read quite a few articles of japanese women, who have gotten into photography through works associated with that movement. Actually, that influence was also what got me back into photography myself, now that I am in my late 20s.
I wonder how your daughters would respond if they would find a photobook of Mika Ninagawa lying around? Maybe if your girls find out about other girls or women who love photography, it might inspire them? I can’t help but wonder if there is a way to deepen their interest by introducing them to other artists and hobbyists who are connected to the ‘Girly Photo’ movement or have a unique style that might appeal to them.
If it wasn’t for things like that, I would still use a small sensor pocket camera and only take pictures at special occasions. But because I found other women at my age who pursue photography as a serious hobby, and female artists who have a different way of taking pictures than what I am used to seing in the mostly male dominated world of photography, I was able to take my interest to a different level.
It is still a hobby, but this year in july I took out a big loan, thanks to a unique opportunity that allowed me to do that, and bought a Leica M. It’s a Leica M (Type 262) and the lenses I have are the Leica Summarit-M f2.5/35mm and Leica Summarit-M f2.4/75mm. I try to take the camera with me wherever I go. The 35mm gets used the most, but when I take a photo walk or for some pictures at home I also use the 75mm. I take about 1000 pictures every month, with a bit less in winter and more in summer.
I am not a gear person, so I am not interested in that part of the hobby, but the simplicity and immediacy of the Leica M has allowed me to understand basic principles of photography that before were difficult to understand and make use of because of several reasons.
1. If the sensor is too small there is little point in purposefully using the aperture to get a different look.
2. If the camera can set everything by itself there is little reason to learn how to to set things manually.
3. If the 4 most important settings, aperture, focus, shutter time and iso are buried among lots of advanced technical features it is difficult to understand what really matters for the picture at the end.
4. The distance markings for zone focusing on a manual lens in combination with a rangfinder make it very easy to use depth of field intentionally and creatively.
5. Not being able to see the exposure previewed on a screen or evf encourages you to memorize and understand exposure settings.
6. Understanding the zone system takes the guesswork out of using any light meter.
So I am currently using the zone system to expose manually, I sometimes use zone focusing to focus and every month I get better at using the rangefinder, focusing, framing, exposing, setting the aperture in respect to available light and the desired depth of field. And that is all thanks to the Leica M, teaching me how.
If the interest of your girls into photography persists, and maybe deepens, there might come a time when understanding the techincal aspects will become a priority. When questions arise, like, how can I take a picture like that, or how do I avoid this or that problem in my pictures, the time might be right to explain these things. And I think the best camera to use, to explain these things would be a digital Leica M. But I would wait with that until your girls take the initiative.
I see this has gotten long, but maybe some of this will be useful. I simply couldn’t help but share all this after reading the article. I am looking forward to the next post in this series.
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Hi Djulina, wow, thank you very much for sharing the details of your journey. It has been a pleasure reading your sharing and also thinking about this from my daughters’ perspective.
For them it is true like so many of us where inspiration matters and can make a difference and related books/ works is a good way for me to start 🙂
Thank you very much again for the heartfelt sharing.
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