Re: [Leica] Request for Advice

[Walter S Delesandri <walt@jove.acs.unt.edu>]

Damn lucky grandkids, eh folks?
Ted, ya need any more family?  You can process my film anytime ya 
want.....I'm a crotchety ol' fart, but from what you've 
told me, hell you're so damn old you could be my older brother...
Walt

On Sat,
5 Dec 1998, Ted Grant wrote:

> Bill Cassing wrote:
> 
> >I would appreciate some advice regarding a gift for an eight year old
> >grandson.>>>>
> 
> Hi Bill,
> 
> I meant to respond earlier as I have 10 grand children, several of them are
> into photography and do it rather well. There are a couple of 13 years olds
> with about 6 yaers experience already an other 12 and a grandaughter 11.
> 
> The 4 grand kids I've given cameras they got the simplest and cheapest of
> point and shoot's I could find. The simple reason? They just want to take
> pictures, they don't want to be fiddling with the things to make a camera
> work. Certainly when they first start, just let them expose film and have
> fun doing it for the first few rolls.  Then as the film is processed and
> prints made, you can start with a few "technical and seeing" things.
> 
> Hell they have enough to learn at school without going throough a bunch of
> mental stuff to take pictures. Quite frankly most LUG members use their
> cameras quickly, to the grandchild it appears very simple, "Just put camera
> to eye, click and the picture is taken!"  That's how they see us work when
> doing our pictures. So what's the big deal here?
> 
> So I let them shoot away to their hearts desire in B&W, I souped the film,
> they helped in the darkroom with the timer, buffaloing the contacts through
> the soup and dried their own prints.
> 
> Once they had some pictures to look at, then the "why for details" were
> brought to play and they learned to see their mistakes and "Keepers," as
> they grew older they graduated in gear and ability the two boys in Ottawa
> now use their fathers EOS1 cameras and lenses and do a very good picture.
> 
> The one here in Victoria knows how to use my M6, make adjustments and get
> acceptable pictures.
> 
> My grand daughter in Jasper is still using the P&S and sends her film here
> in Victoria for processing and contacts. I send them and some enlargements
> I think worked back to her with new rolls of film.  I make some notes to go
> with the prints and after she gets them, we talk on the phone discussing
> the contacts as I keep a set and she has a set. At times very frustrating
> as we are visual people
> 
> She is turning 12 and very much into art and design and shows some
> excellent talent, I don't have any doubt some day she could be working as a
> commercial photographer. I'll move her up to a more controlling camera
> later in the New Year as she is complaining she can't get as close as she
> would like and several other points that obviously indicate she is ready
> for more than a point and shoot.
> 
> For what it's worth on the first camera for your grandson, I'd by-pass all
> the control stuff and just let him "point and shoot" having fun because,
> that's how you grab their interest right at the start simply because they
> have "some success" and feel good about picture taking like "grandpa"
> 
> More important? They have fun without details! You can do that stuff later.
> 
> Ted Grant
> This is Our Work. The Legacy of Sir William Osler.
> http://www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant
> 
>