It’s Friday so let’s look at the playful side of photography.

I recently gave my 5 year-old nephew a new Polaroid 300. His grandparents spoke highly of smartphone photos he shot at a Portland Timbers soccer match. So I thought that it’s time for his first camera. I knew about Polaroid’s being available again, but being so into “serious photography” I hadn’t looked at it. This seemed a good time to get acquainted again with the earliest camera I remember using, and a fun way to introduce my nephew to film photography.

In addition to the camera he received two packets of film. The camera is very simple to load and unload, and very easy to operate. He picked it up quickly and went off immediately to shoot the entire roll. I have to say the kid has a good intuitive sense for composition by five year-old standards, and I’m really proud of this, he doesn’t over think it and has a delightful time taking photos. I wouldn’t go so far as to call him a prodigy, but he is a natural at making people feel comfortable. Each photo went into a mini scrapbook, his first portfolio.

Another benefit is he understood that unlike digital, film exposures are limited, so he had to be mindful of his shot selection and think like he had a budget. He remarked that he could save money to buy more film. It’s great that a small $60 camera can teach so many good things to a kid, almost as instantly as the film develops.

His review? “Whoa!”