Wilkinson Cameras Liverpool Assistant Manager, Liz Jeary, talks about a visit to see her family and the raw talent her niece, Kaylah, displayed when Liz put her camera in her hands and guided her along the way.

I was 8 years old when I was gifted my first camera. It was a red plastic Halina 260 35mm, which had a focus free 33mm lens, a flash, and a manual slide open lens cover. I won’t pretend that I was a photographic prodigy because I really wasn’t, but I did love making a record of the things I was seeing. Fast forward 30+ years and I am fully immersed in digital photography. I have cameras, lenses, flashes, and other accessories. I’ve earned a First-Class BA (Hons) degree in photography, I’ve started a business, and developed my passion into art that has been exhibited and sold worldwide. This all started with my little red Halina.

 

It never occurred to me that most children these days don’t grow up having cameras, or parents with cameras. They may have mobile phones with cameras on but no devices specifically for making photographs. I was enlightened whilst visiting my mother in Devon last year. My niece (Kaylah, 13) and nephew (Michael, 10) were also staying, so I got to hang out with them for a couple of days, having been very far apart during the height of the pandemic.

Usually, I would take a compact travel camera (Olympus Stylus 1s), which serves very well for holiday pictures, and occasionally some artistic ones too. This time I decided to take my full-frame DSLR camera and a few lenses, realising that this would be a great opportunity to get some up-to-date portraits of my family. I popped a “nifty fifty” lens on my camera and took the kids out for a walk around the town. We’d only just left the house when Kaylah asked what it was like to use a camera – this was the moment of realisation that it was no longer the norm for kids to grow up with this experience.

Being the obliging cool aunt that I am (!), I set the camera to middle-zone AF, the aperture to f1.8 (so she could see the effect of aperture), the ISO to 100, and placed the strap securely around her neck. I explained how to focus and then take the picture and gave her a few tips on things to look out for. This was the very first image she took:

 

As we walked around the area, I pointed out things that I would find interesting (flowers, signs etc), which helped build her confidence to find her own view. She particularly enjoyed capturing images of her brother, so he became the main subject - he also had a go with the camera and showed some promise too but perhaps needs a smaller body for his little hands (he's a petite 10-year-old).

 

When we arrived back at the house, I swapped the lens for a Canon EF 100mm f2.8L Macro and sent Kaylah off into the garden by herself. When she returned inside, we viewed her images on my laptop and talked about the images we liked and why, and those that weren’t so successful. I did some basic processing, such as cropping and exposure corrections, and saved the outcome.

The following day we went out again, this time with a Canon EF 70-200mm f4L lens, so she could see the difference between a prime lens and a zoom lens. The resulting images were fantastic!

Despite my “expert” opinion, Kaylah wasn’t convinced that she was any good, so I turned to the SheClicks Facebook community for support. I explained that it was her first time using a camera and shared some of the results – the feedback validated my excitement for discovering such a talent, and something I can nurture and share with Kaylah.

Next time I'm able to go down and spend more time with them, I plan to take the camera and let Kaylah explore it a bit more. If she continues to show the same levels of interest then I shall be seeking out a Pre-Owned bargain for her next birthday present – second hand cameras and lenses are a great way of getting young people into photography without breaking the bank, especially if it’s just a phase.

 

Do you have a budding photographer in your family or friends’ network?

If yes, take a look at our Pre-Owned range of cameras here. New items arrive in our stores most days so stock can be quick to turn over. If there’s something you would like that we do not have at the moment, you can fill out the Pre-Owned Wish List form and be notified as soon as we take in a matching item. Our items include some vintage 35mm cameras and lenses, so I shall be keeping an eye out for a red Halina 260!