What happens when you give a 5-year-old a nostalgic digital camera?

Like everything written with nostalgia in mind, let's start out with a "back in my day" anecdote. I was a child of the 80's and 90's. I remember the day we got our first television (it weighed more than me and I was probably 5 at the time) and there was no such thing as "on demand" programs. Floppy disks were actually floppy and those from my time know why that is hilarious.

Long story short: everything was a lot different back then.

One of those differences was in cameras. Obviously, no one had cell phones or digital cameras in those days. But we did have film cameras and specifically, I come from the age of disposable camera dominance.

You could go to the store and purchase a disposable camera, this little dinky pocket-sized device with about 25 or so photos it could take and sometimes a very cheap flash. You'd buy a couple of them - sometimes for trips, sometimes just to have them around - and you'd just snap photos of whatever seemed interesting.

Back to the mid-20's now please...

So anyway, fast forward to the present and as a photographer with kids, I'm in a pretty specific niche for ads and I saw one for this little, digital camera. It was relatively inexpensive, came in a bunch of different colors, but best of all it mimicked the experience of a disposable camera.

This thing has no digital screen, so every time you put your eye to that viewfinder and snap a photo that's it - you can't see the results of your choice until you get the thing back to a computer. It is pocket-sized, too, so great for carrying around and for small hands of the kiddos.

The timing on this was perfect (perhaps TOO perfect - looking at you Google Home...) as our oldest daughter recently asked for a camera of her own for whatever reason. Other than liking the photos we take of her and her sister, she hasn't really shown any interest in taking photos but who am I to question the whims of the photography gods, right?

Did she like it? You bet!

We gave her free reign for the day with the camera and that was a gift to everyone!

She was snapping photos of everything - random toys on the ground, her favorite stuffy, her sister, cousins, and the rest of the family. It was such a joy to see her running around and taking photos of things; just letting her do her own thing.

Among her fantastic personality traits is her ability to share and just about anyone who wanted a turn was able to experience the fun as well. We have SO. MANY. photos of our youngest daughter's up close and personal face. The type of photos that you keep and share with her friends when she gets older - unflattering, up the nose, dirty from eating, and out of focus gems.

We'd also get some photos of Claire and the kids doing other things throughout the day, so we got some use out of it too.

Now the photos from this experience: top notch. Again, not exactly in the quality department, but seeing the world from your child's eyes is a seriously underrated gift. A big thing of what photography is as an art form is showing the world how you - the photographer - sees the world. The choice of when to take the photograph, what to include in the frame and what not to include, how the subject appears and its relationship to other elements - all of those things form a unique perspective that only the physical arts can convey, and specifically only photography (okay, and videography) can provide in life-like realism.

Probably my favorite photo is this of Claire's grandpa. How often do we get to see how he looks at her with such warmth from her own perspective? We're given a clue into their relationship that we typically only get to see from the third-person, but this? It's like we're seeing through her eyes!

And this one of her sister on Christmas morning in her pjs. It's blurry as heck, but look how happy she is! She loves interacting with her sister and loves getting her photo taken - this expression is everything!

Another observation, its interesting how people react to this camera vs. other types of cameras. Maybe because its novelty, maybe its because the photographer is a 5-year-old child, but people's reactions were way more natural and "open" to being photographed. Sometimes I find - especially with my semi-bulky main camera - people have a built in reservation; like they are unprepared for the quality of photo that camera might produce. But with what is for all intents and purposes a toy, things seem a bit different.

You can check out my curated list of photos she took down below. There are certainly some gems in there!

And if you're looking for a fun starter hobby for your kid - of really any non-toddler age, really - I would highly recommend picking something like this up. If you're interested in the one we got, you can check it out on Camp Snap's website. I can't wait to see what else she comes up with in her photographic journey (assuming she doesn't lose interest after the first week, as young kids are prone to do).