What do you do you when your child expresses and interest in photography? Well, you get a camera and a printer and see what she can do, of course!
Our daughter stated that she wanted to learn about photography during the previous school year. This topic isn't the easiest to turn into a homeschool class as the available information isn't always applicable to simple cameras. We didn't want to spend a lot of money on a camera as this could be a passing interest or she could break the camera (it happened) with childlike neglect. I added library books, YouTube videos and signed her up for a 4H photography club but the best thing for her was having access and time to try out the skill for herself. While it seems simple, the act of choosing and snapping the photo at the right angle, moment, etc., is an art. I don't have it, but she does!
The camera that she uses can be accessed here.
After she completed the photos, we needed a way to see the results. We wanted her to take full responsibility for this activity so standing over her shoulder while she uploaded the photos onto our family computer wasn't going to work. She needed the autonomy to evaluate, print and reassess her work without our input. This was her project, and we wanted her to retain ownership of the process. We settled on this printer. We gave her the box, instructions and offered minimal assistance to its setup and operation. It took some work and frustration on her part, but she figured it out and is the expert on what the machine can do.
Next, we set her loose on the farm with vague assignments, landscape photos, animal photos, etc. The screen on the camera shows the picture but it wasn't until she could print it out that she found herself critiquing her own work and looking for ways to improve.
As with any new skill, perfect photos did not originate overnight. She worked hard and discovered new techniques and angles to produce her photos. When she had narrowed her works to the best of her very best, we decided to start finding ways to share them with the world.
All of her images were captured here on our small Kentucky farm!
We started out with turning the photos into greeting cards. If you have visited us at the Farmers' Markets, you may have noticed her work on display or even purchased one of her pieces for yourself.
You can order your own handmade greeting cards here.
In addition to greeting cards, we have started utilizing the resources available to us through the website Printify. This allows us to upload our original photos and utilize their services to create other products such as mugs, journals, etc. 
I guess the moral of the story is that you never know where a child's interest will lead you. Sometimes it is simply a passing fancy. Other times, it creates beautiful works of art that you can share with your friends!
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She has a wonderful eye for photography! Her great grandfather was a photographer in his younger years and had quite a camera collection when he passed. He would be so excited to know Matilda is following in his footsteps.