Interview with National Geographic Photographer Annie Griffiths

Today I had a chance to speak to National Geographic Photographer Annie Griffiths on a conference call along with other National Geographic Kids Insiders. Annie has my dream job! I am not kidding! I remember watching the movie Bridges of Madison County years ago and thought that Clint Eastwood’s character had about the best job as he played a traveling National Geographic Photographer. It seem so magical traveling from place to place documenting what you see with photographs!

Well, Annie has this dream job! She has been to over 150 countries, founded The Ripple Effect Images, a nonprofit that helps poor women and also documents programs around the world that empower women and girls. She is my type of lady! She spoke to us today about her new National Geographic Kids book Guide to Photography which provides tips and tricks on how to be the best photographer. I had a chance to read through the book a bit and it has some really amazing tips for kids and adults. We have found it to be very reader-friendly and there is so much helpful information that anyone looking to take better photographs – whether it be with your smartphone or DSLR camera could use.

Annie had a some really great tips she shared with us about encouraging your kids to get started.

Use an old camera or smartphone: Have the kids start out with the least breakable device. She recommends them using an old(er) camera or smartphone that you no longer use. This way, they are able to experience taking photographs without the stress of worrying about breaking anything. I found this tip really helpful as my daughter loves to use my new camera I received for my birthday this year, but every time she picks it up I am stressed she will drop it on accident. So the experience is not as creative for her as I would like it to be! She did recommend that they put the camera strap around their neck just in case. Good advice.

Have them tell a story using only photographs: Annie said she has always been interested in telling stories and found photography the best way to do this. She recommends that you give your child an assignment to “tell a story” using only images. Next time you go to a sporting event, have them take pictures of the ball, the soccer net (for example), the coach in action, the loudest parents (could this be you?) and other ways to document the experience.

Make a “No Chimping Rule:” Now, this takes some explaining on my end. Annie explained that when digital cameras first came out about ten years ago, the first people to use them were the News Media photographers. The story goes that they were at a press conference, and when the President came out, they were able to turn their camera’s around and look at the pictures they took – immediately. You have to remember that back in the day (my time) you had to wait to develop the pictures before you could see them. With the new DSLR cameras you are immediately able to see the photographs.

Well, all these photographers started making chimping noises – oh, ah, ugh, etc., so they sounded like a bunch of chimps – thus the term”chimping” came about. Make a rule that the whole family can’t “look” at the photographs they took until later on, and to do it together. That way, you are focused on taking photographs and not looking at your camera all the time. Annie says this way, you are staying present in the moment and able to get more shots than if you are constantly “chimping”.

Learn How the Camera Works: Even though we have the Auto option, she recommends that kids (and adults) learn how the camera works. This way, they are able to be more creative because they understand the features available to them. She used the example of a photographer who climbed Mt. Everest to find that he couldn’t take good photographers because he had always used the auto feature and the elevation was messing with his lighting. He didn’t understand how his camera worked off of the auto setting so the images didn’t come out as well as he would have liked.

Encourage Your Kids: Annie also spoke about the importance of encouraging your kids to pick up the camera and smart phone and provide words of encouragement. Say things like “sure you can,” or “of course you are smart enough,” will go far in building their self-confidence.

National Geographic Kids My Shot: For budding photographers!

One way to get your children more involved is to have them share the photo’s they take on National Geographic Kids My Shot. Here they can get feedback from other kids and even get a chance for their photo to be featured on the Home Page. They can also earn badges. Each month, ten photographs are chosen to be featured in Vice President Boden’s home on display! The site is geared towards children 9-18 years of age but there is no age limit on how young the budding photographer can be. All comments are moderated and people under 13 years of age can not post any self portraits. You can read more about posting your children’s photographs on My Shot and learn more about their International Photography 2015 Contest for Kids.

And good news! We want to provide Annie’s new book Guide to Photography! Stay tuned as our giveaway will go up soon!

Note: We are part of the National Geographic Kids Insider group and provided with a magazine subscription but this does not affect our opinion in any way. We are happy to share all the wonderful programs they offer!