All photography in this post is by Jack Masci.

I have started something new this month.  Last month, a friend of mine approached me about doing photography lessons with her son, Jack, as part of his Christmas gift.  I’ve never really taught photography before, but I’ve worked with kids a lot and I figured I knew enough that I could help a 4th grade boy.  Besides that, I liked the ideas I saw in his sample work and it seems like an excellent opportunity to combine two of my favorite things:  teaching stuff to kids and photography.

Last weekend was our first lesson.  His dad came along and after a quick explanation of camera settings, Jack spent most of the time just shooting.  As Jack took pictures on his own I started to see what interested him about photography and after awhile I’d step in and ask him questions or give him tips to help him convey his vision.  Jack is really big on both color and details.  He sees the subtleties of color very well and seems to enjoy capturing the minute detail of everyday objects in a new way.  This is all really fascinating for me of course, to see through the eyes of another photographer is inspiring to me–especially a 9-year old boy that views the world in such a different light than I do.

Primarily we worked on moving around and getting closer to the subject.  I was impressed at how fast Jack made the adjustments to his shooting process.  Next time we will work on aperture and I look forward to challenging him on some of the photography biases he’s developed.  Here’s my favorite three shots that he took during our first session.

Jack really likes to capture the gradual value change in color. In this shot, that subtle change in color pops behind the silhouetted tree branches.

I love color like Jack, but I think for this shot of his, the detail he captured in the rose petal and his dad’s fingertips becomes even more striking in black and white. This is one of the challenges I’ll have for Jack–seeing in black and white.

I just love this one–something about the persecutive and the contrast between the dirty grill and shiny mustang.