With mobile phones ever on hand, and phone cameras so good, it’s easy to teach young children the fundamentals of photography. The young photographer can learn about framing a shot and making sure heads and feet are not cropped. They can think about backgrounds and come to terms with the challenges and beauty of light.
Be the model and let them ‘snap’ you posing around the garden and in the house. Get them to set up a ‘studio’ photo of the whole family and document this day in your lives. For generations afterwards, descendants will wonder, ‘Where was Peter that day?’ And those in the know will have the answer: four-year-old Peter was behind the camera.
Dr Toni Risson is a storyteller and a cultural historian who has penned everything from children’s picture books to a PhD on the Magic of Lollies. An expert on the Greek cafe phenomenon, Toni curated Meet Me at the Paragon for the State Library of Queensland, and her latest book, Brisbane’s Greek Cafes: A Million Malted Milks, was a finalist in the 2019 Queensland Literary Awards. Having encountered the elegant Paragon Cafe in Katoomba as a child, Toni developed a fascination with silky oak panelling, bevelled mirrors and Art Deco wall lights long before she understood the stories behind Australia's iconic Greek cafe. She continues to document our lost café culture.
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