Lennon’s World
My Grandson’s camera opened a whole new world; for me.
Almost every time I take my grandkids hiking with me, I take my camera. One day last week I took my grandson Lennon with me and for reasons I won’t even try to understand, I gave him one of my expensive cameras to take photos. And to my surprise, some of those pictures came out really well!
My grandson loved taking photographs and using the camera. I immediately figured out that from now on, when we go hiking, he would expect to use my camera. I ordered a kid’s camera from Amazon, of course. It is an underwater digital video camera. It is a great size, sturdy and light, with a 32GB card and a two-inch screen. Not the best lens in the world, but it is good good enough for a four-year-old.
He walked around with the camera taking pictures of everything. I did not pay that much attention to what photos he was taking. But I knew he was having a lot of fun. After a few days, I figured that I would need to check the storage on the camera and transfer the files. I did not think he would run out of room a the 34GB card, but since the card can hold thousands of photos, I thought it a good idea to save them at the right interval so I would not need to handle so many photos.
When I look at some of the over 700 videos and photos he had taken, I was a little surprised. I learned things about my grandson and looking at what he took photographs of allowed me to peek into his mind.
Like many little boys, he loves cars and trucks so that was a big deal. Many of the photos were of his toy truck and car collection. After the trucks, his favorite topic was his own family. He took many pictures of us, some of them were unflattering photos of me lounging around the house shirtless or sitting at my desk or reading. When he took a picture of his grandmother, he did not want her to pose, he wanted to take the photos of us while we were not looking.
His shoes also seemed to fascinate him, as well as the pink light in his bedroom of which he took dozens of photos. He also took photos of his favorite television shows and cartoons. He is a four-year-old, so there is nothing pretentious about these photographs and that is what makes them so refreshing for me. He is not trying to mimic or impress, he is just a kid with a toy and he’s using it to take the things that interest him.
The pandemic has allowed me to see my grandson in a way that would have never been possible earlier. I work from home most of the time and we spend the entire day together and when I run errands, he is with me. I can’t imagine a scenario outside of the pandemic that would enable us to spend so much time together. I enjoy every minute of it!
Through his photos, I am able to learn even more about him. He has a routine of what he interacts with throughout the day. I always know what time of day it is based on what he plays with. I have noticed that he did take an interest in some of the things he witnessed me do, such as taking pictures of the bird feeders in our yard and the airplanes that whiz through the backyard. I do not know how long his interest will last, but however long it is, I will be there to assist him on his photographic journey.
Lennon is…
sleep this morning
after a long day of sunshine
and toy trucks
He’s sleeping & getting his rest,
building his energy
for Saturday
Lennon is peaceful
in his paw patrol underwear
and his clothes on the couch
nearby — waiting to be worn
He’ll awake to a breakfast of
oatmeal apple juice and bacon
I will be there to happily
share a great day with him
