Bibliographic Data:
Gibbons, Gail. 1997. Click!: A Book About Cameras and Taking Pictures. New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0316309761
Plot Summary:
This informative book gives an introduction to basic photography for children. It includes how the camera works, how to take photographs, and a brief history of photography.
Critical Analysis:
Click!: A Book About Cameras and Taking Pictures by Gail Gibbons is a good introduction to photography and cameras for children. The information on how cameras operate and directions given on how to take photographs are simple and easy to understand. Gibbons takes children through the process of creating a latent image on film all the way to developing a photograph to place in a frame. She even shows methods for taking better photographs, such as not taking a photograph while facing sunlight or using a flash indoors.
I was somewhat disappointed, however, by the inclusion of disk cameras and film in this book that was published only ten years ago. Currently I am not aware of any lab that can even make prints off of disk film (although I am sure there may be a few if you searched); it has been so long since it has been produced and sold. A much better inclusion of a different type of film would have been a Polaroid, or instant, film, which is barely mentioned at the end of the book. In contrast to a format that barely lasted over a decade, Polaroid has been making self-developing film and instant cameras since the late 1940's.
This is a minor, although unfortunate, problem in a well put together book though. The colorful illustrations are eye catching and each page is bordered with sprockets giving the pages the look of 35 mm film. Illustrations are labeled for easy location of the shutter or viewfinder for example. Interchangeable terms are also given for terms like photograph (picture, photo, snapshot) and developing film (processing).
Some "Fun Photo Facts" conclude Click!: A Book About Cameras and Taking Pictures. My favorite describes the world's longest photograph taken in Japan using 100 cameras and enlarged into life-size prints. In a world now dominated by digital photography, this is a wonderful book to show children how film photography works on a basic level.
Review Excerpts:
School Library Journal "Gibbons takes a complex subject and breaks it down into simple, easy to understand terms. She describes different types of cameras and their film, and explains what happens to film inside the camera and at a photo-processing center. At this point, the author states, "First the film is removed from the cartridge in a darkroom, lit only by a red light. Then the latent images on the film are developed by soaking the film in chemicals." In fact, film must be removed in total darkness or it will be ruined; a red light will erase latent images. Explanations of printing, negatives and enlargements, tips on the care of a camera and on taking photos both indoors and outdoors are provided. A very basic chronology on the history of photography completes the presentation. The good-quality illustrations, done in the artist's unmistakable style, complement the text. Overall, a well-rounded introduction to photography."
This review caught the one mistake in accuracy I didn't at first. Film cannot be exposed to light at all or the image will be destroyed.
Connections:
Pinhole camera ideas for both young and older kids:
From a Pringles Can http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/pringles_pinhole.html
Oatmeal Box http://users.rcn.com/stewoody/
An interesting site on the Brownie featuring stories of photographers, such as Ansel Adams, and their first experiences with Brownie cameras. http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/features/brownieCam/index.shtml
No comments:
Post a Comment