What happens when there are no rules? Exploring culture and diversity through children's photography

Authors

Roslyn S. Westbrook, University of WollongongFollow
Ian M. Brown, University of WollongongFollow
Pauline Lysaght, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

23875

Publication Details

Brown, I. M., Westbrook, R. S. & Lysaght, P. (2008). What happens when there are no rules? Exploring culture and diversity through children's photography. In R. E. Griffin, M. Avgerinou & C. G. Spinillo (Eds.), Conference of the International Visual Literacy Association (pp. 63-72). USA: International Visual Literacy Association.

Abstract

Photography presents a powerful means of sharing one's world and provides opportunities for understanding the experiences of others. Many guides providing instruction and advice are available for both the amateur and professional photographer. The issue explored by this paper is whether the images taken by children who had been provided with disposable cameras but who were offered no formal instruction in photography are consistent with the guidelines typically associated with best practice. Selected images have been analysed using a range of compositional categories constituting best practice. The results indicate cultural differences in image construction and that children, on the whole, reflect some of the 'ideals' of good photography.