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I thought I would share a fun #Holiday that takes place on October 20th World Toy Camera Day #ToyCameraDay. I remember when Charlie was little he wanted a #camera to take pictures with. If your children enjoy photography the Holiday is right around the corner making it the perfect time to purchase a #camera for them.
If your blessed and lucky like I was and your able to #Homeschool your children. You can think outside the box when deciding what classes to teach them. A Photography class could lead to a job later on in life.
Since none of my family is that good at taking Photos even though we have a expensive Cannon Camera I plan on purchasing Kids Camera Instant Print Camera for us to practice with. I also found National Geographic Kids Guide to Photography: Tips & Tricks on How to Be a Great Photographer From the Pros & Your Pals at My Shot I can’t wait to get to help us perfect our craft.
World Toy Camera Day is celebrated annually around the world on the third Sunday of October, which falls on October 20th this year. Despite the camera name including the word toy, toy cameras are functional cameras that can take pictures. Since toy cameras are cheap models, they don’t have any controls, but photographers still like to use them as their distortions make for very interesting photos.
American photographer Becky Ramotowski was inspired by Pinhole Photography Day to create a day that would celebrate the kind of photos a toy camera could take. She decided that, going forward, the third Sunday of October would be celebrated as World Toy Camera Day, which caught on. Today, photographers around the world celebrate the blurry, distorted photos taken with toy cameras.
Being inexpensive film cameras that are built with simple lenses, toy cameras don’t have a lot of features, and it’s hard to predict what kind of photos might emerge from a toy camera but good photographers have been able to use them to take artistic photographs.
There has been a growing interest in the kind of effects that a toy camera produces in photographs since the 1990s. These effects, including lens flares, light leaks, vignettes, and distortions, all add texture and points of interest to an otherwise flat photograph. While these effects can be applied to digital photographs with filters, the photos taken on toy cameras are still unique.
Even if you aren’t a professional, toy camera photography is a fun way to get used to taking photos and have fun with a camera. The photos always have a nostalgic, vintage effect to them and there is no filters required.
Becky Ramotowski, the creator of World Toy Camera Day, believes that toy cameras let her have a more spontaneous relationship with the art of photography and toy cameras take the pressure off, allowing you to just enjoy pointing your camera and shooting, without thinking too much about the results.
World Toy Camera Day Activities
- Take the opportunity today to find a group of people going on a walking tour and take your toy camera along for some quirky shots.
- Use the hashtag #WorldToyCameraDay and share the photos you’ve taken with other toy camera enthusiasts around the world.
- Find a photography expert in your neighborhood who can help you make the most of your toy camera’s capabilities.
Fun Facts About Toy Cameras
- Lomography takes its name from the Soviet-era cameras produced by the Leningradskoye Optiko-Mekhanicheskoye Obyedinenie (LOMO).
- Did you know there is an example of a toy camera photos at the annual “Krappy Kamera” exhibition at the Soho Photo Gallery in New York City.
- “Popular Photography” magazine acknowledges Diana toy camera photography as an art form in its own right.
- Most camera-phone editing apps include a lomography filter.
- Becky Ramotowski collects toy cameras and at last count, the photographer had more than 20 toy cameras in her New Mexico home
Why People Love World Toy Camera Day
- You don’t need to be a professional photographer to point your toy camera and shoot pictures.
- The photos from a toy camera need no filters to look interesting in a world of digitally perfect images.
- Toy cameras have a cult following the world over, and it’s a great way to celebrate photography with people with all kinds of expertise.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
