Eyes of a Child

My oldest niece, Abby, is brilliant. She will not know a world where touchscreens aren't readily available, and her aptitude for technology is ten times as natural as mine was once upon a time. I don't know if she'll be an engineer, because right now she wants to be a princess doctor, and engineers might be completely redefined by the time she enters the workforce. Anyway, at my grandfather's birthday brunch three weeks ago, I handed her my camera.

She doesn't know how to frame a shot, but she figured out how to use a viewfinder quickly and took the following pictures -- all on her own.

Look at this! Who taught this child depth of field and rule of thirds? 

My wife loves this picture of herself. The five year old outshined me.

Nobody can get this angle, except naturally.

She even snapped a picture of her sister and grandfather. 

Look, the camera was pre-set when I handed it to her. I had it in manual mode, I had determined the shutter, aperture, and ISO. She zoomed and snapped with her tiny hands, and I cannot believe the results. Knowing nothing about the process gave Abby an edge I cannot get. Being really short helped, too.

The artist herself, midway through a spin. 

No, she didn't take this, but look at my amazing family. Look at them! They're great.