A Photo Walk Together

Yesterday I invited our oldest son to go for a walk. We both brought our cameras. I told him I was doing a Miksang exercise called "sidewalks" and that the point was to look at the sidewalks and notice what's going on there. I made it about me and invited him to join me if he wanted. I said I'd be taking about fifteen photographs. He seemed curious. I said "does it sound boring?" He said "kind of." I prompted him with a question: what's there? I said that we don't normally pay attention to sidewalks and he said "you're not supposed to." I said that's our choice whether or not to pay attention to them. I said nobody decorates them or makes them all that interesting. He said yeah. He said "they're just for walking on, that's all." He took 16 photos, not all of sidewalks. Afterward, I thanked him for coming along with me and said I enjoyed his company. He smiled.

Here are a few of his photographs:

What’s a helpful piece of advice for working with kids? They might not immediately “get it” or even want to do what you're doing. That doesn’t mean it’s pointless to talk about it with them, or to have them along with you while you practice.

Cheers!