I’m Bored! Here are 90+ Swell Summertime Activities for Young Photographers

School’s out and those lazy days of summer are about to begin. No sooner has summer begun and parents everywhere are bound to hear the age-old chorus of “I’m bored,” being moaned by their children. It doesn’t have to be that way, however. Here are over 90 surefire ways to entertain your young photographer this summer.

Don’t worry, any type of camera will work with these projects…even a smartphone. Although building a camera, like the Lomography Konstruktor Flash SLR DIY Camera or LomoMod No.1 camera, would be an excellent “bonus” activity that could easily segue into each of the following suggested projects.

In no particular order, a young photographer could:

Begin your summer with a self portrait. Then make a portrait photograph of your home, your Mom, your Dad, your big brother (optional), your lil’ sister (optional), and your pet. Continue making portraits of your best friend, your soccer team, your neighbor, your letter carrier, your refuse collector, your dentist, and a rock (tee he; gotcha).

Moving on from portraiture, begin photographing landscapes. Make a landscape photograph of your backyard, your neighbor’s yard, your local park, your school’s playground, the nearest national park or forest or mountain or seashore or rolling plains, a theme park, and your driveway.

Show some emotion in your photographs by capturing a laugh, a smile, a kiss, a frown, a friend clowning around, your Mom jumping for joy, your Dad dancing a jig, a police officer “stopping” you from taking another photograph.

Speaking of public servants, record your local leaders performing their daily activities by photographing a librarian, a fire fighter, your mayor, a florist, a barista, an electrician, a plumber, a lifeguard, a construction worker, a federal employee, a banker, a coach, and a church leader.

Step Into a Summer of Photo Fun

Supporting all of these public figures is the architecture of your community. Photograph a cafe, a hotel, a gym, a gas station, a mall, a lumberyard, a house of worship, a sculpture, a hospital, a camera store (a very rare subject; counts as 2 activities), a museum, a supermarket, a credit union, a military base, and a college.

Blending all of these wonderful buildings into your life focuses on the nature of the surrounding environment. Capture a photograph of a bird, a butterfly, a tall tree, flowing water in a stream, a squirrel, a grasshopper, a cloud in the sky, a fun fungi, raindrops in a puddle, an apple, a fossil, a flower, a leaf, and a mosquito.

Summer is just about over, so let’s change gears and show all of the fun that you had during your vacation. Photograph your sneakers, your bike, an amusement park ride, an inner tube, a soccer ball, a deck of playing cards, a baseball glove, your swimsuit, a tube of sunscreen, your hat, your sunglasses, your library card, your camera, your shadow, your family car, a hot dog, a water bottle, a movie ticket, a picnic table, and a sunset.

Finally, make another self portrait and compare it to the first photograph of yourself that you took at the beginning of your summer vacation.

Enjoy.

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