United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

My 3 year old son wants a child's digital camera and he is ROBPI- how do the lefty's take a picture when the button is on the right?

p.s he has no function in right wrist or hand.

I am ROBPI also and have a digital camera. My button is also on the right side. My hands are big enough to handle it though, not sure if Jody's will be. I have my thumb under the camera and my index finger takes the pic.

Hope that helps!
Hugs,
Amy 20 years old ROBPI from MN

My suggestion is the same but hopefully with a little bit more on what to suggest to the child.

1. Fisherprice or whomever now has smaller digital cameras out that withstand a beating from children. I wish I could find the link but merely saw one in target the other day.

2. Make sure to have a strap incase he loses grip the first few times it wont fall - no need to worry about picking it up time and time again.

3. Using left hand, have palm over "viewer" area, fingers over the "click" button and thumb supporting the bottom.

4. explain the top of the camera should be level with the floor. so you wouldnt need to necessarily look through it, just keep it straight at first to focus on taking a perfectly horizontal photo.

5. Try a tripod It would take more to setup but if you get a light weight one (i have a very light weight aluminum one) then it makes everything a breeze. You can check the view finder and do everything, then when you're ready you hit the button! Even most children's cameras have a hole on the bottom for the tripods.

6. Tripods with a strap as well for easy carrying - I just use a separate case but have seen some with buckles to add a strap to.

Thats all I've got Best of luck! Photography is a wonderful hobby!

~Caiti

Would it work to just turn the camera upside down so the button is on the left side? The pictures come out the same when they are printed on paper, and if you connect a digital camera to the computer, you can rotate the picture around after the picture is taken.

Tanya in NY
Amber's Mom, ROBPI, 5 years old

I find it very hard to just flip my camera upside down because it is 100% harder for me to hold. It does make the botton much easier to access but makes the camera much harder to hold. Just a though. It might not be that way for others, thats just my experience.

Hugs,
Amy 20 years old ROBPI from MN


ps, the strap is a very good thing! It has saved my camera a couple of times.

Amy - I agree that the strap has been a camera rescuer! I intentionally got an overly comfy one when I was paid to use a manual camera for a year when I was 15. It was through a charitable "artists" organization. It was the best job I ever had. Granted, it wasn't easy to use my arm and a manual camera but I carried a tripod on my back at all times. If I saw that shot of all shots, Id take my time to setup and get it right the first time if I could. One of my pictures was on the front page of the newspaper even! I found a set of stairs with a crack through them...very old monestary steps...I had my hands stick through the whole (after setting up the camera to take the shot). Took the photo and it came out beautifully and became seen as artistic

I think its a tad harder for such a small child to work through pain just to take a picture (though i never tried as a child)...so my only true 100% suggestion is the strap for all things, camera, tripod, etc. Sorry for the rambling!