I was working at a youth center, introducing seven- to eleven-year-olds to photography, when someone told me about a carnival-supply store that sold cases of toy cameras for about a quarter apiece. They were called Banner cameras and were made of black and turquoise plastic. I had to tape up the backs to help the film advance.
The kids and I used the cameras and processed the photographs. I still remember the first striking image I saw, taken by an eight-year-old. I was immediately attracted to the way the plastic lens rendered the subject: the sharpness in the middle and the dreamlike fade to soft focus around the edges — a primitive reminder of the origins of photography in every snap (or, rather, clunk) of the shutter.
After spending a few weeks photographing all my subjects with both a professional and a Banner camera, I went plastic. A year later, I began photographing only children. This lasted for about a decade. The toy cameras freed me up to collaborate with the kids. I’d get on one knee and let them know they were being photographed. The result is a graceful, playful celebration of what children are and what they think they are supposed to be.
— Bruce Horowitz
The photographs from this selection are available as a PDF only. Click here to download.
