‘My first photographs coincided with me falling in love’: why children have always adored taking pictures

What makes someone pick up a camera at a young age, and what can their images tell us? A new book and show explore why a child’s first photo could be as formative as their first record

What was the first photograph you took? Though most of us use cameraphones every day, few think about how the habit started or even why we choose the pictures we keep. Photography is one of the most popular hobbies in the world, typically picked up in childhood, but its impact – particularly pre-smartphone and digital imagery – has not been much studied. This lapse fascinates Annebella Pollen, professor of visual and material culture at the University of Brighton.

“My generation is used to being asked: ‘What was the first record you bought?’ Music is seen as a key part of identity formation, but what if something similar crystallises when we handle a camera?” she asks. “I certainly remember my first photos, because they coincided with me falling in love, as a 10-year-old, with a beautiful boy at school. I pursued him with my camera.”