See the world through a two-year-old's eyes

My second year — Photographer Carsten Beier was desperate to document his newborn's childhood in the most authentic way, so decided to give his one-year-old son a disposable camera to capture the world through his own eyes. The results are truly magical.

There’s something inherently magical about the innocence of childhood. Long before the harsh realities of life can hit you, these special years spent at the centre of your very own universe are a time for exploration, for adventure and for play. But as the years go by we forget these childhood memories. Photographs might capture some of the most precious moments, but it’s hard to recall what the world looked like through your own little eyes.

For German photographer Carsten Beier the challenge of capturing and keeping his young son’s early memories was a difficult one to grapple with. How could he keep track of his son’s first years in the best possible way? “At some point, it occurred to me that he could actually do it himself”, Carsten explains.

“So, I bought him his first disposable camera and it didn’t take long until the first film was full.” Carsten knew at first his one-year-old son wouldn’t be taking pro-shots to begin with, but that wasn’t really the point.

“You could tell that my son did not really know how to use the camera back then as he used to press the shutter release button holding the camera in any possible position.”

“At first, photos were shot from the hip”, Carston explains, “and later on from the forehead. However, what is essential for this kind of photography is not the technique, but rather the moment.”

Now two-and-a-half years old, Carston’s kid has already documented one year of his own childhood using multiple disposable cameras. The enchanting photos he’s taken include snapshots of different early childhood experiences, shot light-heartedly and from an unfamiliar perspective.