If you give a kid a camera and tell them to photograph light, what would they take a picture of?

How about water? Movement? A reflection?

Bainbridge photographer Anna Kinchen had the answers to those questions on display Tuesday at the Friendship House of Jesus, spotlighting the clever, amusing and intriguing perspective youth have on the world around them.

Dozens of pictures were hanging for viewers to enjoy, with the young photographers in the room to tell the stories of how they created their art.

“I really wanted the kids to feel a sense of community, work with these cameras, document their surroundings,” Kinchen said. “There is beauty all around us, and it has given me a great appreciation of my surroundings and all that God has created.”

Kinchen wanted to teach the kids that their art is a reflection of themselves. Through photographing, editing, displaying and putting their work out there, the kids are putting a little bit of themselves out there as well.

Art doesn’t discriminate, Kinchen said, and a project like this can relate to a kid of any age.

“In art, there is no right or wrong. It is solely based on emotion,” she said. “They were allowed to use it as an emotional outlet. They were able to choose the subject matter, compose it in a way that felt right to them.”

Pictures of seashells, each laying in a different pattern on a white background, is just one example of the kids putting their own spin on their art. Every photo was unique, each arrangement one of a kind.

Another had the kids photograph each other holding plexiglass sprayed with water, creating the illusion they were behind a window on a rainy, foggy day.

“My favorite one is the seashell,” said Jhabria Anderson. “I just like how pretty it is.”

Kinchen’s project taught Anderson what it meant to take a meaningful photo.

“That means you take a picture of something that makes you feel good,” she added.

Alexis Thomas looked at a photo she had taken of her friends jumping rope. You don’t think about a picture differently until you see the moment frozen in front of you.

“You see the memory of the picture,” Thomas said.

The kids shot with DSLR cameras, FUJI instant film cameras and disposables, which they were able to take home and document their neighborhood, their homes and their lives.

Once finished, they were able to choose which photos they wanted to print.

“I just like how you can see stuff in another view,” said Jonathan Robinson. “Through the lens, things look different, and very beautiful.”

Later this year, Kinchen plans on printing a calendar with the kid’s art inside, complete with photographs on each of their pieces. All proceeds will go to the Friendship House.

To see more photos and learn more about the project, visit www.annakinchen.com/blog/photogrpahy-with-friends.