We're all getting older...the "pros & cons" for us photographers

[skygod44]

Hey gang,
I've noticed recently that the more grey hairs I have, the more friendly people are towards me when I'm out shooting.
I just wish some of said hairs weren't sprouting from my ears :cry:
There's more, but I want to hear from you....

So, please share the good and bad regarding aging, and taking pictures:

Are you finding anything photography-related more difficult or easier, as the months and years tick by?

Are there any tips the more mature POTNers can give the wee ones regarding "what'll come round the corner...."?

Is there anything that should be avoided, in your opinion....or anything highly recommended as the wrinkles become crevices?

Looking forward to reading your comments...if only I can work out how to make the font bigger on my damn computer screen!!!
;)

[rklepper]

Harder to manual focus.

Harder to hand hold long lenses.

I can still walk like a crazy man. I put in 78 miles in San Francisco in 6 days recently, but harder to take the photos.

I need either a tripod or IS to shoot successfully.

Sometimes I get out to shoot and forget what I went to shoot.

:)

[mbellot]

Being better able to afford these insanely overpriced toys.

[skygod44]

Harder to manual focus.
Harder to hand hold long lenses.
I can still walk like a crazy man. I put in 78 miles in San Francisco in 6 days recently, but harder to take the photos.
I need either a tripod or IS to shoot successfully.
Sometimes I get out to shoot and forget what I went to shoot.
:)
Now that's dedication...when you forget why you're even out there!
Being better able to afford these insanely overpriced toys.
Good point...though Missus Skygod would disagree. :cry:

And I've got another good one:
The older I get, the wider my "would be" selection of "women who I'd love to photograph" becomes....it's not that I'm a dirty old man, but I think that as we age, we see beauty as a whole lot MORE than just skin deep.
:D

[neilwood32]

Now that's dedication...when you forget why you're even out there!

Good point...though Missus Skygod would disagree. :cry:

And I've got another good one:
The older I get, the wider my "would be" selection of "women who I'd love to photograph" becomes....it's not that I'm a dirty old man, but I think that as we age, we see beauty as a whole lot MORE than just skin deep.
:D

Or that is the justification your using for Mrs Skygod!:lol:

[DVW]

When you get down low and have trouble getting back up. Sometimes, even the getting down is difficult. It seems like as I have gotten older, it is a longer reach to the ground.
Not complaining, getting older is better than the alternative.

[Jon Foster]

I don't see things like I did just a few years ago. Today I was putting connectors on a patch cord and couldn't see the colors of the wires to put them in the correct order. The colors seemed to blend together in a fuzzy group...

Jon.

[cdifoto]

Downside: teens get easily creeped out.
Upside: their moms don't.

[FlyingPhotog]

Downside: teens get easily creeped out.
Upside: their moms don't.

Nice... :lol:

As an "older" photograher, I'm discovering that I'm much more singleminded about what I really want to shoot and how I want to shoot it. Almost stubborn about it. There is a quality level I strive for and I get extremely frustrated if I feel I've not measured up to an opportunity on a given day.

Good because I'm not waffling about through life with no direction. I actually have an ultimate goal in mind and am efforting toward it.

Bad because it's probably limiting my willingness to try and photograph different things. Fortunately, I belong to a flesh and blood photo group and our monthly themes keep me looking around as much as possible for subjects that present themselves.

[monk3y]

how old are you people? hehe... its scary reading this thread.

[sheawyatt]

how old are you people? hehe... its scary reading this thread.

Indeed. I am 22, so this thread will provide some interesting insight on what lies ahead! Of course, by the time I hit the big 50 (is that even considered old?), we will be using photoshop CS15 that doesn't even require a starting photo to work its Content Aware Fill magic on. Just click a button and it'll make a perfect, award winning photograph from a blank white starting canvas!

[monk3y]

Indeed. I am 22, so this thread will provide some interesting insight on what lies ahead! Of course, by the time I hit the big 50 (is that even considered old?), we will be using photoshop CS15 that doesn't even require a starting photo to work its Content Aware Fill magic on. Just click a button and it'll make a perfect, award winning photograph from a blank white starting canvas!

damn!! you're 22 and you have all that stuff?? I really have to get out of this country hehehe... btw, I am 27 and haven't experienced those mentioned above. so how old are you people? hahaha

[skygod44]

Or that is the justification your using for Mrs Skygod!:lol:
Actually....for once....I have to say that Missus Skygod has been behaving herself recently and being rather more chirpy than at the back end of last year when I changed careers (and became utterly skint for a while). Hmmmmmm...maybe it's just because the money has started to come in again.......and there was me, thinking I'd done something right.
:rolleyes:
When you get down low and have trouble getting back up. Sometimes, even the getting down is difficult. It seems like as I have gotten older, it is a longer reach to the ground.
Not complaining, getting older is better than the alternative.
Even at a little over 40, I can understand that. To the "truly" young, look after your knees and hips - if/when you begin to feel pain in them, trust me, life takes on a whole other meaning.
I don't see things like I did just a few years ago. Today I was putting connectors on a patch cord and couldn't see the colors of the wires to put them in the correct order. The colors seemed to blend together in a fuzzy group...
Jon.
Have you tried a new pair of specs? ;)
Downside: teens get easily creeped out.
Upside: their moms don't.
....and their Mums look a lot hotter from "this end" of the age continuum, too! :lol:
.....As an "older" photograher, I'm discovering that I'm much more singleminded about what I really want to shoot and how I want to shoot it. Almost stubborn about it. There is a quality level I strive for and I get extremely frustrated if I feel I've not measured up to an opportunity on a given day.
Good because I'm not waffling about through life with no direction. I actually have an ultimate goal in mind and am efforting toward it.
Bad because it's probably limiting my willingness to try and photograph different things. Fortunately, I belong to a flesh and blood photo group and our monthly themes keep me looking around as much as possible for subjects that present themselves.
Good to see you pass on some wisdom, Jay!
And I think the sentence I've emboldened is vital too. Life really does flash by, so please, everyone and anyone who cares to peek into this thread: Make it count for something good!
how old are you people? hehe... its scary reading this thread.
Well, I'm not as old as many, but older than plenty (and sadly suffering a few joint issues - mainly knees and hips due to a couple of nasty motorbike accidents 20+ years ago) - so my aim is to help people get THE MOST out of photography at whatever stage they're at.
Indeed. I am 22, so this thread will provide some interesting insight on what lies ahead! Of course, by the time I hit the big 50 (is that even considered old?), we will be using photoshop CS15 that doesn't even require a starting photo to work its Content Aware Fill magic on. Just click a button and it'll make a perfect, award winning photograph from a blank white starting canvas!
If that happens, I'll throw away my gear and stick to real canvas and oil paint!!!
damn!! you're 22 and you have all that stuff?? I really have to get out of this country hehehe... btw, I am 27 and haven't experienced those mentioned above. so how old are you people? hahaha
Leave your home country? Do it!
I did, and despite all my hearty digs at Missus Skygod, I'd never want to be anywhere else or with anyone else!

[monk3y]

Leave your home country? Do it!
I did, and despite all my hearty digs at Missus Skygod, I'd never want to be anywhere else or with anyone else!

I can't, I have quite a good/comfortable life here compared to others, I have my own businesses here, car, travel, can afford some nice things etc... no reason at all to leave my country to work for others... its just that I don't have enough money to buy myself all the gears I want yet hehehe

[Anders Östberg]

Pros of getting older... grey hair makes it easier to get access to venues, you get the "who're you shooting for" treatment, you are taken more seriously when you want to come photograph something. People get out of your way when there's a crowd if you're older and carry a big white lens. You can afford it (scr*w the pension fund :) ).

Cons of getting older ... lugging tons of gear around hurts your back, climbing ladders to mount remote cameras makes you sweat, once you're admitted to that great spot on the gym floor it's getting harder to get down on and up off the floor to get that nice low camera angle, etc... after a full day of shooting you're really tired and would prefer a drink and a movie instead of post processing the photos ... I ruined a knee slipping on a motorcross track, probably would have taken the strain OK if it had happened 20 years earlier. I don't like how my body gets more brittle with age.

I hope I still have time to work my way up to the nicer photo opportunities while I still have the strength and interest to take advantage. The pros outweigh the cons though, so far. :)

[skygod44]

I can't, I have quite a good/comfortable life here compared to others, I have my own businesses here, car, travel, can afford some nice things etc... no reason at all to leave my country to work for others... its just that I don't have enough money to buy myself all the gears I want yet hehehe
Hey Steven, I just took a look at your blog and seriously...you have NOTHING to aim for regarding camera gear! Your technique is great and with such a beautiful place to photograph, if I were you, I wouldn't envy the guys with a ton of gear....
Really hope to see a lot more of your shots from the Philippines in POTN soon!
:D
Pros of getting older... grey hair makes it easier to get access to venues, you get the "who're you shooting for" treatment, you are taken more seriously when you want to come photograph something. People get out of your way when there's a crowd if you're older and carry a big white lens. You can afford it (scr*w the pension fund :) ).
Cons....lugging tons of gear around hurts your back, climbing ladders to mount remote cameras makes you sweat....it's getting harder to get down on and up off the floor to get that nice low camera angle, etc...after a full day of shooting you're really tired...
I don't like how my body gets more brittle with age....
The pros outweigh the cons though, so far. :)
Great words and tips there Anders.
I remember being 17 and being "blissfully unaware" that I had any joint and muscle pains on their way...
If I'd known, I'd NEVER have gotten on a motorbike when I was 19.
Ho hum...
:(

BUT....so far (touch wood) the pros of getting older are still outweighing the cons.
Just.......

[snyderman]

1. Trying to get up off the floor after shooting an entire quarter or half of a HS baskeball games. "My KNEEEEEESSS!"

2. Agree that aging and shooting HS cheerleaders can kind of creep out the young ladies until they get to know you a bit and they realise I'm there to shoot my son, (who is a classmate) and the football game. The bonus is that the girls also get nice shots for themselves and parents.

3. Feeling an obligation to get to nearly every local HS game in hopes of getting that "SI Cover Shot" of a player.

dave

[skygod44]

1. Trying to get up off the floor after shooting an entire quarter or half of a HS baskeball games. "My KNEEEEEESSS!"

2. Agree that aging and shooting HS cheerleaders can kind of creep out the young ladies until they get to know you a bit and they realise I'm there to shoot my son, (who is a classmate) and the football game. The bonus is that the girls also get nice shots for themselves and parents.

3. Feeling an obligation to get to nearly every local HS game in hopes of getting that "SI Cover Shot" of a player.

dave
Hey Dave...good points all!
About the knees:
I realised after moving to Japan, eating "like the locals" (except whale, of course!!!!!) and losing about 15% of my body-weight without any real effort that a few pounds off really helps with joint pains.

I only get them nowadays when the weather is damp.

Keep at it mate, and don't freak out those HS cheerleaders too much or you'll give us all a bad name!!!
:eek:

[Joe Ravenstein]

One pro is being able to carry my camera bag on my walker, one con is having to use a walker.

[birdfromboat]

hello, my name is birdfromboat and I am an old duffer. I realised I was an old duffer when I could still start a dirt bike and ride it, but could no longer slide one off a hill side trail, drag it back onto the trail, and THEN start and ride it.
Being an old photographer is better because I have money to spend and the equipment is obtainable.
In fact, being old was my main reason for getting into photography again after a long absence.
I sold the dirt bikes, but found that I could still walk (unlike some of my friends) and decided that walking with a camera was more fun than walking without a camera. Old age=Dirt bike sale=Dirt bike money = camera money. The circle of life.

[sam walker]

How about when your so old new is frightening. My 91 rear old dad is a retired ad shooter He made his living with Hasselblad 2&1/4 and Nikon 35. I 've handed him my Rebel XS and told him to shoot away. Nooo there's no film in there Almost like it was diseased. "I don't want to mess with it" Well it's the same as your 35 SLR. No I have to look into a ground glass at waist level. He has taken about 6 pictures of my wife and I with my digital rigs. I print and he says nice but that's not from film. Would I like to have the Blad for free? Not me A beautiful instument. It would take me a fortune to add a digital back to it plus no AF. He won't even consider a point and shoot digi
Sam

[halitime]

Pro: Ordering your first vest.
Con:Whoops !! Too Small.

[Bang Bang Boy]

I got my first vest last year when I was 18... Then again that was a Camel up to fashion vest.

One thing I am looking forward to is to need less sleep, I have spent this winter sleeping the days I haven't had work.

And as someone wrote earlier it is a bit scary reading about getting older!

[riverdog1]

In my 60's and semi-retired I'm able to go places I want to go during the week when others are working. Escaping the crowds is a real benefit in shooting wildlife etc or just enjoying
more space with less noise.

[rklepper]

I am so looking forward to that. Gearing up (no pun intended) for retirement as we speak.

I'm able to go places I want to go during the week when others are working. Escaping the crowds is a real benefit in shooting wildlife etc or just enjoying
more space with less noise.

[L.J.G.]

Hmm, advice for the young. Top of my list would be don't be an idiot daredevil like I was. While you are young try and avoid broken bones and knee reconstructions at all costs! Every one comes back to haunt you in your old age!!

Other than that do not ever let yourself get slack with your fitness after 50. Getting it back is bloody hard. It starts to go downhill in your mid 40's and you seem to have to do more excersize to stay in peak condition, then when you are in your mid 50's the downward spiral increases. Now I'm nudging 60 I have to do a minumum of an hour a day of strenuous excersize every day just to stay fit.

[wuzzittoya]

Cons I might be an outlier (age-wise, at least) on this. I have a few various conditions that make things even more challenging. I drop things quite a bit due to nerve damage and coordination issues, so IS, tripod, monopod and one of those sometimes belittled handstraps are ALL a must. Further, a well-padded camera bag with shoulder strap and access in the center of the bag seems to work best for me for "not dropping the camera while still being able to get to it quickly," especially a deeper one with a nice wide top opening like a messenger-style bag. I also have issues with stamina and distance I can go, so photography shoots and trips have to be paced and planned carefully for me to get any real benefit/worth out of them at this point.

Pros - one of my pros is the fact I was around when film and manual SLRs were common. I'm grateful to have the "basics" of photography taught to me by a very basic medium with few controls at my disposal (but all of them requiring me to be in control of them). I think that that background makes me better equipped to deal with today's technology. Twenty years from now, today's shooters will have the experience of the various changes and modifications imaging technology will take and will have grown with the medium, also better "grounded" by their experience compared to newbies who have never had to do some of the things "for themselves" because the camera has done everything (if there are even cameras by then - maybe there will be implants that let you beam your dreams straight to another's head without either of you having set actual eyes on what your brains came up with? who knows?).

It is easier to get taken seriously by people when you're 40-something than when you're twenty-something. The twenty-somethings know you're old enough to be their parent so expect you have to know something about what you're talking about and the people older than you know you've probably been around long enough to know what you do and don't know and are polite enough to be able to listen even if you might BE a know-it-all that knows nothing. It's a win-win.

[Jon]

Harder to manual focus.

Harder to hand hold long lenses.

I can still walk like a crazy man. I put in 78 miles in San Francisco in 6 days recently, but harder to take the photos.

I need either a tripod or IS to shoot successfully.

Sometimes I get out to shoot and forget what I went to shoot.

:)

I am so looking forward to that. Gearing up (no pun intended) for retirement as we speak.Doc, sounds like you and I are on the same path. We need to get out and shoot together once it happens. When's your target date?

I plan to celebrate the last week of work by getting an American Eagle Senior Pass (http://www.nps.gov/findapark/passes.htm). A friend who volunteers at the C&O National Park has offered to set me up with a canal boat ride on the day.

[rklepper]

I am eligible in Dec of this year. So it is approaching very, very fast. I will be traveling a lot so we will need to plan a get together.

:)

Doc, sounds like you and I are on the same path. We need to get out and shoot together once it happens. When's your target date?

I plan to celebrate the last week of work by getting an American Eagle Senior Pass (http://www.nps.gov/findapark/passes.htm). A friend who volunteers at the C&O National Park has offered to set me up with a canal boat ride on the day.

[Jon]

Got a couple of months on you then - end of August. But yeah. Want to come East in the fall and shoot the Blue Ridge with Wool and me for starters?

[Juneb]

skydog , I thought you just became a new daddy last year , you can't be feeling old already . I am a great grand mother and the best thing about taking pics now is I don't need to be paid for my habit anymore. No cost with digital . I can shot with no thought of cost. before with film a weekend shoot could cost me hundreds to process and print .

[wuzzittoya]

skydog , I thought you just became a new daddy last year , you can't be feeling old already . I am a great grand mother and the best thing about taking pics now is I don't need to be paid for my habit anymore. No cost with digital . I can shot with no thought of cost. before with film a weekend shoot could cost me hundreds to process and print .

Last fall I ran out of space on my 8GB card shooting my son's football game (good thing to have a teenager at home when you're older - keeps ya young!) and had to swap it out. I had almost 400 pictures on it. Realized suddenly that the MOST I would get on a roll of film was 36 exposures, then had to rewind it, remove it, thread in a new roll, do it again, etc. multplied that times ten... wow. And to think I was kind of cranky about the shots I might miss swapping out an SD card?

Definitely a plus for digital. Still miss film for some reason though. Strange, huh?

[Juneb]

I know what you are talking about I do miss the film and darkroom experience . but on the flip side on my last 2 week trip out west I took over 5000 pics. then you have the computer to make art out of your pics in moments . I love the tech side of it. My teenage grandson lives next door to me so he gives me tech help if I need help .

[wuzzittoya]

I'm the young one - when I remarried my hubby was 20 years older than me (but strangely we clicked - I kept thinking, "we're supposed to have nothing in common?!?!?") so usually I'm tech support. No one else in this house is really "tech savvy" to say the least. Can't remember what it was my son said he "knew" the other day - oh that he could "fix any computer." I asked him what RAM was... and he had no clue. He definitely isn't ready to take over from me yet... :lol:

I'm considering making my own B&W dark room and getting out my old Pentax and at least doing some black and white for the fun of it. ;-)

[Juneb]

I admit at 60 I know more than most about computers but my hubby builds them and I love the graphics programs I also do digital embroidery and need a lot of software knowledge to do it. I always did love darkroom work but don't miss the smell

[wuzzittoya]

Wow! I've never heard of digital embroidery! Learn something new every day. I run our network wireless (N), secured, etc. Upgraded my router by myself, etc. I don't know... I probably wouldn't miss the smell long, but right now I'm feeling really nostalgic about it all for some reason. I probably should really think it out before spending $800 or so getting everything together to have a new one? ;)

[Juneb]

I am sure if you think about it you are familiar with digital embroidery . most malls have a place that will embroider on blankets and hats and so on, well it is all done with a computer and digital embroidery machine now. I can pretty much draw about any thing I want and digitize it so my machine will stitch it out. It is a hobby that has become a part time business , like most of my hobbys

[wuzzittoya]

Oh! Okay. :) Yes, there's a place here that does that large-scale. The only "industry" of any size in our town (employs maybe a half dozen people).

[Gary McDuffie]

Most of the big pros and cons have been mentioned already, but for me, it's the eyes. Yes, the knees don't work well, etc., but I'm afraid of what is going to happen when I can no longer see well enough. Crappy hearing isn't fun, but doesn't effect the photography much, but it is already difficult to see some things. By the way, young ones, be aware that the amount of time it takes for the eyes to focus on something drastically lengthens as you get older. i.e., you come up to the intersection, glance one way and then the other. When you are young, that works. But when you're older, you have to look longer and multiple times to catch it all.


.... and then there's the memory .... why did I come out here today... ?

[wuzzittoya]

Oh I know - I rely so much on autofocus because I really can't be completely sure I have it in focus. Part of it is the focusing screen. I think that when I get another camera I'm going to see if I can swap focusing screens in them and consider getting one of the old fashioned ones with the split in them...

[Juneb]

thank GOD for auto focus . I also see things with a different eye now . I still love macro but tend to shot parts of buildings more now .

[digicIV]

50 years ago - just walking down any road would present many photography opportunities. Now it is just not there. No it is not about my fading vision. I still travel to places far, and there I feel renewed again.

[Kasrielle]

Pros:
I can afford the gear a bit more easily (though I've hit my limit for now...)
I can devote the time to messing about in photoshop.

Cons:
I'm having lots of trouble carrying the gear around.
The long lenses are too heavy (anybody want to buy an 80-400 sigma?)
IS is a must.
Staying up all night to shoot the stars plays hell with work the next day.
Getting up off the floor is an ordeal (bad knees and way too much weight is a dangerous combination!)

I'm 52, and so not too old - but the mileage... ohh, the mileage... :p

[CameraClicker]

"Even at a little over 40, I can understand that. To the "truly" young, look after your knees and hips - if/when you begin to feel pain in them, trust me, life takes on a whole other meaning."

I am only 15, and I know what you mean; my right hip hasn't been completely pain free since I had to have surgery last spring; good to know I have more to look forward to! :rolleyes:

[Chet]

cons: People think you're creepy when you pull your camera out around children.

[Gary McDuffie]

The older you get, the less that is a problem. Absoltely, on the focus screen. Why every decent DSLR doesn't have one is beyond me.