Getting Older, Dealing With Changes And Photography

I have no idea what this sign means. I saw it on Chincoteague Island, Virginia (click to enlarge)

I turned 65 years old a couple of weeks ago.  Anytime any of us reach a milestone birthday, be it 16, 18, 21, 40 or 65, many of us take a little time to think about where we have been, where we are now in life and where we are going or hope to go.  Its natural.

I look at this milestone birthday as one of good fortune for me.  Being 65 doesn't mean that I am now old?  No way!  I may have lived 65 years, but my self-image is one of a much younger man.  I am, indeed, fortunate as each day in the newspaper, there are many obituaries of men and women who were much younger than me that are no longer with us.  Again, 65 is much better than the alternative!  I am fortunate and I know it. I enjoy life everyday and I'm still as passionate about photography as I was on that spring day in 1970 when I first picked up a serious camera and got that special feeling about photography.  It has never left me.

I've always been one to be a keen observer as to the changes age has brought over the years.  Little things one used to be able to do in the past are now a bit harder and sometimes not attainable at all.  In my mind, I'm still about 40 and that is the level of my enthusiasm and outlook on life.  As I've written in the past, I'm the eternal optimist and always try to see the positive and humorous things about life.  I am grateful and thankful for all that has come my way and I think that attitude has given me an excellent outlook on life.  Attitude, attitude, attitude; so very important to a good life.

I believe if you are attuned to the changes through which you go, you can keep yourself safer and healthier.  For example, I realize my reaction time when driving is not as quick as it used to be, so I compensate by driving a little slower than in the past as well as keeping distractions to a minimum (read: phone calls, etc.).  I realize that, when driving, sometimes I don't notice something or notice something as quickly as I should, so now I look twice or even three times.  I realize I don't have the strength nor stamina for vigorous work like chopping wood, so now I pace myself and take much more time to accomplish something that otherwise I could have done quickly. Luckily, I have no arthritis or any other physical joint, muscular or bone limitations that keep me from pretty much doing what I want.

The only thing that holds me back is that I have suffered from asthma since I was 20 years old.  Before one particular day in July 1972 I never had any medical issues, then while out in the wilds of Wyoming (the National Elk Refuge in Jackson Hole to be precise) studying Rocky Mountain Field Geology and Field Biology, all of a sudden, I couldn't breathe!  Huh? What was happening to me?  At the time I didn't understand.  A few weeks later I lost my sense of smell and became allergic to many environmental factors. To this day, no doctor has been able to tell me what type of internal switch was flipped to so drastically change my life in an instant.  No matter what I do, how much I may exercise or how much I may try to improve my wind, it just doesn't happen.  So I compensate and pace myself when out walking or hiking, working in the yard, or other activities which require a lot of exertion.  I didn't like all of this, but I dealt with it successfully and never let it get me down.  Again, keeping positive and overcoming obstacles thrown your way has served me well.

I think the smart older adults monitor their age related changes and the ones who think they are still 25 are the ones that have heart attacks, break bones, tear an ACL and maybe even get their name and photo in the paper on that page on where none of us wants it!  I think it is smart to understand how everything about the world is changing. You may not like some of the changes, but you will be better off if you understand them.

What does all of this have to do with photography?  The same types of compensations apply as well.  Where once I was able to steadily handhold a camera and lens and expose at a shutter speed far below 1/focal length, as the old rule says, not quite so much today. For the most part, I can still make images at a shutter speed of 1/focal length, but there will be a few more misses than in the past and somewhat fewer hits.  One just has to be aware and understand one's limits and find ways around those limits.

Another way of compensating is that I'm not nearly as smooth pressing the shutter button as I once was.  In the past, I could carefully roll my finger onto the shutter button at a slow exposure and not get any camera movement.  Again, I now find a slight increase in the number of misses.  On occasion, I see camera movement just from pressing the shutter button at slower shutter speeds.  I do practice my technique to try to improve but one can improve only so much.  How to compensate for loss of steadiness?

I compensate for my shortcomings in shutter pressing technique by setting my frame advance from one press/one shutter actuation to one press/multiple shutter actuations. Why?  I find the second or third exposure sometimes is just a tad bit sharper than the first.  By pressing once and allowing the camera to fire off three exposures, the second and third are not encumbered by any unintended movement that may be present from pressing the shutter button.  It works, believe me.  For my stock photography, looking at images at 100%, they have to be dead on sharp.  A tiny bit of camera movement that isn't even noticeable at lesser magnifications just won't cut it for stock images.  Again, understanding changes and finding ways to defeat those obstacles.

I use a tripod more than I ever did in my younger days.  I don't necessarily like hauling a tripod around, but I know what I have to do to keep those images tack sharp.

A few years ago, I started on my journey to downsize my photo gear as, like many of you, I got tired of hauling around 25 lbs. of a full frame digital SLR, fast professional lenses and all of the accessories that go with a kit that size.  I bought into M4/3 and loved it.  I have now standardized on Fuji gear and, as was my goal, I went for smaller, lighter, less expensive but maintain high image quality.

Again, understanding your limitations and compensating for them equals continued success and continued satisfaction with most aspects of your life.

As happens in the fall of the year, leaves fall off the tree one by one.  Same as with us (click to enlarge)
But each spring the tree is rejuvenated, as can we be rejuvenated by attitude and making good choices.

I have no plans to give up photography as I plow forward into older age.  If things go as I would hope, I'll be making images on the day I take my last breath!  However, I can see in the future that in-body-image-stabilization (IBIS) will become important to me.  I'm hoping that day is a long way off, but you never know.  That makes me a bit sad.  But not for the reason you may be thinking.

I love my Fuji gear.  Fuji cameras do not have IBIS and, from what I have read in the past, Fuji managers say it is impossible to incorporate IBIS into the X-cameras as the lens mount is too narrow to accommodate the shifting of a sensor which compensates for camera movement.  If you would like to read the interview in which the manager states this, you can look at the Fuji Love website and the interview here.  Who knows, maybe their lenses' image circles are too narrow as well and do not extend out and around the sensor far enough to compensate for image stabilization by sensor shift.  

Fuji includes image stabilization in many of their zoom lenses but none in their prime lenses.  I like using primes as they are small, lightweight, cost less than zoom lenses and provide high image quality. They also make you stretch your vision as you don't have the option to change focal lengths when carrying only one prime lens.  But, Fuji has no image stabilization in any of their primes. No IBIS option as well.  

I think there may come a time when IBIS is the answer to my continued making of good photographs.  If that becomes the case, I would give up my (wonderful!) Fuji gear rather than give up photography or settle for inferior images.  Terrible choice but you have to find solutions to whatever is thrown at you.  Too bad Fuji didn't better see the future of image stabilization and build a system in which it could be incorporated in the future as did Olympus, Panasonic, Sony and others.  Nikon and Canon have consistently said over the years that lens-based image stabilization is much better and more effective than camera-based image stabilization.  That would be okay, but again, many of their prime lenses, all in Nikon's case, don't have IS.  No IBIS, no IS.  That rules them out as an alternative as well.

Let's hope that day doesn't arrive for a long, long time.  I hope to get many more years out of my Fuji gear and many more years out of me as well!

I think attitude is so important to aging and just living life everyday.  I love life. Everything you do and how you approach almost every aspect of your life is a result of choices you make.  Think about that for a minute.  You, your attitude and by extension, your life, is a result of choices you make, with a few exceptions.  

I choose to be in a good mood each morning when I awake and am thankful for waking up! I choose to learn and continue learning every day.  I choose to exercise my brain by doing puzzles.  I choose to laugh at my own foibles.  I choose to not take myself so seriously that I think I have sort of importance.  I choose to try to help others.  I choose to grab life by the horns and plow forward.  I choose to be positive.  I choose to stay active. I choose to continue to "practice" photography and remain passionate about it.  I choose to laugh multiple times every day.  I choose to eat well (maybe not everyday).  I choose not to let all of this political "crap" that is going on in my country ruin my outlook on all of the positive things about the United States and her people. In the end, my personal choices have made a huge difference over my lifetime and I don't plan to change anything, no matter what.

Half of your life is the cards your dealt through genetics, environment, upbringing, etc. I firmly believe it is not the cards you are dealt that is so important, it is how you play your hand, which represents your choices in life.  So, choose well my friends.  You will be a much happier person in a much better life.

And...Can't Fuji just find some way of incorporating IBIS in the future??????

Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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