My previous post was titled “Being an Aging Photographer”. Related to this topic, I just finished reading “Everything is Photograph: A Life of André Kertész” by Patricia Albers. Kertész died in 1985 at the age of 91. He continued to photograph throughout his life and played a major role in the history of photography. His photographic life is inspiring to me. As he aged, he found new ways to adapt as he continued to create his images. An example is that when his vision started to deteriorate and he was not as physically mobile, he started to use a Polaroid SX-70 camera which had auto-focus and provided an instant image which saved him from having to go to a camera shop to get his film developed and printed. He also used view cameras during his career but adopted the Leica after its introduction because it was easy to carry around and great for his style of photography.
Being open to change and adapting to your environment seem to be the keys to a long photographic life. I still use film for a lot of my image making but I also use digital to keep current. My black and white film work is a hybrid process where I develop my own film and digitally scan what I think are the best images. I then digitally process the image and archivally print it on a digital printer. Working with film can be a challenging process but I still like the way that black and white film images look.
I noted in my previous post that it seemed that my camera bag was gaining weight. Of course, in reality it is feeling heavier as I get older. In order to adapt, I recently purchased a Ricoh GR IV monochrome digital camera. This camera only produces black and white images. For me, as I get older, the GR monochrome may be a transition camera from my larger and heavier cameras. I have been impressed with the test shots. I have also been using a vintage Olympus Infinity Stylus Epic film camera which I believe was popular in the 1990’s. This is a compact pocket camera in which I use black and white film. I can carry both cameras together in a small camera bag.
These cameras currently seem to be an excellent combination at this time in my life because of their size and ability to make black and white images. For many and maybe most photographers, these cameras would not be appropriate for the type of images they prefer to make. Each photographer must find what works best for them. That’s one of the great things about photography—it can adapt to many different styles and needs.
One of my first test images with my Ricoh GR IV monochrome camera.
Olympus Infinity Stylus Epic film camera (blue toned black and white image)
I am a photographer who is aging and I have first-hand experience of the changes that occur as you get older. The physical changes are the most obvious but there are related psychological changes. Despite these changes due to aging, I believe we have the ability to adapt to these changes.
I’ve been a photographer for over 50 years but I did not make my living from photography although I was an adjunct instructor in photography for 14 years. I consider myself a “fine-art” photographer and naturally my experience is from that perspective.
Let’s begin with physical changes as you age. I will address three areas: mobility, strength, and vision. First, I encourage all photographers to exercise and keep in the best condition that is appropriate for them. Start when you are young and keep working at it. I’ve been fortunate that I’ve been able to maintain my health into my 70’s but it is not easy and it does take discipline. I do some form of exercise daily consisting of either walking, running or light weight resistance lifting. You should design a routine that fits your abilities. View it as a lifetime commitment. Despite my exercise routine, I have experienced the impact of aging as it relates to photography.
For my style of photography, I do a lot of squatting and bending. Sometimes I lie of the ground or stand on a step ladder for a better and more interesting angle. I have noticed that I am not as nimble nor as flexible as I was when younger. I can still get up off the floor but it is not a graceful thing. Balance is more challenging now when on a step ladder trying to get that special shot. The solution is to stay upright and stay off ladders. This is easier said than done because the photographer in me does not want to miss a potential image.
I have also recently started to notice the weight of my camera bag on my shoulder. I use a quality camera bag and I don’t carry a lot of equipment but the bag seems to get heavier each year. My primary equipment is a full-frame DSLR and an old fixed lens medium format rangefinder film camera. When I want to lighten the load, I switch to smaller lighter compact cameras but I do compromise some quality and flexibility.
Vision is essential for a photographer and is impacted with age. For many years, I used manual focus cameras and did not need glasses. I started using autofocus cameras when there was some degradation in my vision and I started wearing glasses. Thanks to advances in medical science, conditions like cataracts can be corrected and other eye problems can be treated. In my case, I have an eye with a cloudy cornea caused by a disease. My vision in that eye is very poor and my depth perception is limited. I see the world as flat instead on in 3-D. Perfect for 2-D photography. I recommend that everyone see an ophthalmologist on a regular basis so that potentially serious eyes issues can be detected early and any necessary treatment implemented.
Let’s take a look at psychological changes that can affect an aging photographer. For me, motivation seems to have decreased with age. I don’t have the “gung-ho” attitude that a younger me possessed. I used to feel guilty if I didn’t arrange photo sessions with models on a regular basis and I constantly sought out interesting locations and I was driven to find something worthy to photograph. I worked with models on a frequent basis and spent days in the darkroom processing and printing the negatives. I am still an active photographer but my output, which has always been somewhat limited has been reduced further.
Creativity is another important psychological attribute which can fluctuate throughout your life and that becomes even more elusive with age. It doesn’t disappear but for me the flashes of creativity aren’t as frequent. I have spent a lot of time thinking and writing about creativity over the years. For instance, I wrote the following:
“Creativity is a fickle thing. It comes and goes. It is elusive. As a photographer, I have learned to embrace the times creativity is with me and endure the periods when it is absent. There is no way to predict its emergence or its subsequent submergence back into the murky waters of the mind. Sometimes I do not know when I am in a highly creative period until it is over. Unfortunately, I do know when my creativity goes in hiding. This is when frustration sets in and I wonder if I have lost my ability to create photographs. But even in these times, I will continue to forge ahead and photograph with the hope that something will bubble to the surface. I sometimes wish I knew where creativity went to hide and could recall it with a photographic magic spell.”
As I age, I question my skills and ability as a photographer. I have always had some self-doubt which is probably a normal thing but it seems such thinking increases with age. Are my best days passed? I hope not. I continue to pursue the elusive images and keep hoping there will be a creative breakthrough. Plus, I keep surprising myself with new images which keeps me motivated.
Related to diminished skills is a diminished memory or at least one that does not work as good as it used to. I find as I age that I need to reinforce my memory on camera operation and photographic software usage. I sometimes forget a function on my camera and have to go to the camera manual. Part of this might be due to the overly complicated options available on the modern cameras but I also realize that I cannot recall something that I should know. The same goes for computer photo processing programs. I find that I have to keep my workflow streamlined and simple. I may not be using the latest digital techniques but I still produce excellent prints.
As an aging photographer, adaptation is essential. I still like to use film but I do not print in a darkroom. My solution is that I develop film in a bathroom and then digitally scan the negatives and finally digitally process the scanned images and print them on a digital printer.
Aging is a fact of life. I have tried to address some of the changes that I have been facing as a photographer. On the physical side, I highlighted mobility, strength and vision. On the psychological side, I focused on motivation, creativity, self-doubt and memory.
I think that by recognizing your limitations you can make adjustments and adapt to these changes. Photography can be beneficial to you both physically and psychologically. There is no reason you cannot experience a rewarding photography experience throughout your lifetime. Keeping a positive attitude is essential and creating exceptional images is the goal.
“The nude is for the artist what love is for the poet.”
Quote is attributed to Paul Valéry
“The camera can represent flesh so superbly that, if I dared, I would never photograph a figure without asking that figure to take its clothes off.”
Bernard Shaw
Over time, I have developed personal issues with the word’s nude and naked because of the negativity, the social/political attempts at censorship and the conservative rights attempt to associate any form of nudity with pornography. Therefore, I have adopted “without clothes” because it is simply descriptive and removes some of the connotations that nude and naked conjure up in peoples’ minds. Unfortunately, the term nude cannot be totally ignored because it is so culturally established and has been widely used for centuries. Therefore, I will use the term “nude” for this essay.
Why do I photograph nudes?
For me, it is the life blood of my photography and has been for over 50 years.
For me, it is a form of inspiration and personal artistic expression.
For me, the nude is timeless.
For me, the nude represents life and human existence.
For me, the nude is curves, shapes and infinite forms.
The nude is provocative…textural…expressive…beautiful…earthy…erotic
The mind plays games. As I have aged, I look back on my earlier work (years and decades ago) and question whether it was me who made the photographs and wrote the essays. They seem to have been made by a more talented photographer and writer. These thoughts got stirred up while I was looking through a book that I made in 1998 called “Subconscious Perceptions”.
The book consisted of an opening statement and an essay adapted from my MFA thesis titled “The Role of the Unconscious in the Creative Act”. The photographs have an overlaying sheet of vellum that contains a quote related to the unconscious. I hired a graphic designer to create the vellum overlays, the title page and to typeset the printed pages. When I view the book today, I am amazed by the effectiveness of the combination of words and images. Unfortunately, I could not find anyone interested in publishing the book.
I write better than I talk. I am a visual person. When I write, I prefer to use paper and pen. I can see my written work. When I talk, my words are unseen and invisible to my visual brain.
When looking back at my work, has time caused me to see things different? Is my aged vision causing a warping in the way I see? Is my mind reformatting information through different neural pathways? Where did the ideas, the big words, the creative photographs come from? Did I do that? Maybe it is just a trick of my mind.
Examples: The first image is the photo with the vellum sheet covering the page. The second image is with the vellum removed. The quote is from the book Bill Brandt Photographs 1928-1983 which was edited by Ian Jeffrey.
Analog photography is still alive and does not want to go away. The latest analog news is the resurgence of old-time photo booths that still use developing chemicals and provide a black-and-white photo strip of four different poses. A company in New York called Classic Photo Booth salvages old booths and restores them. There is also a different company in Europe that refurbishes them.
Apparently, they are a big hit and people are lining up to use them. It is another sign that people are looking for other options besides digital. I am certainly trying to do my best to keep analog alive. I still use 35mm, medium format and 8×10 large format film in my photographic work.
There are now digital “photo booths” that mimic the old-time booths. I attended a wedding where a digital “photo booth” was in operation. Actually, there is no booth involved but just a table, a backdrop, a camera, a printer, some props and an operator. A photo strip of three poses was provided. The digital booth lacked some of the spontaneity of the old-time booth where there was no operator and you enter the booth and close a curtain for some privacy. The photos took minutes to develop, wash, and dry before a strip of images dropped into a slot for pick up.
Photo booths were also used by artists in their creations. Probably the most famous was Andy Warhol and his work with portraits and self-portraits in the 1960’s which he used to produce silk screen prints.
In 2025, the photo booth is 100 years old. Let’s hope analog photography can survive another century.
Photo shot with black and white film using a vintage Olympus Stylus Epic camera. All images are copyrighted.
“he, too, was one of those who pursue life as it flees, a hunter of the unattainable, like the takers of snapshots.”
From the short story “Adventures of a Photographer” by Italo Calvino
I am not sure why photography was so associated with hunting where words such as, photo shoot, snapshot, and capture, are part of the language of photography. Historically (1800’s), the snapshot was a term used in hunting to describe a quick shot. It may have also been the sound that hunting rifles made when fired. Personally, I do not like the word “hunter” which makes me think of killing. I think most photographers are harmless. Why not just use the word photographer. In a previous post “Psychology and Photography” I stated: “I am not a hunter and I do not hunt with my camera but am constantly searching for new avenues for my photography.” The search for the unattainable is a valid characteristic of many photographers. Despite the many failures, the drive to keep looking and photographing seems to be instinctual.
I am a photographer in search of the unattainable. I am always searching for the next great photo. It is my hope that I will get one “exceptional” image during a photo session. Basic elements such as composition, lighting, exposure and focus must be satisfied but more important is whether the image visually excites me. Does it have unique visual qualities such as an interesting juxtaposition, a certain pose or look, a special element that is an unanticipated surprise. The image must make me want to look. Unfortunately, such photos are rare but that doesn’t stop me from my photo searching. The photograph must visually rise above my other images.
It is an innate obsessiveness to find something or someone worthy of photographing. Even when I do not have a camera with me, I still see life in photographic terms. For me, there are unlimited possibilities.
Analog photography is very tactual. I recently was loading large format sheet film into 8 by 10inch film holders which I use in my pinhole camera. It is a very tactile process since it has to be done in total darkness and involves the sense of touch. The film has notches in one of the corners which identify the type of film and also indicates which side is the emulsion side (which has to face out). The dark slide which covers the unexposed film until ready to be used has little bumps along the silver side the top edge which indicates that the film under that side of the slide is unexposed and ready to be used. The other side is black with no notches and this indicates that this film has been exposed. Sounds complicated but the point is that touch is integral to the process.
After I was done loading the film holders, I realized how much I enjoy the tactile sensations experienced in analog photography. The tactile sensations continue through taking the photographs and processing the negatives. Touch is involved in every step.
Whether you are using large format film, medium format or 35mm, touch is essential. Loading exposed film in the dark into a film developing tank in preparation for processing requires touch and dexterity. I use stainless steel developing tanks and reels and I find that the cool smooth touch of the metal is pleasurable.
It is obvious that analog photography has many more opportunities for tactile stimulation than digital photography. I also use digital capture and processing. Sight rather than touch is the most valuable sense in digital photography. Loading and unloading a memory card along with using a computer screen, a mouse and keyboard is basically the tactual highlights. Touching photo paper is the most tactual thing I do in digital.
Over the decades, I feel that my analog work is far better than my best digital work. I recently attended the NiNPAH (Nude in Nature Photo Art Haven) event where I worked with two models for two hours each. I decided to only use black and white film. I exposed two rolls of 36 exposures with each model which is my usual shooting pace. When working in black and white, I visually interpret the scene into a gray scale. I even prefer to watch old television shows and movies that were filmed in glorious black and white. For me, color photography requires a different mindset and is visually less fulfilling than black and white photography.
For me, the tactility of analog photography has no comparison with digital photography. Perhaps that is why there has recently been more interest in analog. People want more of a hands-on approach. I admit that there are many ways to mess up throughout the analog process. I have made what is probably every mistake possible but that is part of the challenge and the results are rewarding.
I can see why most people prefer digital. It is more full-proof (although I have managed to find ways to screw up).
My final argument for analog is that film cameras are less complicated than digital. My Nikon F100 film camera manual has 111 pages. My Fujifilm 645i medium format film camera is 39 pages. My Nikon D750 digital camera manual is 504 pages. In my analog influenced opinion, digital did not make photography easier.
Digital photography is here to stay for now. I only hope that a small space will continue to exist for the few who still use analog photography and value its tactility.
A recent black and white photograph. All images copyrighted.
I continue to discover new words that I had never heard of. It makes me think that I should have put more effort into expanding my vocabulary over the years but then that may have detracted from my visual endeavors. So much of life is a balancing act. A set of scales that measure experiences might help to keep some equanimity and balance. But we usually have priorities and for me it has been to create photographs, although lately I have been reading more which has resulted in my collection of words that were unknown to me.
In addition to stereoblindness (not able to see in 3D), prosopagnosia (face blindness) and erlebniskunst (art of experience), my latest addition is the word ekphrasis which is defined as writing inspired by art. Art can be in the form of a painting, photograph, film, sculpture or even a dance performance. A good example is my previous post regarding my photograph “Repose” and the accompanying description written by a gallery curator. Another example is my post “Olympia by Manet” and my writing about how I reacted to seeing the painting in person.
I always gave my photography students an assignment to select a photograph that interests them and to write about it. They had to provide a description (what they see), an interpretation (what they thought it was about), and an evaluation (whether they liked it or not and why). I was always surprised how insightful they were about the image they selected and the project served as a great teaching tool about art appreciation.
The next time you visit a museum or art gallery and have a strong reaction to a work of art that is emotionally moving you would be experiencing erlebniskunst. And if you go home and write about it that would be ekphrasis.
While doing research for my previous post “Two-Dimension World” I came across a reference to the book The Mind’s Eye by Dr. Oliver Sacks. An entire chapter is devoted to stereoblindness. I also came across another chapter about face-blindness or prosopagnosia which is a cognitive condition.
I did not know that I suffered from face-blindness until I read about it. I have known for most of my life that I had difficulty recognizing faces but I never thought of it as anything abnormal. Because of the inability to recognize faces, I have relied on identifying people by the way they walked, how they talked or some other feature that acts as an identifier. Having this condition can cause awkward moments, especially in social situations when I can’t identify acquaintances but they know me. I usually don’t want to use the person’s name because it may not be who I think it is and I don’t want to use the wrong name.
A recent study by the Harvard Medical School found that one in 33 people may have some degree of face blindness which is more than previously thought.
Is there a connection between face-blindness and photography? In my case, I don’t think it matters when it comes to my personal photography. My condition seems to be limited to living human faces but some people have more severe symptoms where they also cannot recognize people in photos and others may not be able to identify objects.
The artist and photographer Chuck Close had prosopagnosia. He felt it contributed to his unique artistic vision and said “I don’t know who anyone is and have essentially no memory at all for people in real space, but when I flatten them out in a photograph, I can commit that image to memory in a way: I have almost a kind of photographic memory to flat stuff.”
Flo Fox died on March 2, 2025. I had never heard of her but she apparently was a prolific street photographer in New York City. What caught my attention in her obituary was the fact that she was born blind in one eye. She felt it was an advantage as a photographer because she didn’t have to close the blind eye when she took a photo and that she did not see three-dimensionally (3D) which meant she saw the scene as the image would appear as a photo print in two dimensions (2D).
I can relate. I was not born blind but beginning as a teenager I have lost most of my vision in one eye. Besides seeing the world in two dimensions, there is also a loss of depth perception. Like Flo Fox, despite the limitations to my vision, I see the positive side of the handicap. I do see the world as flat and my photographs look exactly as I saw the composition through the camera viewfinder.
It is believed that the artist Rembrandt may have been stereoblind which would have aided him in flattening what he saw for the production of 2D works. Scientists have suggested that more artists seem to have stereoblindness when compared with a sample of people with stereo acuteness (normal stereo vision).
Stereoblindness is defined as the inability to see in 3D using stereopsis, or stereo vision, resulting in an inability to perceive stereoscopic depth by combining and comparing images from the two eyes. Individuals with only one functioning eye have this condition by definition since the visual input from the second eye does not exist.
I have had extremely limited vision in one eye for so long that I cannot remember what a 3D world looks like. I don’t know whether this has made me a better photographer or is it something that I had to adjust to and my photographic output would have been the same.
Sleeping Mind Photography 