Philippine Camera Club members are YOUNG !

[pentaxpete]

When I go to CEBU in the Philippines with my Filipina wife and kids my wife and I go to the Cebu Images Camera Club which meets once a month on a Monday -- I compare the members THERE with members of British Clubs -- well they are all so much YOUNGER there and more active with practical photography !! In all the Clubs round here in Essex at least the members are all PENSIONERS -- a 'young' member is one of 40 years old !
Cebu Images Club is mostly all 'Businesspeople' with expensive latest gear and gadgets -- there is a FILM user the Grandson of the Millionaire who owns the Ayala Shopping Malls -- he has LEICA gear kept in a cabinet with humidity control -- he let me use his 24mm f2.5 Elmarit-M lens on my Leica when they took me out on a photo trip.
They are all very friendly to me and gave me a free meal when I was asked the judge their B&W print competition last time I went -- they have a full meal served before the meeting ( in a Church Hall ) -- in England the Judge gets a Biscuit and a TEA !!
They all crowded round to inspect my 1950-60's Carl Zeiss CONTINA camera I took loaded with outdated Ilford FP4+ film -- here is the photo I took on that camera with a Miranda 630 CD flash ---

Images Club by pentaxpete, on Flickr

Here is the Camera I used -- I sent them some darkroom prints !

Contina by pentaxpete, on Flickr

[just me]

When I go to CEBU in the Philippines with my Filipina wife and kids my wife and I go to the Cebu Images Camera Club which meets once a month on a Monday -- I compare the members THERE with members of British Clubs -- well they are all so much YOUNGER there and more active with practical photography !! In all the Clubs round here in Essex at least the members are all PENSIONERS -- a 'young' member is one of 40 years old !
Cebu Images Club is mostly all 'Businesspeople' with expensive latest gear and gadgets -- there is a FILM user the Grandson of the Millionaire who owns the Ayala Shopping Malls -- he has LEICA gear kept in a cabinet with humidity control -- he let me use his 24mm f2.5 Elmarit-M lens on my Leica when they took me out on a photo trip.
They are all very friendly to me and gave me a free meal when I was asked the judge their B&W print competition last time I went -- they have a full meal served before the meeting ( in a Church Hall ) -- in England the Judge gets a Biscuit and a TEA !!
They all crowded round to inspect my 1950-60's Carl Zeiss CONTINA camera I took loaded with outdated Ilford FP4+ film -- here is the photo I took on that camera with a Miranda 630 CD flash ---

Images Club by pentaxpete, on Flickr

Here is the Camera I used -- I sent them some darkroom prints !

Contina by pentaxpete, on Flickr

How very nice for you, perhaps you should immigrate ?
Don't forget, one day you are a PENSIONER too!

[nimitzbenedicto]

HI Pentaxpete,

Well there are elderly Filipino photogs too. Matter of fact, I'm way above 60.

[pentaxpete]

To reply -- I am 75 so ALREADY a Pensioner -- what I mean is that in Britain we cannot get any younger members and a lot of the 'old Pensioner members' are dying off and the ones that are left do not have an interest in 'Practical' Photography -- just somewhere to go on Friday night and look at other peoples' photos - whenever I organise a 'Practical Night' hardly anyone turns up -- in the Philippines they hold many outings and practical sessions with models -- maybe the pacemakers would FUSE on our members if I organised a 'Glamour Session' !!
I am very NEW on this site so hope I am not upsetting some members already by saying the wrong things or I will leave .

[revi]

(...)
I am very NEW on this site so hope I am not upsetting some members already by saying the wrong things or I will leave .

Not upsetting me
I read your original post as a (surprised?) observation about the situation you found in the Phillipines, compared to what you were used to in your home club.

[pentaxpete]

Thanks Revi -- that is what I meant in the first place .

[wlou]

Hello Peter, I would be interested to know what "old people" do in the Phillipines,as it is the young one that go to the club? Here in Québec, it is similar in small clubs, mostly retired people. In some of the up&coming clubs, younger groups emerged, the "Photoshop" crowd. Or the well off crowds that travels in the winter to escape our winters. They present an array of travel pictures including exotics colourfull birds that the average person here would never have a chance to see.
These differences in point of views about photography also created new clubs that are firmly opposed to any kind of post production rework or "digital image manipulation".
Lastly, the access to computors and the learning of the process from taking a picture in digital to downloading/making adjustments/processing/printing is a fairly recent process not accessible to everyone.
The technology of tacking picture is changing fast, and I mean very-very fast. The equipment is changed, is the quality of a good picture still the same?
Fell free everyone to express your opinions on this subject.
Awaiting the comments from all photographs of all ages.

[pentaxpete]

wlou : I have also been to the 'Photographic Society of the Philippines' when I was in Manila sorting out a Visa for my wife -- it meets in the Intercontinental Hotel 14th floor, Metro Manila -- I was a 'guest' -- I had to check into the Hotel for overnight stay -- NOT CHEAP !!! Payment in US $$$ by card .. well, I went to the meeting and was amazed at the members and setting --all laid out for DINNER, posh tables, waiter service etc and members casually put their LEICAS , NIKONS and Hasselblads on the table cloth == First there was the 'FLAG CEREMONY' where they all stood up and sang the Filipino National Anthem ( I sang 'God Save the Queen' ) and faced a corner where the Philippines flag was raised -- then a three course dinner, then I was 'Introduced' as a 'Guest from Brentwood, England' and had to stand up -- then after clearing away there was a 'practical session' with a Filipina 'Starlet' girl - out came all their huge lenses on their Nikons BUT nobody seemed to know how to POSE or LIGHT the poor girl -- they had only one powerful halogen lamp on her -- so I got the waiters to drape some white table cloths over a stand to use as reflectors and they all thought it was wonderful -- I had only a small PENTAX Program A with one lens the 50mm f1.7 SMC Pentax-A lens loaded with some outdated Kodak Ektachrome but I got some good shots at 1/30 sec at f1.7 !! Again -- the members seemed to be all younger 'Businesspeople' rather than the 'Retired' members we have in British Clubs -- the 'Older' Filipinos seem not to do so much -- sit enjoying their 'TUBA' ( which I also like if it is fresh)-- my wife says if you reach 70 in the Philippines it is a bonus and you cannot expect much !

[wlou]

Humm, got the money, got the time, got the big equipment. Oups, forgot the training?
I have seen some photographe like that too. For my part, I have joined CIC and a photo club, I read all I can find on photography and I try to vary my pictures to familiarize myself with my equipment and learn what it is in photo that I have to improve. And lastly what I have fun to do. The fun part is new. And I like it better now, less stressing. Happy shooting.

[rpcrowe]

People in the Philippines are actually a LOT YOUNGER than people in the U.K. The median age of the Filipino population is right around 23 years old while the median age in the U.K. is a bit above forty years old. The median age in the U.S.A. is a couple of years younger than the U.K but still a LOT OLDER than in the Philippines!

That might be one reason that the camera club members are younger and it may also explain the vast numbers of very pretty Filipinas evident over there!

[just me]

People in the Philippines are actually a LOT YOUNGER than people in the U.K. The median age of the Filipino population is right around 23 years old while the median age in the U.K. is a bit above forty years old. The median age in the U.S.A. is a couple of years younger than the U.K but still a LOT OLDER than in the Philippines!

That might be one reason that the camera club members are younger and it may also explain the vast numbers of very pretty Filipinas evident over there!

Does this mean that people in the Philipphines don't reach old age, or what are they doing with old people ?

Griddi.......

[nimitzbenedicto]

Does this mean that people in the Philipphines don't reach old age, or what are they doing with old people ?

Griddi.......

HI Griddi,

Short answer: Filipinos do reach old age.

I guess what Richard mentioned in his post are medians/averages, not what they do.

Just me.....

[pentaxpete]

Yes, there are many 'OLD' Filipinos but they do not have 'Clubs; to join such as the ' Retirement Clubs' we have in UK for such activities as 'Ballroom dancing' , 'Bingo', 'Bowls', 'Gardening ' -- there are no 'benefits' so they have to rely on their family to look after them -- no 'Retirement Homes' with cosy armchairs and TV in a lounge ! About the 'Photography' side -- although I am a 'pensioner' now I am ACTIVE in photography -- keeps me alive and prevents Alzheimers setting in !! I just think it is a pity we cannot get younger members in our Clubs here and the 'pensioner members' are not 'active' !

[rpcrowe]

HI Griddi,
Short answer: Filipinos do reach old age.

Not as old as people live in the U.K... According to the United Nations, the life expectancy in the U.K. is right about 80 years while the life expectancy in the Philippines is about 70 years. That's quite a difference but, I am not going to get into the sociological implications of why this is.

Additionally, the birth rate in the Philippines is about twice the rate (about 25 per thousand) of that in the U.K (about 12 per thousand).

Additionally, I am not going to get into the reasons that one nation has twice the birth rate of another...

Those two statistics skew the median age in the Philippines to far younger than in the U.K.

BTW: Median age is the midpoint in ages with an equal number of people older and a equal number of people younger.

OTOH: The loose grouping of camera clubs to which I belong are very active with many shoots each week. We have a large number younger members, especially for the weekend shoots (probably because the younger folks are working during the week). None of these clubs have formal meetings but, there usually is a Christmas party once a year.

However, I once joined a "fishing" club which was comprised of a bunch of old men who just wanted to talk about fishing and never actually did much fishing. I was younger and more active at that time and I quit the club as soon as I found out that it wasn't very active in fishing. Now that I am an old man, that type of club might appeal to me more than it did when I was a youngster...

[just me]

Yes, there are many 'OLD' Filipinos but they do not have 'Clubs; to join such as the ' Retirement Clubs' we have in UK for such activities as 'Ballroom dancing' , 'Bingo', 'Bowls', 'Gardening ' -- there are no 'benefits' so they have to rely on their family to look after them -- no 'Retirement Homes' with cosy armchairs and TV in a lounge ! About the 'Photography' side -- although I am a 'pensioner' now I am ACTIVE in photography -- keeps me alive and prevents Alzheimers setting in !! I just think it is a pity we cannot get younger members in our Clubs here and the 'pensioner members' are not 'active' !

I think you should remember that UK is the west, and the Philippines is the east, and of course west and east have different cultures, so I would not except for example that, just to name a few, one would find in the Philippines retirement clubs like bingo, bowls, ballroom dancing etc.

Also I would like to say, that not everyone is not that keen to join any club, I am not that young either anymore, but I never had the wish to join a club, as I like to do my " own " things, in my own way.......

Griddi......

[nimitzbenedicto]

I think you should remember that UK is the west, and the Philippines is the east, and of course west and east have different cultures, so I would not except for example that, just to name a few, one would find in the Philippines retirement clubs like bingo, bowls, ballroom dancing etc.

Also I would like to say, that not everyone is not that keen to join any club, I am not that young either anymore, but I never had the wish to join a club, as I like to do my " own " things, in my own way.......

Griddi......

Yes, I agree. Firstly, elderly Filipinos usually live with their families. not in commercial/govt home for the aged. So, their daily lives are filled with grandkiddies, children who take up their time. My wife and I like nothing better than to spend time with our grandkiddies. Yes, we also double as baby-sitters.

While in the west, meaning our grandkids in Montreal, have different mindsets/values so it's mostly touring around.

We do have bingo and similar activities too. Latest among the elderly are dancing groups, fitness programs and similar sponsored by local govt. units.

Oh, one group activity I noticed prevalent whether east or west, are health groups. ( ex. diabetes clubs, arthritis and the like.)

[rpcrowe]

China is one eastern country undergoing profound changes in its social systems. The one child per family law and the urbanization of the populace is replacing the extended family with older persons who have little family support.

There are however, some centers of activity for older people like the Temple of Heavenly Peace Park in Beijing which attracts older persons for many impromptu activities..









It is a fun place to shoot with people enjoying themselves in all forms of activities. I don't know if this can replace the extended family but, the people in the park seemed to be having fun.