27 minutes of ageing

[carregwen]

I'm not sure about this idea - your thoughts? I was in Swansea the other day having a half-hearted attempt at street-photography. It suddenly occured to me that not many people shoot the aged. So, I sat on a bench with a nice neutral backdrop (the side of Next store) and spent 27 minutes shooting anyone who walked past who looked 55+. I should point out that I'm 58.

It took me 27 minutes for all of these people to walk by. Please do not make any personal comments about the subjects.

They were all shot in RAW with a Canon 50D/24-105mm lens. I processed them all the same using a soft sepia profile pre-set that I created in Silver Efex Pro.

Thoughts?

Here are a few of them. The fill set is here on a slideshow... Ageing slideshow

Ageing 5


Ageing 1


Ageing 6


Ageing 12

[Donald]

Thoughts?

Brilliant idea. Us more mature people have much more 'lived-in' faces that all those young people, albeit most of the bits are now either sagging, bagging, or both!

It's interesting that my thoughts about photographing people (if and when I ever get around to fulfilling the wish to start getting more people into my images), automatically default to thinking about older, rather than younger people.

ps - Don't like the backdrop

[Katy Noelle]

I have some thoughts. I just don't know what they're worth; so, I'll throw them out.

One of these photos on it's own is interesting - taken together - they become more and more moving (emotionally, I mean) to see their posture and frozen gait and to see them in an unguarded moment when they're not interacting with anyone (do you know what I mean?) Another thought is, in theater, one should always come on stage with their upstage foot (the foot farthest from the audience) so that one's first impression is open. I noticed that, in your first 3 photos, you took the photo with them leading out with their farthest foot, except for the last one. In that one, her closer foot is forward and it highlights the struggle that she seems to be having keeping that purse on her shoulder. I'm not saying anything is effective or not - I don't know - I just noticed these things. Oh, and, the lines on the building kept making me think of a suspect line-up. You know, I, almost wish that you had taken some of these one step before so that I could see their faces a little better but, maybe, that's the point - it's not about the faces but about their bodies in transit.

I'm really interested to see what others have to say.

[Donald]

I have some thoughts. I just don't know what they're worth;

They're worth a fortune ... because what they reveal is someone who values and respects people, who cares about them, who does not see them as objects or units-of-production. And, oh dear, that is becoming such a valuable thing nowadays. So, keep thinking.

[Wirefox]

Rob

I like these. They are documentary of a part of the community that is not often documented. What did you do wait until Marks and Spencer had a sale on or was it chucking out time at the Legion? That shopping trolley is full of meals for one and outsized bloomers. I disagree with donald about the backdrop. It puts the subjects in a prison like environment and lets face it thats how they must feel at times. Its all the more poignant when you think how these poor sods are likely to suffer this winter under our pound shop government.

The only issue I personally have is the processing. I do not like sepia and I think it has the unfortunate effect of softening the images. I think these subjects sing out for strong grays and maybe even the introduction of a little film grain. Excellent wok as usual though.

Steve

[Donald]

I disagree with donald about the backdrop. It puts the subjects in a prison like environment and lets face it thats how they must feel at times.

I take your point. I felt the horizontals and verticals interfered with full attention being thrown on the people. A plain wall would have been more effective, perhaps.

But the point you go on to make is very relevant. God help the elderly and the vulnerable after our caring government gets torn into the public spending budget on Tuesday.

Even before Tuesday's announcemnt, we have to find £42m over the next three years. If a politician tells you that the cuts don't equate to a major destruction of front-line public services and that the money can be found from efficiency savings, please hit them very hard.

If you believe them or think that's a good idea, then you have my sympathy.

[Geoff F]

A local photo gallery has a sign outside saying that 'Old People should be Shot' and they even offer to do it naked. I suppose that means the subjects not the photographer!

[Antonio Correia]

Yes, brilliant idea.
It makes a sequence and I would like to see all the images in an only frame, if you see what I mean...

I hope to be able to try something similar here one of these days. I hope not to forget
By the way: I will be 62 in a couple of days: a Scorpion that's what I am.

EDIT : Ah but there are more than just these ...

[wilgk]

I really like the splodges of grime visible on the background wall - gives more emotion to me somehow, so gald you took the people with those in frame, rather then by a pristine part of wall..
Also no couples - I'm sure some older couples passed you by, but again so much more poignant that each 1 is alone..

[carregwen]

Thanks for the comments so far. I deliberately chose a very drab backdrop as I didn't want any distractions. I was also constrained by what was available. I needed somewhere where a reasonable number of single people would walk by, and I didn't want any clutter in the shots. The processing is deliberately drab - I thought the sepia would associate ageing in most viewers minds.

While I was shooting these (on a bench) a guy (over 50) sat next to me and started telling me his medical history and how he is having his benefits reduced in the new economic austerity!

[Letrow]

I like the idea of this very much. The background fits into that as well. A uniform environment against which these people are portrayed. What struck me most about them (and that is what I like as well) is the different postures. You see people that are struggling with their health and others that still have a spring in their step.
One of them would have made a nice subject, but all of them together add a certain value to the subject I feel.

[tb72]

Interesting serie of street pictures

[arith]

It is the girl that keeps you young; when I was 45 I was young and had attitude because I was a nightclub hard house dancer, and knew hundreds of girls. Not bad going for somebody without money, in fact that is the reason why people with money look young.

I'm a bit old now though because I let people grind me down after I was in hospital, I will have to get back to normal.

I wonder what the old people look like outside a top fashion shop.