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A VERY RELEVANT SURVEY

Sirius Glass said:
I started at 1010. In the last few years I added MF and LF. I am 1000010.
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You are 66 and started at age 10.


I'm 53 and started photography at age 11 with an inexpensive Kodak 126 camera. I think it was a model 124.
 
You broke the code.
 
I´m 25 and my interest in serious photography started when I bought a roll of FP4+ back in the spring of 2002.
 
I'm 79 and started with a folding Kodak in my teens, bought a new Leica at 20, and my first Nikon SLR at 35. I still use 35mm and large format where appropriate, and digital for casual photography.
 
I think that we all owe heartfelt thanks to darkosaric for taking the time and effort to quantify these results into a succinct, clearly readable, and understandable format with graphic interface.

Let's face it, it was a whole lot easier to do his abstract with digitization, (ie MS Excel) than doing it manually. That facility kind of solidifies the 'legitimacy' of electronic data gathering, doesn't it? And that reality, whether with words, numbers, or images ends up shooting ourselves in the foot, so to speak. Yes, we all know deep down that digital photography, when distilled into pure logic and theory, is far better than analog: no deterioration of media, no darkroom necessary, no worry about the histogram not being able to be corrected, and, for professionals who shoot at unrepeatable venues, a heaven sent bounty of certainty. Still...

There really is something about film that makes me feel very secure and safe. I do not know why, specifically, but there is a kind of 'warmth' with actually holding a negative that you can actually see without aid of electronics. Maybe there is more to life than scientific theory or 'mere' pragmatism. I do love the clear, bright sound of classical music on CDs but...something is lost and I cannot quantify what that is. Is it romance for 'what was' (at my age), or are there components not identifiable to mere mortals? I own no CD player but have, in storage, 6000 classical music LPs. Maybe I am just plain nuts. But as I say this there are literally dozens of turntable manufacturers in this world who have not yet gone out of business more that twenty years after 33 rpm vinyl 'died'.

Likewise, analog photography retains a diehard retinue of adherents. On this survey what came across clearly was the fact that no one here is mentally deficient, naive, culturally deficient, or uninitiated with life itself. Most found this survey at least somewhat rewarding to ponder. Emotionally, there was the impression of satisfaction and healthy support for 'our niche'. And why should it really matter whether or not we are 'correct' with our thinking here? I am not prepared to defend the availability of film and paper with my life (nor are any others here) but I do get the impression that analog capture will continue to be available even on our collective, chronically averaged 'death bed'. And why not? Life is not best when 100% efficient. There have to be 'loose ends' that point the way for new thought processes to be born. Maybe we are more legitimate than even we think. - David Lyga
 
Average APUG age: 42
Average age started photography: 16

6% of APUG members in their 70s.
8% in their 60s.
14% in their 50s.
30% in their 40s.
9% in their 30s.
22% in their 20s.

Extent of my skills with number data
 
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I'm 26. I got my first camera probably when I was 7ish. Not really sure what it was, except I'm pretty sure it took 110 film. I was young enough that film was the only thing when I was a kid. I don't think my family got a digital camera until I was in late Middle School maybe. Thats is only because my father worked for the Army Corps of Engineers and had one for work.

I was always very interested in photography, but didn't seriously get into it until college. I'd hazard 20. The photography class that was part of my major was split half and half traditional B&W, and digital. I too my father's Nikon F2 Photomic out of retirement, and really fell in love with film, especially the darkroom. After that class, I no longer had access to a darkroom. I continued to shoot C-41 film through that camera, but largely shifted to digital. I've recently felt the urge to shoot film again, which is why I'm here. I'm now in the process of setting up a darkroom and have begun developing B&W film as well.
 
pstake said:
What does this mean, Ben?

I get the feeling you're referring a to a previous thread that I missed.
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I mean the O.P needs reassurance that film has a future by the ages of the members who use it.
 
batwister said:
Average APUG age: 42
Average age started photography: 16

6% of APUG members in their 70s.
8% in their 60s.
14% in their 50s.
30% in their 40s.
9% in their 30s.
22% in their 20s.

Extent of my skills with number data
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You can't draw any conclusions from these results because they only represent a tiny proportion of the 59,000 members of the forum, these results would only be valid if all the members answered the question.
 
benjiboy said:
You can't draw any conclusions from these results because they only represent a tiny proportion of the 59,000 members of the forum, these results would only be valid if all the members answered the question.
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Not if it's a representative sample. Otherwise all statistical sampling would fail.

As it is, it's likely to be more real-world accurate than a 100% sample, because it polls only active members.



BTW, age 57. Damn, now I've gone and skewed it.
 
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Neither do I - 40. Have gone through a film-only intro into photography 24 years ago, onto digital only for about 10 years (2001-2011) to happily doing both.

I think the guys in their 30's are too busy raising kids and shaping their homes and careers around those needs. I would love to know what the gender representation in the different age groups is. It would be great to see +/- 50/50 in the younger categories. I get the feeling that the medium doesn't reach a certain part of the population, at least where I live (RSA).
 
I should add my .02c.
I'm 38 (yikes, where did the years go?) and bought my first 35mm SLR in 1992, age 17; for my high school photography class. I still have the camera (Pentax Spotmatic) and was out shooting with it yesterday.
 
I'm 57 years old, and have been taking pictures and processing film since about the time I was 10 years old. I'm still learning.
 
I'm 46 years old. But my daughter of 16 years old is also showing an interest in analogue photography (I'm so happy). She wants me to teach her this summer (YES!!!). I'm going to give her a Nikon F3 and F90x to try out with some prime lenses.
She shot her first roll last week with my Nikon FM3a with the 45 mm pancake lens. She liked it.
And maybe I'll get her even hooked on the darkroom as well ...
 
52 years old and shooting/processing/printing since I was 12. A Zenith B was my first camera.
 
I am 66, graduated as a Still Photographer from the US Army Signal School at Ft. Monmouth, NJ, AM mentally deficient (schizophrenia) and have 8,000 mostly classical records. I wish I knew how to post some of my pics, but right now I can'nt even e-mail them because of some software problem. Happy shooting to you all!
 
Oh, and I also have 1,000 classical CD's (of mostly rare music) and 1,000 audio cassettes, 3/4 of which are classical. But with e-bay and APUG and my own shooting and other internet articles on photography, plus scanning & computer-printing my negs (just to see what I have), I have hardly any time to listen to music anymore.
 
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