A) The less people want to talk about it.
Most people don't understand black and white photography, let alone photography at all. How many times have you heard people say things like, "Can you still buy film?" or, "I thought Kodak went out of business." Yes, I hear those all the time. I used to get upset when people said crap like that. Now, I just smile, walk away and go take pictures somewhere else that isn't populated with idiots.
B) The more I want to focus on photography.
This is a good thing! It happens with any hobby or avocation that one takes up. The more you know about a subject, the more you want to know. As basic concepts are understood, what was once hard becomes easier. That creates a sense of accomplishment that fuels the desire to accomplish more. Simply put, you have Dektol running through your veins.
(Most of us do, too.
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C) I end up with more bruises and scratches from climbing and getting into things I probably shouldn't.
One sentence: God doesn't put great scenery where lazy photographers can find it!
D) I find that color digital photographs are beginning to look almost garish in their saturation.
Related to B, above. The more you know about a subject like photography, the more concepts you understand and the more things you can see in photographs that other people can't see. Because I work in a projection booth, I can see things in movies that many others just don't. It starts at seeing cue dots and poor splices, seeing miniscule particles of dirt on the film and hairline scratches. I see miniscule jitter and weave in the projected image that drives me nuts but most people don't. I hear problems in the sound system that most don't even know are there. I'm not saying I'm better than everybody else unless you refer to how well I do my job. The simple fact is that, the more I learn about doing my job, the more I understand and the more things I see. I have stood in the back row of the theater during a technical screening as I'm trying to train a new operator only to find that they have a hard time doing things that I find simple such as focusing the image. I am incredulous to think that a person doesn't understand how to turn that little knob until the picture is clear but I still find people who can't do it. Those people don't last very long in my booth.
So, the bottom line, here, is that you are noticing things like this because you are learning your craft. Things that were once imperceptible or unknown to you are becoming easier to understand and analyze. You find fewer people to talk to about your craft because there are fewer people who understand it the way you do.
There's an old joke: A specialist is a person who learns more and more about less and less until, ultimately, he understands absolutely everything there is to know about absolutely nothing at all.
