Retirement, film photography, and travel

[Sirius Glass]

This is a great thread, as I turn 61 next week... Frankly I'm not thinking about retirement because I see very few guys who seem to do it well, and there are so many older working guys who are at the top of their game. A few of you are reassuring that it can be done, so I'm taking notes.

There are two types of people who do not do well in retirement:

1. The one that hates his job so much that he never developed outside interests that he enjoys.
2. The one is so wrapped up in his job that he never developed outside interests that he enjoys.

Notice the pattern?

 

[Down Under]

A new APUG thread on retirement and cameras. Interesting...

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Big mouth that I am, of course I have already posted a comment on it.

 

[Down Under]

Re sirius glass (#103), I too have known many people who fitted into the two categories he has listed. My previous accountant, my former bank manager, a few architects I've worked with, many of my older clients. Quite a few neighbors who were supremely work-focused to the detriment of the rest of their lives.

All very nice people and good to work or deal with. Unfortunately, most of them did not survive beyond 18 months to two years after they retired.

The widows are doing very well. Almost all of them sold up and moved to Queensland where the climate is kinder and there are more available widowers. I am sure they would have preferred to still be with their original partners, but sadly that was not to be. So many have remarried.

So maybe a third category? 3. The ones that fall into either (1) or(2) or both, but have wives who have lives, and plans to get on with life after the hubby has popped off. Yes, all this can be unpleasant to ponder, but real world situations happen. Heads-in-the-sand escapism doesn't cut it here.

All very sad, but it's part of life. The trick is to figure all this out early enough, and start making plans to avoid being in these three "statistical victim" categories.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Re sirius glass (#103), I too have known many people who fitted into the two categories he has listed. My previous accountant, my former bank manager, a few architects I've worked with, many of my older clients. Quite a few neighbors who were supremely work-focused to the detriment of the rest of their lives.

All very nice people and good to work or deal with. Unfortunately, most of them did not survive beyond 18 months to two years after they retired.

The widows are doing very well. Almost all of them sold up and moved to Queensland where the climate is kinder and there are more available widowers. I am sure they would have preferred to still be with their original partners, but sadly that was not to be. So many have remarried.

So maybe a third category? 3. The ones that fall into either (1) or(2) or both, but have wives who have lives, and plans to get on with life after the hubby has popped off. Yes, all this can be unpleasant to ponder, but real world situations happen. Heads-in-the-sand escapism doesn't cut it here.

All very sad, but it's part of life. The trick is to figure all this out early enough, and start making plans to avoid being in these three "statistical victim" categories.

+1! Exactly spot on!

 

[Montaggio]

Ozmoose brought this conversation to my attention and I'm very glad he did. Just reading through, a lot of good points to think about. And I'm just at the beginning of what will (hopefully) be a long journey. A friend of mine once said when retiring - I don't know how it will start, or what will happen in between, but I know how it ends, so the time to enjoy it is now.

It's taken me a lot of years to learn that there are ALOT of things that I find very interesting and ALOT of things I like to do. But there never seems to be enough time in the day to enjoy them all. So I'm trying to get focused on those things I really have a passion for. If there is time to add in some other things, then that's a bonus.

We like to travel - better put actually - we like to wander. And when doing that, my camera is an integral part of the experience. It helps me look closer - appreciate the details better - and on rare occasions, capture a mood or feeling. And I also very much enjoy quality crafted equipment. True craftsmanship is hard to find and, while I know it doesn't make me a better photographer, i just appreciate the experience more using the best tools that I can access.

Like many of you have mentioned, I do want to simplify things at the same time as well. And I'm working on that now, with the realization that slugging fast Nikkor glass and bodies is not only physically increasingly difficult, but it's also just not fun.

Thanks to all for the insights - gives me lots to think about.

 

[Down Under]

More and more I am moving towards one camera (usually Nikkormat) and one lens (mostly the 28, sometimes the 35) with B&W film to record what I see. Flowers and gardens excepted, much of my viewpoint throughout my life has been in monochrome and the 50, but I now find the 35-28 (choice of one at a time) more convenient, both are close focusing lenses but allow for the 'wider' view if I need to include detail. Buildings don't shrink to flower size when I want to shoot them...

Eventually I will probably end up lugging a Contax G1 with the superb 28 f/2.8 Biogon, or maybe the 45 Planar

As for film, well - whatever is in my film fridge at home, and if it suits the lighting conditions I'll be out in, that's what I'll use. Have decided (finally!) to shoot some of my long-hoarded Kodak Panatomic-X next week, on the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, a superb location with a truly beautiful lake, oddly largely forgotten by the rest of the country. I'll then work thru the decade oldEfke (35mm and 120) and then start on the TMax 100. New experiences, new challenges. The way to go.

After carrying camera bags for decades, I now wrap my gear in kitchen towels and put it in plastic bags, and carry it all in a back pack.

As Montaggio wrote, "... It's taken me a lot of years to learn that there are ALOT of things that I find very interesting and ALOT of things I like to do. But there never seems to be enough time in the day to enjoy them all. So I'm trying to get focused on those things I really have a passion for. If there is time to add in some other things, then that's a bonus."

My thinking exactly. Less time must be quality time. To some, less is more. To me it sure is a lot better.

 

[Ces1um]

There are two types of people who do not do well in retirement:

1. The one that hates his job so much that he never developed outside interests that he enjoys.
2. The one is so wrapped up in his job that he never developed outside interests that he enjoys.

Notice the pattern?

I'm not anywhere near retirement, having at the very least another 15 years. I watched my father retire...then go back to work only to retire again...and then go back to work. He had worked between 2 and 3 jobs all of his life and never developed any outside interests. Watching him I realized very quickly that hobbies and interests are a necessity. It's actually why I got into photography in the first place. I've tried a number of other things- wood sculpting, gardening, exercise and a few of these things have stuck as well. I'm not sure I have enough to do to fill an entire week, but I'm working on it.

 

[Prest_400]

Been a few days travelling to (nearby) Italy, which I curiously never visited properly. It's one of those procastination destinations because it's rather close. Sometimes I'm doubting about shooting much film as one can indeed cover quite some miles for the price of some film!
I wasn't going so much for photography, which if becomes a center can actually be stressful on trips. I took my F80 rather last minute and it was quite funny. Of the 2 rolls I took, one was already exposed and on the second day, the batteries quit on me while shooting. Good luck hunting CR123s around. I found out that I left the camera turned on in my backpack. Did that once last year overnight and it was bricked.
Film is about the most expensive indulgence I have. WIll send about 10 color rolls to process and sure the bill is going into about 80€. Amusing to think that all my transportation costs were cheaper than all of it, plane included!
Off-season travel is fantastic.

On the topic again, Dad's waiting for his early retirement that never seems to come and it is often discussed around. We visited a relative who said retirement was boring and he didn't know what to make of it. Of course, because aside of going to the bar and watching TV he had nothing going on.
Travel is nice to meet people and be surprised. On the hostel I talked to a man who takes a month off every year to walk, and he did Aquitanie to Liguria! Another man just went for a short circuit around but talking on the way to the station it turns out he actually was in my town and found it quite curious that two strangers could be connected in that way.

 

[Vaughn]

Retired, but just worked 11 days straight -- 8 to 16 hours a day. For free (well, room and board). Best 11 days I have so far this month. 100% art/photography related.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Been a few days travelling to (nearby) Italy, which I curiously never visited properly. It's one of those procastination destinations because it's rather close. Sometimes I'm doubting about shooting much film as one can indeed cover quite some miles for the price of some film!
I wasn't going so much for photography, which if becomes a center can actually be stressful on trips. I took my F80 rather last minute and it was quite funny. Of the 2 rolls I took, one was already exposed and on the second day, the batteries quit on me while shooting. Good luck hunting CR123s around. I found out that I left the camera turned on in my backpack. Did that once last year overnight and it was bricked.
Film is about the most expensive indulgence I have. WIll send about 10 color rolls to process and sure the bill is going into about 80€. Amusing to think that all my transportation costs were cheaper than all of it, plane included!
Off-season travel is fantastic.

On the topic again, Dad's waiting for his early retirement that never seems to come and it is often discussed around. We visited a relative who said retirement was boring and he didn't know what to make of it. Of course, because aside of going to the bar and watching TV he had nothing going on.
Travel is nice to meet people and be surprised. On the hostel I talked to a man who takes a month off every year to walk, and he did Aquitanie to Liguria! Another man just went for a short circuit around but talking on the way to the station it turns out he actually was in my town and found it quite curious that two strangers could be connected in that way.

CR123 batteries will only fail if you are in a location that is at least 2,000 km from the nearest available replacement. One must carry spares.

 

[Down Under]

Are we still on the air? It seems we are...

I'll hit the threescoreandten in a few weeks. I'm now in Sarawak (Malaysia), shooting away, and planning to fly to Indonesia next week so I can celebrate my 70th with friends and spouse in Surabaya, without champagne (that will wait for my return to Australia in 2018) but a lot of good Indonesian and Chinese food, Bintang beer for friends, one or two Anker beers for me, and a bottle of Guiness for my SO. Low key, but the guest of honor will be happy to be there and in quite good health!

This may be my last long journey for some time. We plan to move from Tasmania and back to the mainland (Victoria,Australia) next year, which will entail moving half a mountain to cull possessions, pack up the house, do the inevitable rounds of farewells, and then relocate, there to start the entire process all over again in reverse. Except for the celebrations with friends, which always seem to go on and on. Spare cash for overseas jaunts (which aren't as expensive as you would think, with some careful planning and budgeting) is running down a bit, the stock photo market is slow with fewer sales this year.

We are fortunate to have two incomes but our finances aren't bottomless and we need to save a little for what will likely happen in my next decade. So I'm trying to be more careful with money, and I'm not sixty now, so caution in every way is my new byword. Our planned North American gala trip in mid-2018 will be postponed by a year or two due to expenditure at home. A future overseas trip will be a brief visit to Japan, together as a couple as my partner has never been, with a fast stopover in Taiwan or Korea, when time and our stretched finances allow. One or two more visits to Malaysia and Indonesia for me over the next say, three years. More time at home, to catch up on darkroom work and mostly to scan the huge mound of old negatives and slides taken during my lifetime. One more trans Tasmanian driving trip. Future photo shoots in different seasons of the year in a few of the many beautiful botanical gardens in Victoria and other Australian states.

I'm still blessed with good health, but I'm slowing down a bit. Age has wearied me (well, a little), also the 10 kilograms I've put on in the past 12 months, from all that good Asian food and daily doses Anker and Tiger beer soI can stay hydrated in this tropical heat.

I'm shooting with a Nikon D700 with my old D90 as a backup. I had my newly acquired Rolleicord Vb as a film camera backup with me, but decided a few weeks ago to return it to Oz with a friend returning to Oz, to lessen and lighten the load. Another friend gave me a Nikon F65 with a 50mm 1.4 (early autofocus) lens to add to my collection, my third. They are good cameras. Finding film in Malaysia, well. Maybe in KL, when I get back there. Or Singapore. Or Tasmania. Here in Sarawak, no film. Nor in Brunei.

I hope to buy a Nikon Df next year, when good used ones are more available and prices come down a little. Which may be my last digital Nikon. My D700 has about 180,000 clicks on its shutter, the D90 just under 40,000. Both seem keen to go on for a while yet. The Rolleicord is a 1962-1963 model and somewhat rough cosmetically but the shutter is close to spot-on. With a 16 exposure kit, it's the ideal travel film camera.

I feel so fortunate in that I'm still able to get around and still make plans. Many of us are in this situation, I think. Every day is a small lifetime when one is 70...

So a lot to do. Always lots to do.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I too am over three score and ten. Next week I will drive to Death Valley and do some offroading for the Thanksgiving holiday.

 

[Kevin Ekstrom]

Good health and money all make for a great retirement.

I'm 53 and semi-retired from 32 years in the machining business. I work part time, I'm waiting for my wife to call it quits so we can sell and head down south to warmer weather. I wish my health was better so I could take advantage of retirement, but life is what it is. I blew out my ankle and suffer from severe arthritis, to top that off, the ankle I trashed is on the same leg I broke when I was young, which has a permanent rod in-place near the hip joint. So, getting around is a chore but doable in small doses. I still manage and rarely complain, I just hope when I get a bit older it all holds together. I'm looking forward to much more shooting under the warm sun of the Georgia skies.

 

[jtk]

I'm 74, have been self employed for most of my life (photography, graphic design/production, headhunting). Happily I've always been somewhat athletic (hiking, bicycling, running, tennis, never team). These days I'm a competitive outdoor archery (recurve/longbow) who enjoys a lot of time in the desert.

Young people who are reasonably healthy will have very bad experiences later in life if they fail to spend significant time outdoors using their muscles.

 

[jtk]

There are two types of people who do not do well in retirement:

1. The one that hates his job so much that he never developed outside interests that he enjoys.
2. The one is so wrapped up in his job that he never developed outside interests that he enjoys.

Notice the pattern?

That "pattern" may apply for people who hold "jobs" but it doesn't apply for people who are passionate about their life work .

 

[Sirius Glass]

That "pattern" may apply for people who hold "jobs" but it doesn't apply for people who are passionate about their life work .

Generalities and rules of thumb cover the world in general and do not get into the tiniest details.

 

[NJH]

All very nice people and good to work or deal with. Unfortunately, most of them did not survive beyond 18 months to two years after they retired.

I am only in my 40s. About 10 years ago I had a life changing experience caused by precisely what you describe. The man in question had been for a long time the boss of a major defence programme (old fashioned Chief Engineer). I met him before he retired as a representative of a competitor company, and had the honour to work with him after he retired (part time consultancy for the government). He couldn't have been retired more than about a year when he was diagnosed with cancer caused by a lifetime of smoking, drink and stress. A month later he was dead. Up to that point it was my career goal to get to a similar position but I have always had this lesson in the back of my mind. Never let the job take over your life and your health.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I am only in my 40s. About 10 years ago I had a life changing experience caused by precisely what you describe. The man in question had been for a long time the boss of a major defence programme (old fashioned Chief Engineer). I met him before he retired as a representative of a competitor company, and had the honour to work with him after he retired (part time consultancy for the government). He couldn't have been retired more than about a year when he was diagnosed with cancer caused by a lifetime of smoking, drink and stress. A month later he was dead. Up to that point it was my career goal to get to a similar position but I have always had this lesson in the back of my mind. Never let the job take over your life and your health.

Sage advice. Well said.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

...
Young people who are reasonably healthy will have very bad experiences later in life if they fail to spend significant time outdoors using their muscles.

That's exactly right. The human body doesn't age well in a 45-year career indoors sitting in a chair.

Just retired about four hours ago. This is going to be interesting...

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Hobbies can get boring too. How many pictures of mountains can you take. Then what? Sometimes work especially challenging work where you excite your brain and keep the juices flowing is better even if it causes stress. There's a good feeling if you're accomplishing something, On the other hand, I find that getting involved in spiritual things, especially at this age, has a lot of reward too. Doing selfless acts and being humble has its benefits. I suppose it comes down to balance. A little if this and a little of that. Staying physically healthy is beneficial too. When you feel sick, it's hard to enjoy anything else. At least I feel that way since I retired 5 years ago. I'm now 73

 

[NJH]

Well you hit on the reason why there are so many classic cars, old boats and aeroplanes out there.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Hobbies can get boring too. How many pictures of mountains can you take. Then what? Sometimes work especially challenging work where you excite your brain and keep the juices flowing is better even if it causes stress. There's a good feeling if you're accomplishing something, On the other hand, I find that getting involved in spiritual things, especially at this age, has a lot of reward too. Doing selfless acts and being humble has its benefits. I suppose it comes down to balance. A little if this and a little of that. Staying physically healthy is beneficial too. When you feel sick, it's hard to enjoy anything else. At least I feel that way since I retired 5 years ago. I'm now 73

I think I left a dangling modifier. I didn't mean that I'v been sick for the last 5 years and not enjoying my retirement. I'm pretty healthy. To clarify, I meant that my post is what I believe since i retired 5 years ago.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Hobbies can get boring too. How many pictures of mountains can you take. Then what? Sometimes work especially challenging work where you excite your brain and keep the juices flowing is better even if it causes stress. There's a good feeling if you're accomplishing something, On the other hand, I find that getting involved in spiritual things, especially at this age, has a lot of reward too. Doing selfless acts and being humble has its benefits. I suppose it comes down to balance. A little if this and a little of that. Staying physically healthy is beneficial too. When you feel sick, it's hard to enjoy anything else. At least I feel that way since I retired 5 years ago. I'm now 73

There are always new ways to see and photograph mountains and deserts. I take it as a challenge to make me get out walk around and push my cognitive abilities.

 

[Bob Carnie]

I am struggling with a lot of the issues that have been brought out here in this thread, I just turned 65 and like most small businesses a pension plan was never in my day to day plans so
I am equipment rich, I have a nice stable of supportive clients , but frankly I do not see myself able to retire. But its not a bad thing as I love printing for myself and others and as long as I can stay healthy
and able to make my way to the shop I am going to be ok. Just I worry about my health, and am trying to work out a plan to keep in shape mentally and physically.

Looking over the fence at my friends who have financially hit home runs , I am jealous and sometimes feel like I wasted many good opportunities to make good $$$.. Many of these very wealthy individuals look over the fence and wish they had what I have so I think the tradeoff of a shitty but financially rewarding job vs a fulfilling job with not so great finances is a hard one to point a finger at and say thats the way to go.
My father retired with a very decent indexed pension at 60 and though he was well off he was not the most happy dude in the world with what he was doing.

Looking at my local industry, I conclude that I am still a viable option for many young artists that depend on me so that feels good. The road of darkroom (wet) is not one many of my contemporary competitors took or continued on with.

Now I just have to put together a long term plan to keep viable to these younger people and hope that my personal prints start producing some income. In a large city like Toronto the price of accommodation, Hydro and overheads is really
becoming problematic for people and this is indeed the hardest factor in my planning.

Being happily married to a very supportive partner and living a simple life is a blessing in itself, probably the most important thing IMO, also two lovely dogs keep us under control and happy.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

God's taken you this far. He's not going to drop you now.