Elderly Photographer using longer focal lengths as I age

[Bill_1856]

As a youngster I wanted to get "everything" into the picture and used WA's a lot. As I get older (now into 63 years of LF photography) I find myself using longer lenses more, seldom use anything less than the "standard" focal length. In fact I can't remember the last time I shot with something shorter than a 135 on 4x5, but mostly use a 203 Ektar, (other most used lenses are 162 Raptar and 8.25 Dagor). I also tend to crop more than ever in printing -- a LOT more, (Cartier-Bresson, I'm not)!
Can anyone relate to this, or am I "different?"

[Kirk Gittings]

I'm the exact opposite.......

[Brian Ellis]

I'm the exact opposite.......

Me too. For years and years I owned a 90, then an 80mm, lens but almost never used them. A 210 was by far my most frequently used lens, followed by a 150 and a 300. Then as the years went by I started using more and more wide angle. Today I seldom use anything longer than a 150mm equivalent. But I'm not sure it's a matter of age. I think we just evolve in how we see things as time goes on.

[BrianShaw]

I can relate. I've been doing similar with LF, MF and 35mm. I never suspected that it was age-related though.

[BrianShaw]

Oh... and I've been using a tripod more often too!

[Dan Fromm]

Bill, have the situations you're shooting in changed?

I ask because when I shot a lot of 35 mm still my most used lens was 105 mm (2.5 x normal for the format) with my most used lenses with 2x3 are normal and shorter. I shot macro and people on 35 mm, on 2x3 I shoot mainly landscapes in tight situations. O think that largely explains why I now use relatively shorter lenses.

[jp]

Perhaps your eyesight is not well suited to wide vistas?

Otherwise I don't think it's because you're elderly. I'm in my 30's and like the longer focal lengths too. It's a conscious style choice for me. For outdoors too wide captures too much, things that really shouldn't be in the photo. I'm interested in specific things and scenes rather than wide vistas. Intimate landscapes. Longer lenses give you more choices for backgrounds in photos as well. The longer lenses are also handier than wide lenses for people photos too. I'm going to credit part of it to smaller-sensor dslrs too. I keep a 50mm on my d300 most of the time which is the equiv of a 75mm on 35mm film. It's very versatile if you're willing to make the most out of slightly longer lenses.

[Ken Lee]

Can anyone relate to this ?

I can.

On 4x5 I shoot 200mm and up (on 5x7 it's 300 and up). I only use normal lenses for close-ups of flowers. I don't own any wide angle lenses.

It's not related to age: I'm only 12 years old, but I've been shooting this way for decades

[Jim Galli]

Bill, you were born in 1856?? Whoa!

My problem as I'm getting older, is remembering why I need to take any pictures in the first place.

[Bill_1856]

Bill, you were born in 1856?? Whoa!

Jim, there ARE days I think you might be right. (Today was one of them.)