Motto for us elderly LF'ers

[Bill_1856]

Not "Listen to the Trees," but "Listen to the Knees!"

[Mike H.]

The guy that sits to the left of me in my LF class (a retired neurosurgeon) had his knees done. Then the guy to the right of me (mid-70's and retired) had his done. They were both done by a former class member who is a practicing knee surgeon. When my knees hurt, I start worrying and take extra care not to let them hurt too bad. I'm also getting more into shooting from the area of my jeep, rather than miles away.

[Ralph Barker]

Is that like a 12-step program? As in don't take more than 12 steps from the Jeep? ;-)

Repeat after me: "The wheel (http://www.rbarkerphoto.com/misc/Photo-gear/Cart-C.jpg) is my friend. ;-)

[Tom Hoskinson]

Snap! Crackle! and Pop! go my knees.

My Kelty Redwing 3300 (internal frame backpack) still works for me - but I'm only 72...

[Richard Boulware]

I'm more careful these days too. Kind of. About two years ago I was doing a magazine story on coyote infestation into the Denver metro area. I was tracking a coyote when I had to cross and go down a steep bank and cross this frozen stream. Boondocks, but still in Denver proper. ..and about three inches of snow on the ground.

I tripped when my right boot got snaged in some tight barbed wire under the snow, and I ended up sliding down 20 feet over frozen rocks and landed in the frozen stream bed. I tried to protect my bunch of Canon EOS-1V high speeds and lenses....FOOLISHLY. I should have thrown them away..they had pro insurance on them all.

Today, I get up each morning with muscles in my left hip tightening and severe pain. I take my pills to relax muscles..kill pain, etc. About two hours later the pain is gone and I still remember
that cold January day and taking that painful 'swan-dive'. My friends say that when I recall the story, ....at the end I always smile. Another photographer asked me why I did that.

I told him,.....I am thinking...."Yeah, but I sure did get some great shots of that coyote"!

(Living proof that this writer need not be accused of being 'nuts'! I just proved it')

Fresh Eyes, ..be well....Richard in Denver...at 70.

[Bill_1856]

Look at the bright side, Richard. It was only Canons -- it could have been a real loss - like a Graflex!

[Andrew O'Neill]

Solution is simple. Take the time to do knee exercises with your gear. 10 minutes a day.

[Hans Berkhout]

LF= Leica Fotografie.
Yes, your knees, your eyes and your back wil thank you. Just keep shooting, the camera shouldn't matter at some point. Sooner or later.

[Armin Seeholzer]

Hi all

I'm now very soon 50 and just got my second 8x10 and this one is not for the studio like the first one, no it is for shooting and hiking a tiny bit just to do my exercises up to one mile from my car.
Its a wonderfull Burke & James flatbet in almost new condition with this red bellows maybe one of the most underrated cameras!
It fits perfectly in my tramperrucksack and with lenses and tripod and holders it will be about 15 kg wich is almost nothing.
In the swiss army we had to take 32 kg and walk for 2 days just for nothing!

Hans LF = Leica Fotografie or Little Fotografie!

Size does matter if you like it or not!

Have a good time, Armin

[Ben Calwell]

To piggyback on this thread, it seems to me that a great many of us on this forum are middle-aged and beyond. I'll be 56 in May. Is this the primary age group that is working to keep LF alive, or are there any younger people out there working in large format? When this generation leaves the planet, who's going to carry on the tradition?

[Doug Pollock]

Lots of LF interest among students at the high school where I work. No problems carrying gear! ;)

[Bill Hahn]

Just a word to the wise:

After a weekend's frolic with my 4x5, I found my knees were causing me great pain. Didn't stop me from going to work, but I shuffled like an old man when going to the restroom. I figured it was just another indignity of aging (I am in my late 50's.) The pains eventually passed, but the next week at a (much postponed) physical, I was diagnosed with Lyme Tick disease. Sore knees can be a symptom....

[Ted Harris]

Exercise, exercise, exercise ... I find my self doing knee exercises most every night. Not a physician but interpolating from what my orthopod has told me I think we can consider trekking int he woods with our gear a blessing as it gies us a reason to keep these aging joints 'well lubed.' My knee problems, as I am sure that of many others, started years ago and were caused by an active life that included lots of hiking, climbing, squash and skiing. The fact that I frequently carried my gear with me may have somewhat exacerbated the problems but was certainly not the root cause of the aches I have now. The need to get out in the woods and wilds to make images has become good therapy to keep these knees working well.

[CXC]

I had my knee operated on 36 years ago, well, well before arthroscopy was even a word, let alone a technique. Problems with it off and on ever since, but finally no more problems since: 1) I quit running and jumping, completely; and, 2) I started commuting on my bicycle. The regular, impact-and-load-free exercise keeps the knee in good working order.

The biggest problem I have nowadays is visiting museums -- something about standing around on those hardwood floors, often with knees locked, is very bad. So I try to remember to sit on every bench I see to give the knee a break as often as possible.

54 and there's so much more,

[Graeme Hird]

If you're still running around with LF gear, by definition you are not elderly. Elderly people sit in nursing homes with their knees wrapped in nice warm blankets whilst waiting helplessly for the inevitable.

The motto?

"Using an old camera keeps you young at heart!" (which could be paraphrased as "Get a tripod and throw away the walking stick .....")

Cheers,
Graeme

[William Mortensen]

A motto for elderly lf photographers? How 'bout:

"F/16 and... ummm... uhhh..."

(Or we could just enjoy our senility and ramble aimlessly: "Back in my day, we didn't have photography because they hadn't invented light yet. But since everything was dark, you could develop film anywhere, but you had to be careful driving until they invented headlights, which were the first lights, but it would ruin everybody's film if you turned them on in the wrong place, which is why you had to get a special drivers license back then. But after they invented the sun, everything changed...")

[John Berry ( Roadkill )]

Let's see, knee surgery 16 years ago, cataract surgery 10 years ago, pacemaker 1 1/2 years ago. I'm holden' up pretty good for 57.

[Donald Brewster]

I like Mark's motto. Why do I do LF? "Can't do digital unless my kids are with me." My knees pop, but my ankles are what were killing me (arthritis and bone spurs) -- too much Volleyball. A podiatrist and a set of orthotics changed my life on that count.

[Nicholas F. Jones]

Doesn't this say it all?

Anything more than 500 yds from the car just isn't photogenic. -Brett Weston, Attributed to Brett Weston referring to working with a 10 x 8 view camera. In an interview with David Graham in July 1989 View Camera magazine.

Born in 1911, Brett was in his very late 70s at the time the interview was published. But 500 yards? How about 50, or even 5? And he had a good 20 years on me!

[Bill_1856]

Another choice, for those old-timers with intact knees: "Listen to the Wheeze."

[Bill_1856]

It ain't the age, Van. It's the mileage.

[Gregory Gomez]

Brett Weston was one tough old bird so 500 yards was nothing to him. Now I look at 50 feet as a challenge on some days.

The only advice I can give to anyone with problematic knees is to spend the money to see a licensed physical therapist for a proper knee exercise program tailored to your current condition. Also, try to avoid any impact activities that involve running, jumping, or very heavy lifting. Finally, try taking Glucosamine and Chondroitin in a relatively large dosage to help maintain cartilage health.

Other than that, do what Brett did: eat bacon and avocados and drink some whiskey in case my advice doesn't work!