It's so much harder to make them comfortable, relaxed. It's also a lot harder for then to connect with younger ppl, to keep conversation interesting for her, relaxed, make jokes. It's just so easy for me, it's the same generation, we have the same kind of jokes (sarcasm, dark humour, I can even get away with some profanity lol, imagine a 50 year old pulling stunts like that, she'd leave in a heart beat), the same interests etc.

How odd that you think that. I'm 50 but possibly have arrested development because I try to keep things absurdist and hilarious with my models, younger or older, and they keep coming back. I don't exactly watch my mouth either and nobody heads for the hills.

Quote from: wut on January 01, 2012, 12:24

It's so much harder to make them comfortable, relaxed. It's also a lot harder for then to connect with younger ppl, to keep conversation interesting for her, relaxed, make jokes. It's just so easy for me, it's the same generation, we have the same kind of jokes (sarcasm, dark humour, I can even get away with some profanity lol, imagine a 50 year old pulling stunts like that, she'd leave in a heart beat), the same interests etc.

How odd that you think that. I'm 50 but possibly have arrested development because I try to keep things absurdist and hilarious with my models, younger or older, and they keep coming back. I don't exactly watch my mouth either and nobody heads for the hills.

Then you must be an exception to the rule

Don't let it get to you RapidEye.  You know what you know, and we were all young enough to throw around wild assumptions at some point.  As my Mum used to say "I've BEEN your age, but you haven't been mine yet".

There's also an old saying that "Every generation thinks they invented sex".  So true.

Just as another point of interest.  At university in the early 90's, our programming lecturer and head of programming was a retired engineer of about 62.   Our computer graphics lecturer was in his mid-50's.  So these guys are 80+ and 70+ respectively now.  

being older has its advantages. I was asked to photograph a pole dancer teacher. I think she felt safer with someone as "old" as me. Anyway communication with models is probably easier as you get older.

..

I'm not that flexible either, I usually don't connect with older ppl, I don't have that ability.

It's not a generation gap, it's an interest gap.
For example, I have no real, personal interest in looking at studio photos. If I do, it's purely academic ('what are people doing in studios nowadays?'). Therefore you and I would have little in common.
I enjoy looking at people photos but only if they're real or 'almost real', i.e. candid or at least semi-candid.
However, I get on fine with people of all ages who are interested in natural history, live or in photos.
We'd have nothing in common, but it's not a generation gap; and it doesn't make you or me a bad person.
 

Sue's comments on 'interest gap' are very smart, I think.

There's a first time for everything. 

Quote from: wut on January 01, 2012, 17:32

I'm not that flexible either, I usually don't connect with older ppl, I don't have that ability.

It's not a generation gap, it's an interest gap.
For example, I have no real, personal interest in looking at studio photos. If I do, it's purely academic ('what are people doing in studios nowadays?'). Therefore you and I would have little in common.
I enjoy looking at people photos but only if they're real or 'almost real', i.e. candid or at least semi-candid.
However, I get on fine with people of all ages who are interested in natural history, live or in photos.
We'd have nothing in common, but it's not a generation gap; and it doesn't make you or me a bad person.
 

OK I'm going to ask you this way: if you get to know new ppl, for instance at a photo workshop or on vacations, who do you usually get to know or get to know best? I guess it's someone your own age. Who are you more likely to start a conversation with, waiting in a queue or something, a lady your age or some 19 year old girl?

That being said, of course it makes no one a bad person, I was saying this all along . I know some things were misunderstood, but that always happens with a larger group of ppl. Well at least if you're not trying to say what everybody wants to hear all the time and try very hard to get on the good side of everyone. But being so fake, really doesn't help anyone in this forum (or any other), the point is the exchange of opinions, different or not.

And it's nice to hear seniors/mature togs get so great along with shooting (young) models. I tried it with older ppl once (besides my grandparents), when I was assisting a stock videographer and I was able to grab some shots of a couple in their late 60s/early 70s and their "grandkids". Didn't go to well as well, although they did some modeling before, they really could make the expressions I wanted, then I asked him to give his 4 year old skinny grandson a piggyback ride, he couldn't because of his bad back etc. I know I could make good shoots if I'd taken into account all the limitations, which I didn't (because I didn't really have a shoot and never really worked on a shoot with seniors), so I got back home empty handed. Luckily, seniors are so over supplied lately, you can't sell much, it's not an under-suplied segment, like it was years ago. These last 2 years everybody has been shooting seniors regularly, I know quite a few diamonds, photo&video. And it's always the same, seniors at a seminar, seniors with grandkids, seniors with smart phones/tablets etc. Oh no wait, I did make a few great shots with a woman in her 70s! I almost forgot that. She has some kind of mental illness, can't talk clearly etc, she's totally messed up, but very interesting at the same time and she could come up with a couple of interesting face expressions (knowingly or not, I'm not sure, but it came out great and I only made a dozen shots or so). I forgot to add, a friend of mine knows her, she from the block he works at and is always around, everybody knows her etc. I didn't harass her or anything (take "advantage" of her - it looks like I have to watch what I'm saying here, there was a long debate over rape in one of the threads:)

OK I'm going to ask you this way: if you get to know new ppl, for instance at a photo workshop or on vacations, who do you usually get to know or get to know best? I guess it's someone your own age. Who are you more likely to start a conversation with, waiting in a queue or something, a lady your age or some 19 year old girl?

At the photojournalism course, the first person I chatted to, and the only one I've kept in touch with, was a young woman in her 20s.
It would depend on the queue, no doubt, but at the Fringe or some event, I just chat to whoever's near me in the queue - because it's a common interest.
I do admit, if I'm driving and get lost, I tend to look for a woman to ask for directions. Age not so relevant.

BTW, I think some of you're exaggerating. You're naming exceptions as what an average 60 or 70 year old can do and does do. It's like saying 70 year olds run the marathon. Sure they do, but it's 1 out of 100k, not 1 of 100 like someone aged 30. It's not really like that with computer skills etc, but still the ratio between 30 and 70 year old ppl for which using the computer really is second nature is more 10:1 if not 30+:1. This msg board might be an exception, but usually the average age is somewhere between 20-40 on various web sites (forums, web galleries), not to mention social newtworks etc. And why do you think they say traditional newspapers will die with the old generation?

Funny you would mention that.  My dad is one of those 1 out of 100,000.    He turns 80 next month and continues to win national championships in his age group at different distances, including the half marathon.  Proud of my daddy!

 

Quote from: wut on January 01, 2012, 18:07

OK I'm going to ask you this way: if you get to know new ppl, for instance at a photo workshop or on vacations, who do you usually get to know or get to know best? I guess it's someone your own age. Who are you more likely to start a conversation with, waiting in a queue or something, a lady your age or some 19 year old girl?

At the photojournalism course, the first person I chatted to, and the only one I've kept in touch with, was a young woman in her 20s.
It would depend on the queue, no doubt, but at the Fringe or some event, I just chat to whoever's near me in the queue - because it's a common interest.
I do admit, if I'm driving and get lost, I tend to look for a woman to ask for directions. Age not so relevant.

Wow, you talked to the only person younger than you .

Just so that I won't get a needless personal attack by someone, who doesn't know why I said that - ShadySue said a few posts back she was the second youngest at 56

Quote from: wut on January 01, 2012, 18:23

not to mention social newtworks etc.

Ah, there you have me.
I know I haven't to say, "What's the POINT of Twitter?"
Facebook I can see some vague point of, but I'd rather use old fashioned websites and email.
Even blogs, I'm not wild on, as I don't like their back-to-front nature. However I'm definitely a 'bricks up' learner: so that's not an age thing, it's a learning-style-preference thing.

R u sure?

I mean you really can't be, since you can't possibly know how you'd look at things if you were half or a third your age. If such things existed 30+ years ago, you could state it as a fact (because of your past experience, just as you can't say, I don't like carnivals, never have. Because I hate midgets, or something )