It’s that time of year when we stress out about getting gifts for the people in our lives that already have everything. Seniors (and I am one) are particularly hard to buy for because of three main things:
- They already have pretty much every possession they need. Buying more stuff isn’t really a priority for them.
- New technology while fascinating, isn’t always useful to a senior. It becomes about convenience and ease of use, not more complicated and sophisticated functions. The stuff that offers “more” is often the stuff that is worth “less” to us.
- And I guess there is a third driver too. Cost. New technology is becoming outrageously more expensive. You used to be able to buy a high end DSLR camera for under $1000. Now you are lucky to find new tech under $2500. Even I’m getting to the point where I say no bloody way.
So, what do you get for the senior photographer in your life? Family, take note:
- In the convenience category, magnetic filters. They are all the rage today. If you use filters to change the light level in your scene, remove glare or add an artistic look, check out the range of magnetic options out there. I personally like and use Kase filters. A small adapter ring remains permanently attached to your lens, and the filters then get swapped quickly as needed – click on and click off. Good for arthritic hands that no longer need to twist and twist to install/remove filters.
- Another convenience item, an automatic blower. Dust and debris magically find their way onto our sensors it seems no matter what we do, and the standard until now has been a mechanical blower/bellows that you squeeze to move air onto the sensor. With arthritic hands, this can be a tough go as well. Do you sense a theme? There are several automatic blowers out there. Look for one with varying power levels and a changeable air filter.
- Bluetooth camera controls for your phone. The latest Apple and Android phones have amazing camera systems, but for some reason, the ability to hold the phone and pick settings and activate the shutter are some of the most uncomfortable activities, again for those arthritic hands. And if you want full manual control of all the settings you would have on a normal camera, you need separate, more robust software installed on your phone. Fjorden is one company that has solved that problem. Their bluetooth shutter and settings panel slips into a groove on an adapter you attach to your phone, and you have a fully functional camera system in your hands, with a grip, shutter button, and adjustment wheels.
- Organizational pouches. Don’t know about you, but every gadget seems to come with a cable or charger or attachments that need to be stored. I struggle with keeping everything organized and more importantly, being able to find that one accessory I need when I need it. I now have pouches for video accessories such as wireless microphones, charging cables and bricks, data cables, batteries, cards and the like. You can never have enough of these, particularly when they have compartments designed for each item. There are small ones for a day trip and bigger ones for larger collections stored at home. I personally like Peak Design and Tenba pouches.
- To help avoid the need for many organizational pouches, one great strategy is finding a multi-purpose equivalent of the same thing. There are card readers that now include high speed CF express, SD cards, micro SD cards, all in one device. Only one cable to plug in. There are cable adapters that have multiple ends or multiple attachments, to allow USB-A, USB-C, and any number of other cable ends to be attached to them, and they are smart enough to recognize what each attached device needs (data transfer or power or both).
- One interesting trend this year has been the release by many camera makers of equipment specifically labelled as lighter and smaller. Not only for outdoor photographers, there are now choices for street and portrait specialists too. And along the way, several of the landscape photographers I follow have also ditched their Holy Trinity of f/2.8 lenses for a single multi-purpose zoom lens, not f/2.8, with only a minor trade-off in optical quality. They also realized that they rarely, if ever, shot wide open at f/2.8. The divide between pro quality and consumer grade has never been narrower, and there are great options now for every price range and every physical need. My everyday carry lens is now a Canon RF 24-240 f/4-f/6.3 lens.
- My big issue this year has been mobility and being able to carry my gear, despite having downsized my own kit over the past two years. I like to visit natural areas, and although I don’t go “off-roading” on foot into areas with steep vertical ascents or rocks and big tree roots to climb over, I do visit areas with rocky paths, woodland paths and gravel paths. I’ve discovered that you can now purchase all-terrain walkers or rollators with big beefy wheels, seats and carry pouches that would be perfect for that day outing at the nature park. Some people might be reluctant to admit that they need the help, but not me. Anything that makes photography more accessible and enjoyable is good with me. And if I don’t have to carry the bag, all the better. So look for me scooting around with some wheels in the future.
- If you don’t yet need that level of support, consider something that helps stand up your gear. Don’t know about you, but lifting a camera up to my eye for extended periods is becoming really hard. Both arthritic hands and declining muscle strength make it a big deal. I now include a modular monopod in my kit, that gives me camera support options for standing, kneeling or even ground level without the need to carry a tripod. The one I found is made by Sirui and has been a real help to me when trudging around in nature. You can even use it as a walking stick.
- I’ve used editing software for a long time and Adobe’s Lightroom and Photoshop are still the gold standard for getting that perfect look in your images. But not everyone wants that level of horsepower on their desk or effort in their editing workflow. I am finding myself that options to simplify and shorten the time I spend at the computer are more important to me now. Developers are recognizing that and are providing some really interesting choices. One set of choices is from Skylum, the maker of Luminar Neo. You can purchase software to install on your computer. It can function independently or be an add-on to both Lightroom and Photoshop. There are lifetime and subscription options. But interestingly, there are also free options, to allow you to dip your toe into what I think is one of the best products out there. You can download a trial version of course, but you can also try out an online version, where nothing is placed on your computer. Instead, you upload an image to their cloud and use a smaller collection of their best tools to edit it. In fact, in doing so, you are helping them improve their products by using their free tools, as their AI engines will practice and learn on your images, while you test them out at your end. It’s a great symbiotic relationship. If you have never tried out editing software, I do recommend Luminar Neo, in any of its configurations. At this time of year, there are also huge discounts on all of their products.
- Lastly, a comment on ways to share images. I have quite a few friends who are wonderful photographers but once the image is captured, it sits on a memory card or on a hard drive never to be seen again. It might make it to a cellphone at best. Certainly in the days of film, collections were uncovered after the passing of a photographer that proved to be some of the most culturally significant pieces of work in our time. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to share that work with family and friends before the need for that final discovery? Lots of us rely on social media for that purpose, but there are also things like electronic picture frames with internet connections that allow families to share their own memories with each other. And there are so many options for professional printing of photographs today that are easy to use, and at this time of year, offer package deals or deep discounts on printing. Give the gift of print from one of the many reputable print labs to your family photographer and you will no doubt have a beautiful memory to hang in your living room later.
I hope this gives you some ideas for the senior photographer in your life. I know they will really appreciate it. Again, family take note…
oldgirlphotography.ca 