Photography Conventions and Aging

I need a little help from Dave Barry to set the stage....

“As you get older; you've probably noticed that you tend to forget things. You'll be talking with somebody at a party, and you'll know that you know this person, but no matter how hard you try, you can't remember his or her name. This can be very embarrassing, especially if he or she turns out to be your spouse.”

I’m not quite that bad, but this week at IUSA I couldn’t help but notice the number of times somebody said hello and as we walked away, I’d quietly say to Sheila, “I have no idea who that was!”

According to my good buddy Scott Bourne, I’m older than dirt and should be a better photographer, considering I studied under Matthew Brady! LOL I don’t honestly feel older, although I have noticed that I creak for ten minutes when I get up in the morning. And, according to Sheila, I have yet to develop any serious maturity!

Here’s the thing, yes, I’m getting older, but I figured out that I’ve been going to an average of four conventions a year since 1987. Throw in a few dozen Hasselblad University road shows from the 90’s, workshops, association meetings, advisory boards and presentations and I’ve met literally thousands of photographers, their spouses and managers in this industry. 

The challenge is the same thing I had when I bought my new computer – I need more memory…I’ve got a Drobo 5 D at home that I wish I could just plug into my brain! Julieanne Kost used a great line when it came to getting involved in a new project years ago, “Skip, I’m just out of bandwidth!”

So, to any of you who, this week at the convention, who felt slighted because you didn’t get as big a welcome as you should have– my apologies. It certainly wasn’t intentional. but I’ve got an idea for the next convention.

For anybody you meet over 50, especially somebody who’s a speaker or exhibitor meeting a lot of people every year – just give us a hint and your name with where you might have met before. It’ll save you from feeling snubbed and us old farts from spending days after a convention trying to remember who we just talked to.

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"Middle age is having a choice between two temptations and choosing the one that'll get you home earlier!"
                         Dan Bennett 

Welcome to my world!

Illustration credit: © freshidea - Fotolia.com