10 29 February 2020I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI subscribe 0330 333 1113
Doyouhavesomethingyou’dliketogetoffyourchest?Sendusyourthoughtsinaround
500 wordstotheaddressonpage 20 andwina year’sdigitalsubscriptiontoAP,worth£79.
I
’m 65 andI haveincreasingly
foundmyselfseekingoutcomfort.
Myfavouritecomfychairin frontof
a warmwoodburner.Nice,
comfortablewalksthroughfriendlyand
familiarwoods.A littlegentlesudokuafter
breakfast(inmyfavouritechair)to keep
theoldbraintickingover.A cruiseperhaps.
Andshoes– ohGod,howmuchwillI pay
forgenuinelycomfortableshoes?
Butthere’sa downsidetoallthis.
Comfortis notthesameaswellbeing,
indeedI thinkin somesensestheyare
inimical.Humanbeingsneedsome
stress.Notoverwhelmingstress,notthe
typeof stressoverwhichyouhaveno
control.Butstressthatkeepsyouonyour
toes,givesyoua reasontoembrace
gettingupin themorning.
I wasconsciousof allthesethoughts
whilstwaitingformyinterview,tryingto
convincemyselfthatwhatI was
embarkingonwasa ‘goodidea’.Having
beena keenbutimpecunious
photographerformostof mylife,a
generousbequestfroma favourite
unclehadallowedmetobuysomedecent
kitandin a momentof madnessI applied
tostudyfulltimefora degreein
professionalphotography.
Amazinglytheinterviewpanelkindly
acceptedmyfumblingportfolioeffortsas
evidenceof a sufficient, if deeply hidden,
talentandI wasin!
Skillsre-awakened
Istartedin Septemberandwasinstantly
swampedwitha delugeof information.
Projects,theory,technicaltasks,studio
lightingandratios,Photoshopandmuch,
muchmore.If thissoundsintimidating,it
wasfranklyterrifying!I waspitched
headlongoutof mycomfortzoneand
intoa placeI hadnotinhabitedformany
years.ButgraduallyI wasawarethatall
myaccumulatedlife-skillswerebeing
re-bootedbacktolife.I foundI could
organisemyschedule,taskswere
donewhentheyneededtobedone,
hithertodormantresearchand study
skills were re-awakened.
Andthestresslevelswereslowly
reduced,becomingmanageableand
controllable.Attimesmybrainfeelsthatit
cantakenomorebutsomehowit does.I
foundmyselfenjoyingthecompanyof my
youngfellowlearners,relishingtheir
enthusiasmandzest.AndI’mlovingit all.
Sohere’smypoint.Nomatterwhatyour
age,don’tbeafraidof givingfurther
educationa go.AndI don’tmeana quiet
eveningclassoranafternoonpottering
alonga favouriteriverbanktakingpictures
of ducks.I meandoit fullonandfulltime.A
lifelivedanda realpassionforphotography
willgiveyoualltheskillsyouneed.
There’sa wealthof researchthat
highlightsthebenefits of learning
whateveryourage.Meetingnewpeople,
makingnewfriends,relishingnew
experiences,theseareallgristtothemill
of life.Justdoit, afterallwhathaveyou
gottolose?ButI’mstillgoing to hang on
tomycomfortableshoes.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS COLUMN ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER MAGA ZINE OR TI MEDIA LIMITED
© BOYD WILD
Themanageablestressofstudyingforadegree
in photography in later life has its merits
View point
Boyd Wild
AmateurPhotographerreaderBoydWildis a retired
geologistanda newstudent.Heis currentlyundertakinga
HND in Professional Photography at Edinburgh College.
There’sstillcomforttobehadbutBoyd
heartily recommends further education
© ROSS HODDINOTT
© MICHAEL TOPHAM
CONTENT FOR NEXT WEEK’S ISSUE MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
PolarProfiltersystem
MichaelTophamteststhePolarPro
Summitlandscapefilter system
NickUt
Themanwhoshot‘NapalmGirl’tells
GeoffHarrisabouthisstoriedcareer
CanonT-series
Canon’sT-serieswasa biginfluenceon
future camera design, fi nds John Wade
Tipstohelpyougettack-
sharpfocusinginyourbird,
animal and insect images
Focus on
w ildlife
In next week’s issue
On sale Tuesday 3 March
