When I get older, losing my hair
Many years from now
Will you still be sending me a valentine
Birthday greetings, bottle of wine?
Paul McCartney, When I’m Sixty-Four
I learned only recently that McCartney wrote that song when he was only fourteen or fifteen years old. Sixty-four must have seemed like a distant world. It certainly did to me when I was that age! I think it shows a surprising level of maturity to be able to imagine what a relationship between sixty-four year olds would look like.
This is a subject a bit too close to home for my liking, having reached my seventies last year. I find it a little hard to believe. I remember when I was younger, ‘old’ people told me they still felt the same inside as in their twenties or thirties. At the time I didn’t believe them but it’s true. Your exterior appearance may change with the years but it’s only the shell holding the ‘real you’ within!
Perhaps oddly, while I find my own aging appearance less than appealing, as a keen street/candid photographer I’m often drawn to older people. And especially for monochrome photography. The character in these faces really suits that medium; or does the medium suit the character? Either way I hope they will work well for Elke’s Monochrome Madness theme. And by the way, I chose my quote before seeing her post; great minds do indeed think alike!
I have to start with an apology however. You will surely have seen many of these photos before as a lot of them are favourites of mine. I hope you’ll bear with me as I bring them all together for this post. And many at least are new edits, either presented for the first time in black and white and/or with new crops, lighting etc.
Somewhere along the way I had the idea to square them all, inspired by one I had already squared for possible inclusion in my photo group’s exhibition next month (the lady in Santiago, Chile). She won’t be in the exhibition as another of my images was selected, but I wanted to make use of that edit so here it is, alongside some other squares. My feature photo, not squared, was taken on the Rue Mouffetard in Paris.
NB I am, by the way, fully aware that some of these people are probably younger than I am!
On a café terrace in Santiago, Chile
In Villa de Leyva, Colombia
In Salento, Colombia
Posing for photos in Havana, Cuba
Our guide’s mother-in-law, Bangaan, Luzon Island, Philippines
On the rice terraces near Banaue, Luzon Island, Philippines
Near the Lama Temple in Beijing
Elders in Narlai, a small village in Rajasthan, India
On the streets of Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
At Jodhpur Fort, Rajasthan, India
Shopkeeper in Kovalam, Kerala
A dhoby wallah (laundry worker) taking a break in Kochi, Kerala
In Kovalam, Kerala
Outside a bar in Arpino, Italy
On the city walls, Lucca, Italy
On the rue de Buci, Paris
In the Place Dauphine, Paris
On the Boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris
Outside a bookshop in Sofia, Bulgaria
11 Comments
Anne Sandler
Great portrait/street photography. I love them all. My age didn’t hit me until I turned 80. Enjoy your youthful 70s!
Alison
You need a new mirror Sarah! You definitely are and look decades younger than your photos. I did think you were younger than me. All great photos and I could look at them again and again, they have so much character
Sarah Wilkie
Aw, thank you Alison 😊 Maybe it’s because I don’t act my age – but then, who does?!! Glad you like the photos and the character in these faces.
Image Earth Travel
A great selection of your work, Sarah! My favourite is the Rajasthan face.
The full quote, but I’m not sure where it came from: “Great minds think alike, and fools seldom differ” – you never hear the second part for obvious reasons. 😉
I didn’t know McCartney wrote that song at such a young age…that’s surprising.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Nilla 😊 Yes, I think we all prefer to ignore the second part of that quote! I heard about McCartney writing that song so young when on a Beatles tour in Liverpool earlier this year and I had to look it up to be sure I’d heard correctly.
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography
I had the same thought about this challenge, and I also agree that black and white is the most appropriate choice for it these are just great. All worth seeing several times
Sarah Wilkie
Many thanks Ritva, I’m glad you were happy to see some of these again 😀
Sue
These are great, Sarah- doesn’t matter that I have seen some in the original colours, they are well worth seeing in monochrome! Love that woman in Santiago Chile
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Sue 😊 That Santiago shot is an old favourite of mine but I edited it anew for my exhibition submission.
Sue
…and a very good fist you made of it, too!
Sarah Wilkie
😊😊