Guess How Old I Am?

I was out one day taking pictures on my first hour of my walk, when I met this older Chinese man practicing karate in the field.
His movements were sharp, calm, but precise. You could tell he’d been doing it for decades.

When I asked if I could take his portrait, he smiled and nodded. After I snapped a few shots, he looked at me enthusiastically and said, “Guess how old I am?!”

I said, “Fifty?”

He laughed.
“Seventy-five.”

At first, I thought it was just small talk, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized why he probably asked.

He wanted me to be impressed by what he could still do at that age.
And honestly, I was.

There was something powerful about being proud to still move, to still practice something after all those years.

It made me think about photography as I walked away, how it’s not something you outgrow.
It’s something you grow with.

Every time you pick up your camera, you’re not just taking a photo; you’re training how you see.
The same way he’s trained his body to move, we train our eyes to notice light, emotion, and stories.

You can start at fifteen or seventy-five.
It doesn’t matter.

What matters is that you start.

The truth is, I’ll probably die with a camera in my hand, haha, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Photography gives my life meaning. It keeps me curious, connected, and alive.

So if you’re reading this and thinking about starting photography, do it.
Not because you want to go viral on socials.
Not because you need the best gear.

Do it because one day, your photos will be what’s left of how you saw the world, and the world changes fast nowadays.

This is what I mean when I say photography is more than just taking pictures; it’s a craft that stays with you for life.

Jonard