A little personal note: today my father turns 87. His body is not what it was, but he still lives alone, takes walks, and he’s still sharp. I’m convinced his long life and mental acuity are the result of plenty of exercise–both mental and physical. I suggest we all would do well to follow his example.
Challenge your body and your mind regularly. I’m now learning Italian (duolingo app is fabulous), do the NYTimes crossword every Sunday, read a ton, and I get regular exercise almost every morning (fast hike Cowles Mtn., do weights, run).
You spend thousands in photo-related gear, but what do you do to keep your most important tool in its best condition?
For obvious reasons you need to keep yourself in shape. Often underestimated is the demand of a photo assignment on the road. Waking up at 5:00, editing the previous days work and getting properly caffeinated by 6:00, eat breakfast and get to location by 8:00 (or earlier), shoot until the sun goes down, call carry out at Olive Garden, turn on the computer — wind yourself down and then do it again.
This is not possible if you haven’t taken care of yourself! I’ve found that my photos, my disposition and attitude are all better with decent body maintenance. Since I only have 50 to 100 actual “shoot days” the other days are almost always spent maintaining (along with a healthy dose of post-production photoshop). A pair (yes two) of 45 to 60 minutes walks is usually enough. We live in the mountains of Colorado, hence walking anywhere is either uphill or down and a good workout.
During the busy season it’s impossible to read anything other than a daily newspaper and the blogs, then there’s the slow season. After going through the normal marketing and website efforts, a few books are in order. During the year my subscriptions to Nat Geo, PDN and others have piled up to a few feet tall. Averaged over 12 months, I’d say I’m getting an hour or two of reading per day.
I’ll never compete in a triathlon but the 7.5 pound tripod and 23 pound camera bag can go a 14 hour day!