Arthritis and photography

[Mjd-djm]

So I am 35 and was diagnosed recently with osteoarthritis in my back, knees and fingers. I actually suspected a serious problem with my hands because holding dslrs became very uncomfortable even a year or so ago.

I'm currently using a Leica M2 with Canon 50mm 1.4 ltm lens and I can certainly feel the impact it has on my fingers after use.

Im feeling a little down about this and am concerned about how much time I have left (before it becomes too much for my hands).

Anyone have any experience in keeping going even with serious osteoarthritis? I'm looking to the good folks at RFF to give me a lift.

 

[daveleo]

Hi Matt,
Do yourself a huge favor - stop worrying about "how much time you have left" with your cameras.
That anxiousness (sp?) will become your worst enemy, and it could have a very negative (no pun) effect on your work. Put that feeling down and find physical / mental workarounds as the years tick away.
PS.... nice stuff there on your Flickr page.

 

[back alley]

i doubt that i have anything all that positive to add...
i have arthritis and it seems to get a bit worse each day...i can't carry a full kit anymore or walk as long as i used to. hands, hips and shoulders all affected. it has been a psychological downer for me as well.

 

[Godfrey]

A friend of mine who has degenerative bone disease throughout his body, but especially in his legs and back, has been unable to walk without assistance for some years. He can't lift or carry much, and basically has been confined to a electric scooter for anything outside the house. He's an avid landscape photographer, has been for fifty years or more, and shoots traditional film cameras...

• Upon receiving his scooter, he welded a mount for a tripod head to it.
• He with his wife and sons re-engineered his darkroom so that all electrical controls, tables, and sinks are now accessible to him seated on a rollabout chair.

He's managed to continue doing his photography, shooting and making prints in the wet lab, to this day. He did have to drop working with 4x5 and 8x10 cameras ... they're just too much to manage ... but continues with Rolleiflex, Hasselblad, and Leica R. Two of his sons went with him on a cross country trip just last year and helped with getting him and his gear up and down through rough terrain.

It's not easy, it's a struggle. I have a dim idea how much of a struggle it is because I've had issues in my legs for the past few years and I tend to work with lighter, easier to carry equipment ... and it's been a struggle for me to keep up even despite the fact that I am not a landscape photographer and do my photography in much more urban settings that are easier to get around. His productivity is much reduced from the days when we used to go off on shooting jaunts, but he gets immense satisfaction from doing every bit that he does. It makes up for the aches and pains.

Where there is the will to continue, you find a way within the limits of the possible. That's all. Do your best with what you have, regret nothing, do whatever you can. And find happiness that you can do whatever you do. The only thing that will surely end the game permanently is to give up and do nothing.

onwards!
G

 

[Dogman]

You will find a way to work within your limitations. As my own arthritis became more painful, I carried less equipment around and walked shorter distances--recall the Edward Weston quote, "If it's more than 100 feet from the car, it's not photogenic."

I used my medium format equipment less and put away the heavy Gitzo tripod and heavy telephotos. My digital cameras slowly evolved from large DSLRs to smaller and smaller models and eventually to mirrorless. Camera bags got smaller and lighter. I sometimes ventured forth with a pocket-sized compact as my only camera. Through all of these procedural changes, I don't believe my photography has suffered.

Find an orthopedic treatment source you can trust. There are anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapies and surgical procedures that can help. Try not to despair--it will only make matters worse.

 

[p.giannakis]

I agree with what it's been said above. It is important to maintain a frame of mind in which photography is important. Photography subject, equipment, way of shooting, access to places, all these might change, but as long as you maintain the desire to photograph, enjoyment should follow.

I found this article interesting.
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.te...-photographer/amp/?client=ms-android-motorola

 

[Darthfeeble]

I've had it since my early twentys, I'm now 70 and still going. There will be bad days and good days, it seems to have the effect of settling in a new area and going berzerk for a bit and then becoming just a minor pain. Of course everyone has a different reaction to it, of all the drugs for Osteo, the only one I've found effective is called Clinoril. Ibuprofen has a certain amount of anti inflamitory property too. First and formost is attitude. I thought I'd be in a little electric scooter by now and I'm not. Just do the best you can do and move on.

 

[Kenj8246]

I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis(RA) in the early '80s. I was roughnecking on the offshore drilling rigs at the time and should have quit then but 'I needed the money'. Long story short, I am now 69 and on my second set of total knee replacements and a right shoulder replacement. I do what I want, when I want--within reason--and expect to continue shooting until that first shovel of dirt hits the lid, 35mm, medium and large format. Life's too damn short to worry about how much is left.

 

[Greyscale]

I have had osteoarthritis in my knees and back for many years, with the double-whammy of not being able to use any of the common anti-inflammatory medications due to taking blood thinners to treat heart disease. Yes, there are good and bad days, and I am seldom without pain, and my mobility is somewhat limited. But it is just pain. The most important things are to continue to exercise, to control your weight, and probably most of all, to control your attitude and emotions. Your way will be a different way than most, but you will find a way to adjust.

 

[Mjd-djm]

Thanks for it all the feedback. I certainly am a 'glass half empty' kind of guy so I guess I just need to get my head around things.. It's good to know that so many people have kept it going despite having similar problems... and worse. There's hope for me yet. Thanks all.

 

[farlymac]

One thing I do, Matt, is drink a tumbler of cherry juice every day. And I keep moving. Osteoarthritis isn't as bad as rheumatoid, so you have that going for you. Don't feel so wedded to any one piece of equipment that you cannot enjoy photography without it. There are so many fine cameras out there that if you get worse, you can always switch to lighter gear.

PF

 

[Darthfeeble]

You have pain in your hands? You have hands. This goes on for all the rest of your parts. One thing you can do is sit and analyze your pain, get to know it, see that it is just a sensation just like cold or wet and become used to it. Then get busy ignoring it.

 

[back alley]

why cherry juice?

 

[Rangefinder 35]

Try Tai-chi. i had very good results with my rheumatoid arthritis.

 

[Godfrey]

You have pain in your hands? You have hands. This goes on for all the rest of your parts. One thing you can do is sit and analyze your pain, get to know it, see that it is just a sensation just like cold or wet and become used to it. Then get busy ignoring it.

To add a touch of morbid humor here:

"If you're over fifty and you wake up without any pain, you're dead." :angel:

I instituted a five minute rule with my older friends a year or two back: if we get together for dinner or whatever, we have five minutes to complain about our latest ills and pains. After that the conversation has to turn to something positive or I leave. I've eaten dinner and drunk my coffee alone a few times since...

G

 

[xayraa33]

I am afflicted with this joint disease and I do what I can in photography and no more. Since this is not a job but a pastime then it is less of a problem, other than dealing with the problem of daily pain.

 

[BillBingham2]

What sort of photography do you want to do?

Part if me thinks an iPhone 7 Plus might be a great option. They make some great cases/handles that might work well. Good options with the new iPad Pro, though I think the camera/lens is not as good as the 7.

I know the feeling of being half-full sort, some days it feel I have a cracked glass too. Search for some form of enjoyment every other day. Something very portable and connect to the net help many.

B2 (;->