“Are we all into selfies?” was the first question posed to a group of eager seniors, who took to the streets today to explore the Illawarra through the lens of a camera.
The Community Gateway Seniors Week event encouraged seniors to learn photography basics, while meeting new people (and taking plenty of selfies).
“We’re not experts and we’re hoping you’ll share your tips around,” Community Gateway team leader Sue Kuebler said. Groups visited a variety of different urban landscapes to test out their skills and play around with their cameras.
The result was a series of images that will be exhibited on 14 April, showcasing the senior’s view of the city.
As for the senior selfies, they are part of a competition by NGO Feros, celebrating ageing with the hashtag #GetBoldNotOld_2015. There is a $1000 prize for the most unique selfie, and Community Gateway is in the running.
“The kids are so far advanced that they have to be able to use technology. They’ve got to be able to use cameras and cameras are all digital now. When you buy a digital camera, you get a book that comes with it and the book has 111 pages. No one wants to read 111 pages,” Ms Kuebler said. So from there the idea of the ‘cheat sheet’ of tips emerged, gradually forming the Seniors Week photography class.
Although not everyone was concerned about the technical tips, Gerry was more concerned about the significance of the shots.
“What’s the point of the aperture, the different lens and shutter speed? Do you shoot for the photo or for the memory?”
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- Rhonda from Community Gateway took a group to Port Kembla to explore and photograph urban landscapes.
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- Jeff and Wyn appreciating the historic buildings along Wentworth street.
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- Photography class members wandered along Wentworth street at their leisure, taking photos of anything that caught their eye.
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- A quirky furniture restoration shop opening was a source of inspiration for the budding photographers.
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- The textures and colours of Wentworth street occupied the group for close to an hour before they moved closer to the Steelworks.
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- Another group wandered around Wollongong Harbour, scounting around for intriguing compositions.
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- Mike returning from his mission to capture close ups of the boats in the Wollongong Harbour.
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- #SeniorSelfies were encouraged, even if all the faces didn’t quite make it into the frame.
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- An intriguing image taken by Bev.
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- Gerry and Bev reviewing Gerry’s surfer photograph.
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- The final #SeniorSelfies before the class finished.