Starting photography and filmmaking at 47?

I've got a confession to make. I've been really lazy at updating my website, it's been months since I posted anything on here.

I do however, have a great excuse. To put it simply, I've been so busy creating photos and short form videos I've not had the time to post on here. I totalled how many photo shoots I've done this year, and it came to 19 which is a pretty impressive number to say I work full time as a pharmacist. By the time 2025 is out, I've got another 3 to shoot taking the total to 22.

I've been to London 8 times this year alone, York several times, Leeds, Lincoln, Manchester all for the sole purpose of throwing myself at this craft and trying to make up for what I should have started many years ago.

Back to the topic of this essay however. What is it like to start such a hobby/pastime at such a relatively late stage in life? In short, it's been both incredible and demanding, but I think my life would feel quite empty without having this particular creative outlet.

I suppose I was quite naive starting in the photography game especially compared to filmmaking of which I had some prior experience. I had no idea just how relatively difficult it is to create a good photo. After doing a lot of research, and already having a Sony point and shoot, I bought a Fuji XH2s in May 2024 and this was my first ever "proper" camera. The reason for choosing this Fuji was that I wanted a different look to the Sony cameras which a lot creatives seemed to use. I watched a ton of video reviews of the Fuji XH2s and fell in love with the legendary Fuji colour science, especially when it came to video. I had a Sony ZV1 MK1 which I used for some YouTube content, but truth be told I didn't get the most out of that camera, not by a long shot. I only just recently realised that the camera could shoot in S-LOG3 albeit in 8 bit.

Anyway, I decided to get the Fuji as I wanted something with more power and interchangeable lenses. I thought, this is going to be easy, get an expensive camera, a good prime lens and the rest should be easy. I had no idea about how important lighting was, as well as control of aperture, shutter speed, ISO etc. Let's not even get started on editing via Lightroom, as that's a whole different discipline in it's own right!

I did my first ever portrait shoot in London in February 2025, and I was hooked from that time onwards. For me, travelling down to London is only 90 minutes by train (Doncaster, where I live, is blessed with excellent transport links), so it's within easy reach to work with a lot of models in the capital.

As 2025 comes to an end, I reflect on just how much time and energy I threw at this whole project. This was partly due to the joy of the creative process, partly due to playing catch up with other photographers who had been doing this for years. Another reason, is because I have failing eyesight (more on that maybe in a possible future post) so I want to maximise the time that I have to be able to create amazing works of art with other people.

As I write this in November 2025 during a week off work, I have to acknowledge just how tiring photography/filmmaking can be. I hate having a lazy day, but on my week off I deliberately didn't do much in order to re charge my batteries. I don't want to use the word "burn out" but I think I came close on a few occasions. I was doing so many shoots, ended up with around 21,000 images in my Lightroom catalogue (I've got this down to 16,000 or so).

Anyone around my age will tell you, energy levels are not what they used to be, and I find I have to manage my energy levels more conservatively compared to my 20s and 30s.

Having said all that though, I find photography/filmmaking a perfect counterweight to my day job as a clinical pharmacist in the NHS. It's been a steep learning curve these past 12 months or so, but well worth it. I've had to learn a lot about how to use a professional camera, lighting, how to work with models, editing in Lightroom. It's a never ending journey of discovery. I've met some amazing creative people along the way who really share this artistic approach to life.

Yes it's demanding, and it takes up a huge chunk of my time outside of work, but I ask myself, what the hell else would I do? I've never been married, never had kids, currently single, which I suppose gives me quite a bit of free time to pursue my hobbies.

So, in a nutshell, you can definitely start photography/filmmaking in your late 40s, but be prepared to put in the work! But, put in the reps, and hopefully, you will see some amazing results.