Beyond 50: Collecting Memories One City at a Time

I passed the age of 50 a few years ago, but in many ways, life hasn’t changed all that much. I still work full-time, shoot cityscapes 📸 on sunny evenings, and travel around Asia occasionally by taking paid leave.

At my age, I feel life going forward is about the memories I collect, but such occasions are rather limited while working full-time. A week-long trip to a place like Tokyo is wonderful, but a week passes in the blink of an eye. It feels far too short to build lasting memories.

From a photography perspective, spending a week in one city isn’t bad, but it’s rare for every evening to be clear enough for blue hour photography. So, my goal on those short trips is simply to return home with one photo I can truly be happy with. 😅

Tokyo Skyline from Yebisu Garden Place Tower (Japan). 35mm, f/5.6, 30 secs, ISO 100. From my trip to Tokyo last year. I wish I’d had more time, as I was there for four nights only.

Time, Money, and the Years That Matter

In an ideal world, I’d love to stay much longer, maybe a month, or even a year. But for that to happen, I’d first need to step away from my full-time job. I’m often conflicted between “I need to save money for old age” and “I only live once.” 🤣

It’s hard to say “how much is enough” to prepare for old age when none of us know how long we’ll live. That said, I feel I’ve worked long enough, and perhaps it’s time to start enjoying the fruits of that effort before it gets too late.

First photo: Gyeongbokgung Palace (Seoul, South Korea). 24mm, f/8, 30 secs, ISO 100.
Second photo: Sapporo Skyline from JR Tower Observatory T38 (Japan). 35mm, f/8, 104 secs, ISO 100.
I visited both cities for short trips. I hope to revisit and stay longer next time!

When I turned 50, I joked that I hadn’t even reached the halfway point of my life. 😅 In reality, I’ve probably already passed it (according to How likely are you to live to 100? Get the full data , my chance of living until 100 is 13.6%).

More important than life expectancy, though, is “healthy life expectancy,” which is often said to be around 70–75 years. So, how do I spend the remaining 20+ years? 20 years sounds long, yet it seems short when most of our weekdays are spent working. 😭

What to Do With the Years That Remain

On a day-to-day basis, I do have things to look forward to: shooting photos, cycling on weekends, and watching local football, all of which bring small happiness to me. Still, before my time on earth ends, I find myself hoping for something bigger — like living overseas.

Traveling is great, but there’s so much we can’t truly understand from a short visit. To feel like a resident rather than a tourist, I’d need to stay for a year, or at least six months. And realistically, that’s only possible after retiring from work. 😅

As a cityscape photography enthusiast, there are a few cities I dream of living in. At this age, I’m no longer hoping to be noticed for my photography, but I just want to spend a little bit of my remaining years doing what makes me truly happy — traveling and photographing 📸 to create lasting memories through a lens and carry them as part of my life’s journey.

RELATED POSTS

NEVER MISS A POST

About the Author: LASTLIGHTS.NET is a passion project of Joey J, a Singapore-based Japanese photographer primarily shooting cityscape photography with long exposure at blue hour. Visit his Photo Gallery (40 most favourite photos taken) or download his free eBook, Getting Started with Long Exposure Photography .