YOUTH IN RETIREMENT

Much of my working life in Florida consisted of photographing people and events of those living in an extensively planned retirement community with prim lawns and miles of fairway. Coming from a news photographer background, it wasn't something I always picture myself doing. There were many days and moments when I longed for a fast paced large city, covering a variety of social issues, human interest stories, breaking news, and high school, college, and professional sports teams.

As time went on, I became fascinated with what I was witnessing by how many of the residents in this community of over 70,000, defied the stereotype of baby boomer or senior citizen. At times, it was surreal and endearing, combine with the message that we should live every moment to its fullest. Retirees would compete in marathons, cheerlead, dress as clowns, march in parades, form dance teams, and twirl batons in regiment. Their customized golf cards made me think of the squeaky petal cars many of them rode in when they were kids. In a way, it is as though they were reliving the days of their youth and enjoying themselves in a way they weren't able to when they were working toward a promotion, building cars in the midwest, or raising kids in suburbia.

I became particularly interested in photographing the residents within their environment and element. This became an experiment for me as I didn't always know how my portraits would turn out or if the lighting or subject's expression would work for the overall success of the image. With every shoot, I grew hungrier to find more residents and more unique situations to photograph. Sometimes I thought about what line of work they did earlier in life and how they got here. When I compared it to the current economy and job market, I wondered if I was witnessing the last group of Americans that will be able to live their retirement years in comfort, which made it more important for me to make these images.