Older people are routinely depicted as vulnerable in the media, not helped by the use of cliched images to accompany stories – such as wrinkly hands or someone shuffling along on a zimmer frame. So could you help redress that balance by sharing your images of the positive sides of later life?
The Centre for Ageing Better and Alamy are launching an exciting new competition encouraging photographers to capture positive images of people aged 50 and over.
The top three winners and nine runners-up will have their images featured in a blog promoted to Alamy’s customers and social media followers. The three winners will also each have a personal portfolio review by James Allsworth, Head of Content at Alamy, while the nine runners-up will be invited to attend a photography critique group session hosted by the Alamy Content Team.
Images can be entered into three categories in the competition: underrepresented older communities, older people doing leisure activities, and multigenerational interactions.
Competitors can enter their photos into all three categories or just one, and the closing deadline for entries is 31 March 2023.
Competitors can take inspiration from Ageing Better’s innovative Age-positive image library, which contains over 2,000 non-stereotypical, inclusive and authentic photos of people aged 50+ and aims to improve the representation of ageing and old age in stock image collections. Many of the images you’ll find on this site are courtesy of that library.
Emma Twyning, Director of Communications and Policy at the Centre for Ageing Better, said: “Images of older people we commonly see in the media, advertising and stock image libraries, often reduce people to damaging stereotypes. People are portrayed either as frail, lonely and dependent, with ageing an overwhelmingly negative experience, or impossibly youthful.
“Countering these ideas and highlighting diverse experiences of ageing is key to tackling the widespread ageism that exists across society. We hope that this competition will encourage photographers to dispel stereotypes, challenge preconceptions and shift the narrative from pity to empowerment.”
You can find out more, and enter the competition, by clicking here: https://ageing-better.org.uk/news/photography-competition-challenge-depictions?utm_source=Ageing+Better+Email+Updates&utm_campaign=6eb7502beb-AB+news+8+December&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-6eb7502beb-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D
