Images to Decipher How an Individual has Aged, Lived, Prospered, Degenerated

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Perhaps, still a working man. The clothes are really loose and once fitted well, at least better. The way the pants are slumping indicates a body that was once much bigger and how lies in absolute ignorance. Not finding the time or the means to update it puts some spotlight on a mindset – stick to the bare minimum and whatever gets you through the day, is better than what seems like a better choice. Even then, the over-sized jacket seems more like a factually incorrect gift of a handed-down version of something that was once warm or stylish. The facial grumpiness seems natural, not enforced at all. The simple stance when being clicked, with hands on the side says a lot about the humility of the moment or perhaps the man. Not a hobbyist – that is the first impression since the apparel and the work-desk in the background does not belong to a study or a garage-type setting. Someone still employed, by choice or need, at this age seems a bit cruel. I expect to get a headful of grey with more-than-sufficient savings so that it is only an option to work with power tools or pen more short stories on a legacy typewriter.

2. Photo by Eberhard Grossgasteiger on Unsplash

First impressions? A been-there-done-that type of man. More likely to be a family man who does not like others to do him favors. I sense some degree of tenacity in which he can deal with people, more so with people who try to get too smart with him. I have always felt that not losing your hair as you age is a big advantage. It adds a degree of fullness to the face that obviously, by this time, stands highly challenged by gravity. The facial lines are deep, each perhaps has a decade behind, each waiting to share a story. The pullover and jacket do a good partnership in keeping the shoulder length more proud than it actually happens to be – and it is working rather well. The jawline is still medium-good and without too much skin that needs a savior – perhaps, someone who did his duty outdoors and has a body that does not tend to gain too much adipose. There seems little or no posing even when fully aware about being clicked that could mean an inherent confidence. Does not look like an old man battling some terminal illness or head-nodding sort of personality.

3. Photo by Alex Boyd on Unsplash

This got my attention because of the perfect hunchback that my grandmother had for the longest time. This elderly lady looks well over 80 and seems to be carrying-on with some zeal. The soldier-cropped hair and the lip shade could be indicative of trying to preserve bodily aesthetics, fully assure that it is her bent-over form that will first make someone first take notice of her. I have this gut feeling that despite his physical frailty and its brave management, she has been overwhelmed by chronic illnesses that will be dusted-away only when her body chooses to lose itself in the earth and the galaxies. Another guess – she had really good, still somewhat pronounced, features at one…at a time when ageing did not seem to matter.

4. Photo by Cristian Newman on Unsplash

A working woman’s hands. Not just the wrinkles but the humbleness in which they are held together with an aura of hands that are still doing their duty, and were once permanently doing heavy-duty at anything life threw at her. Don’t look like the hands of someone who is too fragile to bend down or walk down an alley. I would guess her to be reasonably tall and the bodily frame to be still upright if not walking like a spring chicken. The seated profile is rather docile though this cannot be assumed about the personality. The choice of colors in the clothes strengthens this assumption.