I am such a slow hiker.......

Very new to hiking, old and out of shape:) hope to remedy that. My children really do not want me to hike alone for safety reasons, I have looked at a few groups and meet ups but I am so slow, even on flat ground that I slow everyone down. On top of that I really enjoy taking my time and snapping some pics so if I do try to hurry to keep up with everyone, 1) i can't keep up and 2) I don't enjoy myself.
Will I speed up as i get in shape or am i destined to be a mile behind forever?
Can anyone relate or have any suggestions?

Very much depending on where you live, perhaps there's an outdoor group that you haven't considered or --- haven't connected the right sort of "subset group".

Where I live we have the Mountaineers, a very large group with somewhat of a mountain climbing focus, but they do all sorts of things.

I find that mid-week hikes tend to go on the slow and easy side, because it's mostly retired people who can get the time off to do these. There's also a "naturalist" group within the club, and these folks do classes and walks where the focus is on flora and perhaps occasionally fauna. They stop a lot to look at plants and overall their hikes are pretty slow.

What you might find helpful is to connect with camera buffs who also like to hike, as they --- like you --- will tend to have slower pace and will similarly like to stop to take photos along the way.

I think the only one who can decide whether you'll speed up is you. You might, but you might very well also have a natural pace that's slower than "average". Nothing wrong with that!!
Doing some (more?) hiking around home and working some to keep your gear light (still safe, but lighter) will perhaps help.

I'm 65, and I often hike with fairly large groups (I help lead beginner classes); they tend to break into smaller groups of folks along the trail, who have similar hiking speeds. I often am with the slower groups, partly because someone among the leadership group needs to, but mostly because that's my comfortable hiking pace, too.

If you can find one or two other "slow" hikers, form your own sub-group. Just be sure you have a good map, very specific information on the route and campsite of the rest of the group, and are self-sufficent enough in gear that you can spend the night apart from the larger group. Also, be sure to let the group leader know you're going to be lagging behind; if he/she is any good, they'll know how to accomodate your pace without slowing down the group (often by giving you the specific information noted above, and by occasionally having someone else wait to be sure you're still progressing, or waiting for you to catch up at stream crossings or trail junctions.

Once you've made those kinds of arrangements, relax and hike at your own pace. Slow only matters if you're trying to win a race.

I am very slow also, so much so that it is discouraging me from thinking about backpacking trips. I would like to do the John Muir Trail, but wonder if I ever could.

I hope you don't get discouraged and find a way to get started. Finding suitable people to backpack with is a big obstacle. I have been looking for myself and may have finally found a prospect, but I know how hard it can be.

As we get older, many of our friends are not as active and don't aspire to hiking trips.

I hope you find a way to get out there!!!

The Sierra Club in my area offers a "beginners" backpack on a regular basis. I am hoping this will help me get started. I also notice that REI offers some easy guided backpacks for beginners. Maybe something like that would make sense to get experience, at least at the beginning.

I'd like to add that hiking speed is just one part of the equation.

Miles traveled per day can be important, insofar as if you do too few of them, the weight of food you have to carry on your back can be excessive for some stretches.

But total miles traveled per day is based on average hiking speed AND average number of hours you spend walking.

Long distance hikers, particularly older ones, don't necessarily hike super fast. Some do, but just being efficient in camp and thus spending more of your time on trail can make a big difference. Particularly in late spring and early summer when there are so very many hours of daylight.

In that context, being in good enough physical condition such that you don't need a lot of long breaks and can just happily "keep going" can result in a lot of miles hiked per day without moving terribly fast or, hopefully, feeling wiped out at the end of the day.

I'm not saying that this approach is definitely right for you, but ... maybe?

On the opposite side, I quit hiking with groups because in my efforts to keep up, I felt I was increasing my risk of an accident. I also prefer to be independent and set my own pace. I absolutely refuse to allow my children (who sometimes think they have become my parents) to dictate what I do. I had to make that very clear and hurt some feelings to accomplish this. However, I did compromise enough to buy a Personal Locator Beacon so I can "push the button" should I become seriously ill or injured (do remember, though, that it's only for life-and-death emergencies). I figure it's worth the extra 6 ounces to keep my kids off my back--a psychological weight saving! Of course by the time I got to that state, I'd been hiking/backpacking/horsepacking in the wilderness for over 50 years. If you're not experienced, my example is probably not a good idea.

If you can find a group that is mostly seniors, that might be your best bet. They should at least understand the needs of slower hikers.

Do you use trekking poles? I find that I can go quite a bit faster with them than without, and they greatly help with balance issues over rough ground. I use them even for exercise walking, because they turn walking into a whole-body exercise that works the core muscles.

EDIT, LATER: Hiking well-populated trails when lots of people are around is a reasonable substitute, safety-wise, for going with a group. You're independent, but there are people around to respond for a call for help. That's what I did when I first started hiking solo. I also made sure (from cars parked at the parking lot) that someone had gone up the trail ahead of me, and I started back early enough so that I wasn't the last person on the trail.

First off, you going hiking is about you, not them. Hike your own speed. I once hiked with 3 other people who were all much fast then me. I gave up the middle of the second day trying to keep up. I just walked my own pace...alone in the solitude. It was actually very relaxing and enjoyable. They would stop at major intersections or other random places and wait for me. I took lots of pictures...and they enjoyed the pictures afterwards.
If your kids are too worried...tell them to stuff it! You could also make them buy you a SPOT, or even two two-way radios (one for you and one for the group you are in). That way you can call for help, and they can know where you are.
If you aren't enjoying yourself, something needs to change. This is suppose to be enjoyable.

This last July I passed a group of 6 seniors. They all looked over 60. Some looked 70. Good for them! Hopefully I will be there as well when I get to that age.

I call my wife the Chucky doll. She is slow, but she rarely stops. It's amazing how many people she ultimately passes on a day on the trail.

You never quantitatively defined what you consider "slow".

It is not the speed of your hiking but the total amount of hours needed to get a certain amount of miles that defines "slow". The biggest thing that slows you down is stopping. "Slow and steady" often ends up fast enough to reach your goal.

Do not let others determine your pace, or your goals. However, following an experienced hiker can sometimes help you understand how to pace yourself. When I started running, a coach paced me for a few days until I got the hang of it.

There is also a psychological "leader's advantage" when walking in a group. Most people feel "slow" or actually slow down when following, yet will speed up a bit when in the lead. On an obvious trail, I always put my slowest person at the head of the line.

If I accept a hiking partner, I feel it is my duty not to leave them in the dust. That simply is part of the responsibility of leading. If you have been abandoned in groups, you are hiking in the wrong group!

When I was very overweight I was very slow and even injured myself when I attempted to go too far too fast too soon. As I got control of my weight hiking was one of my exercise options. Sometimes I would just meander, other times I would hike a distance I was comfortable with a bit faster, and other times I would hold a steady pace and go a bit further.

If you truly feel you NEED or heck just WANT to become faster then any form of exercise is going to help you out. If you are out of shape as you state then just the process of getting INTO shape is going to speed you up a bit.

If you can do a 3 mile (or whatever distance) leisurely hike now then do the same hike with an empty (except some water) backpack. When you are ready add a bit of weight and keep going until you have a full backpack, whatever that is to you. It's a good way to get stronger, in better shape, and get used to the weight of a backpack.