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The
concept of photography by the blind is equally
difficult to
get across
to the blind and normal sighted community as it
generates similar questions and doubts
It took me months to gather
groups of blind
to hear me talk about photography
Below is my lectures at the NAB - National Association for the
Blind of India and other gatherings at Mumbai
Today
we have assembled here to explore the possibility of opening a new world, a
world of your self - expression by exploring your inner abilities beyond the
limitation of your sight
How many of you can describe your home while
you are away from home
Most of you can describe your home while you are away,
surely all of you can describe the objects you touch every day, you can
also describe a new place you had visited if someone
had described the
place to you and surely you are also familiar with voice you
hear every day like that of your family members and friends
All of you can “see”
the world around you through your finders (touch) and ears (sound).
Touch and sound helps to build images in your mind, which you are able
to describe in your words
Do
you agree
As
most of you
have agreed that you have the ability to create mental images, then why not
translate these mental images as your self-expression? Self-expression
has no limitation, Beethoven the great western music composer was deaf
later in life but he still created music
I would like to
tell you about a world famous blind photographer, Evgan
Bavcar who lost his complete sight of both eyes at the age of eleven He
is now 58, lives in Paris and having nearly
eighty photo
exhibitions around the world. He often tours around Europe to give
lectures on photography and blindness and conducting workshops on
photography.
I
happen to read about Evgan Bavcar and I came in contact
with him (thru e-mail) and want to share with you what
Evgan has to say –
“First,
my ears would serve as a guide, by listening carefully, I can tell where
the subject is and how far away. If I want to photograph a person (like my
friend), I take the picture when I hear him talk or laugh.
When I visit a new place, I would ask someone to describe what
I’m aiming my camera at, it helps me to build mental image and I can
decide to click
For
still – life subject, I can touch the objects and decide which angle to
photograph it from. If I’m waiting for a sunrise or sunset, I feel the
heat of the sun on my skin before taking the picture and also know the
direction of the sun” . That’s how Evgan
Bavcar takes pictures and has master the craft after years of trial
and error
Like
Evgan,
I’m in touch with other blind photographers and sighted photographs
conducting workshops on photography for the visually impaired. In New
York, blind photographers are working in a group with a sighted
photographer for last 15 years; their
photographs are exhibited worldwide and complied in a book -
Shooting Blind published by Aperture Foundation, New York.
The book along with photographs has interesting interviews of the blind photographs
and the leader of the project.
Since 1985 in
Japan, The National Blind Photographers Exhibition is held every
year where blind from all over Japan submit 200 pictures,
complied in a book - Invisible Power
Apart
from these there are similar initiatives and workshops happening around
the world
You
must be thinking by now
What
does all these means to us, can we take photographs ?
Yes
! You can
take photographs as other visually impaired photographers around the
world; photography can be your hobby (partly profession) and
a medium of your self-expression.
Like sighted people go for photography courses
similarly you also need to be trained to take photographs.
Yet
another question must be
obviously crossing your mind
How
do we SEE the photography taken
by us ?
With
advancement of digital technology, photographs can be converted into
tactile images, which can be touch & felt by the visually impaired
photographer. In Japan tactical photographs are exhibited along with the
actual photographs taken by blind at the exhibition so that blind visitors
at the gallery can enjoy the photographs. Special
machine for converting any graphical images including photographs into
tactical images are available in India
Helen
Keller once said -
“When one door of happiness closes,
other opens,
but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the
one
which has been opened for us”
Workshop
Blind With Camera is trying
to open a door. You must remember that photography can be made with the mind as
much as it made by eyes, all you need is imagination of 20 / 20 and
desire to create
Thank you
My lecture was followed by interaction session
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