Disability and photography

I have recently (over the last year or two) discovered that I love taking photos (the above photo is of trees and sunshine). Wanting to see if I can be any good at it, a few months ago I set about buying myself a decent camera. I probably need some kind of lessons or training too, but for now trial and error seem to be working. I found a pretty awesome camera and I have been loving it ever since (bar the occasional hiccups).So visually impaired photographers, how does that work? Well pretty simple really, when something captures my attention, I take photos. I’ve found that taking photos helps me to see things in more detail and depth, than I would do just looking at it with my eyes. I can see the shape of an animal or face, the different shades in the sunset and it allows me to appreciate a landscape in a much deeper way. It also gives the world (well not quite…!) the pleasure of my (sometimes) lovely photos.

I was quite anxious about taking and editing photos to begin with. I think one of the many self-limiting beliefs I have is, that I wouldn’t be able to do things well if they rely on having good sight (this is how I categorised taking and editing photos).  Whilst that is true in some cases (for example, I wouldn’t trust myself performing open heart surgery, and I doubt you would either), with photography, I think I misplaced the importance of good sight. It is more about (at least to me) capturing a moment, or the way something makes you feel. This is probably why I seem to take lots of pictures of trees, water and churches – they seem to affect me the most. I love taking photos of landscapes. I like taking photos of people too, but I find that much harder.

Like with any new hobby, it takes time to learn and improve. I don’t seem to have edited people green so far, which is a good sign. I have been on a few holidays recently, which has given me the opportunity to test out my camera and my editing skills.

Below are my current favourites (with descriptions).

Photo 1: A Maltese sunset

This was taken on my mobile, because my camera was at home. But it is of the sunset in Malta at a beach. It was a really warm night and the sky looked so warm and lovely to me. There were a few boats, which you can see in the distance like shadows. I love the water and this brings back lovely memories.

Photo 2: Sunshine and friends

My beautiful friend Karen, who is wearing the most awesome outfit, and the sun is catching her head and skin in the loveliest way. Also from Malta, Malta was an awesome place.

Photo 3: Stained glass and chandeliers

This one is quite niche, and the picture isn’t straight, but I still love it. It’s a picture of a church in Prague and it has the loveliest stained glass and a chandelier, in this dark room in the side of church. I just love the mixture of the light and dark and the chandelier is pretty nifty.

So slowly but surely, I keep expanding my comfort zone and achieving things I didn’t think I could do, and the feeling is good. Sorry for the long silence on the blog by the way, but sometimes you just have to wait for inspiration to hit and I am hoping it will hit a lot more often 🙂 Ideas always welcome.