[Art_beyond_sight_theory_and_research] photography, The Ultimate Gift narration, art, photography

[Lisa Yayla]

article

What is seeing?

Seeing with Photography Collective 
<http://www.seeingwithphotography.com> is a New York based group, whose 
work is a collaboration between visually impaired and sighted 
photographers.

There are some absolutely stunning 
<http://www.seeingwithphotography.com/muted_before_eye_chart.html> 
images <http://www.seeingwithphotography.com/not_the_lighthouse.html> in 
the photo gallery.

And the technique is explained: Sighted assistants focus and compose the 
view camera's frame directed by the blind artist. Then, in a darkened 
room, we leave the camera's shutter open as we slowly paint our sitter 
with a small flashlight ...human scaled exposures, lasting many minutes, 
rather than the instant shutter click we typically hear. Luminous 
distortions, blurred or glowing forms result from the technique, not 
digital altering.

http://www.aphotoaday.org/apadnews/2007/08/what_is_seeing.html

article excerpt
08/23/2007
http://www.sltrib.com/valleywest/ci_6699058
ART ACCESS & ACCESS II GALLERIES The First Annual Student Art Show 
continues along "Feminine Landscapes" a group art show and "Photography 
in Motion" by Amy Jorgensen at 230 S. 500 West, Suites No. 125 and 120. 
For information, call 801-328-0703 or visit www.accessart.org.


excerpt

The Ultimate Gift is presented in anamorphic widescreen <#> (1.85:1) and 
enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include narration for 
the visually impaired since author Jim Stovall is blind.
http://dvd.monstersandcritics.com/reviews/article_1346813.php/DVD_Review_The_Ultimate_Gift


article

Blind students see more in movie than others might

Sight-impaired kids show how photos can come from heart

By KAZUAKI NAGATA
Special to The Japan Times
YOKOHAMA — Skill and high-quality equipment are not essential for 
successful photography. In fact, you don't even need to be able to see 
the subject.

Maho Otsuka, 10, explains a photograph, projected on the screen, she 
took of her friend. The event Saturday in Yokohama marked an exhibition 
of photos taken by visually impaired children. Standing at the back is 
Hiroshi Suga, who organized the exhibition. YOSHIAKI MIURA PHOTO

"What's important is to take pictures with your heart," says Hiroshi 
Suga, a professional photographer and member of the Japan Professional 
Photographers Society.

Proving his point, photos by 23 students from the Yokohama City Special 
Support School for the Visually Impaired are now on show at the "Kids 
Photographers — They are Geniuses!" exhibition at the Japan Newspaper 
Museum in Yokohama.

Although more than half of the students are blind and the rest have poor 
eyesight, they take amazing photos.

The program started in February when Suga hosted a 
"reach-out-photography" learning program sponsored by the Photographers 
Society at the Special Support School, which is attended by kindergarten 
through high school students.

At first, the program's goal was simply to let the students experience 
photography and exhibit their work at the school festival. But their 
photos impressed Suga so much that he went on to organize, with help 
from parents, the exhibition to showcase the students' work.

The exhibition, which began July 3 and runs through Aug. 26, has been 
drawing large crowds, according to Chang Bo Ye of the museum's planning 
department.

Suga has also worked to publish 1,000 copies of the program's photo 
collection. On weekends, the students appear at the exhibition and sign 
autographs in braille for every visitor who purchases the collection. 
The original 1,000 are now almost sold out and an extra 700 are in the 
process of being printed.

Last Saturday, 15 of the students, accompanied by Suga, gathered for a 
forum to share their photographic experiences with an audience of about 
100 people.

Suga told the crowd that many of the students had never used cameras 
before, and didn't even know how to hold them properly.

"I had to teach them that the side that feels bumpy is the front (of the 
camera), and where to feel its shutter button," he said.

Once they learned how to use it, each student was given a disposable 
camera for two weeks and asked to photograph a favorite subject.

Some photographed friends and family members. Others shot scenery, 
animals or trains. After two weeks, Suga checked the freshly developed 
pictures and was astonished.

"The first thing that came out of my mouth was 'Wow! They are geniuses!' 
" Suga said. "In my 40-year career as a photographer, nothing has 
impressed me that much," because the students took the pictures with 
their hearts and expressed their feelings articulately through the 
photographs, he explained while displaying each work on a projector.

For instance, one of the students, Saki Nagai, 9, who was born blind, 
took a picture of her 1-year-old brother, Shintaro, while he was 
peacefully asleep at home. The picture was used for the cover of the 
photo collection. Nagai depended on her brother's breathing to point the 
camera.

"I thought it really expressed Saki's love for her brother," Suga said 
of when he first looked at the picture of this cute baby.

During the forum, the smiles never disappeared from the children's faces 
as they were interviewed by Suga and asked to comment on their photos. 
Later, they fielded questions from the audience, and when one person 
asked how they could sense where the subject is, many answered they 
depend on sound, just like Nagai did.

"I wanted it to be their forum, not mine," Suga said after the event, 
adding that he has learned a lot from the children. "They made me 
realize again the importance of taking pictures with your heart."

These past several months have also been valuable for the students. 
"Although Saki herself can't see the pictures that she took, she really 
enjoyed taking (them)," said her father, Takeyuki. "It was a whole new 
thing for her. And she received so many compliments, and the media 
picked up the students' works. I think it's been a great experience for 
her."

For another student, Takahiro Tsurui, 14, photography was a new 
experience as well. "It was harder than I thought," said Tsurui, who 
shot Odawara Castle in Kanagawa Prefecture because he likes Japanese 
history. Though it was hard, he said he had fun and wants to continue 
taking pictures.

The exhibition runs through Aug. 26. More information on the exhibit can 
be found on the museum's Web site at www.pressnet.or.jp/newspark. 
Another exhibition will be held at Photo Entrance Hibiya gallery in 
Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, from Aug. 30 to Sept. 12.

Laquana Sango, a junior at the Oklahoma School for the Blind, shakes 
hands Tuesday with author Jim Stovall after a screening of a narrated 
version of the movie “The Ultimate Gift” at the Muskogee school.

5/17/2007

MUSKOGEE -- The Student Council president led the classes in praising a 
movie they could not clearly see.

High school students at the Oklahoma School for the Blind enjoyed a 
special screening Tuesday of a narrated version of "The Ultimate Gift" 
in the school's auditorium.

Alex Myers, a junior at the Oklahoma School for the Blind and president 
of its Student Council, introduced the writer behind the "The Ultimate 
Gift" and the creators of the narrated version.

"It's really neat to see what they are doing in technology for the 
visually impaired with descriptive video," he said. "I've seen some 
scripted video where the narrator is always talking over the dialogue. 
This one was good."

Jim Stovall, the author of the book and founder of the Narration 
Television Network in Tulsa, arranged the screening. More than 50 
students and 30 guests attended.

"The Ultimate Gift" follows a young man through a series of obstacles to 
earn a final inheri- tance. The experience spurs personal growth for the 
character.

Stovall lost his sight at age 29 due to a hereditary disease of the 
retina. He has written 12 books and founded the network 19 years ago.

The film was released in March, and the DVD is expected in August. 
Stovall's company produced the narrated version and asked students for 
feedback.

Present at the screening were narration scriptwriter Dorothy Thompson, 
narrator Susan Crane and marketing director Kelly Morrison, who wrote 
the song "Legacy," which is heard at the end of the film, featuring 
Tulsa singer Ed Goggin.

Narrative Television produces narrated versions of about 1,000 movies, 
television shows and educational films every year. It allows visually 
impaired people to experience the programs. The narration describes 
facial expres- sions, scene positioning and any- thing that's not in the 
dialogue but is important to the story.

Students sat through the end credits as the narrator repeated lessons 
learned by the main character.

Freshman Trey Lewis has read the book twice using Braille and an audio 
book and attended the non-narrated screenings two times.

"I liked how at the end the narrator just didn't read the credits," 
Lewis said. "It spoke about the movie. I was excited about this because 
I wanted to see how they did the audio with the movie. It was well-done, 
because usually there is talking over the scenes."

Stovall told the students: "You guys should commit yourselves to being 
readers. A lot of people think being able to read is all about sight. 
Before I lost my sight, I don't think I ever finished a book. But in the 
last 19 years, I've read more books than anyone I know."

Stovall spoke with students about the filming of the movie, including 
his cameo as a limousine driver.

"Somehow, there is poetic justice with the blind guy driving the limo," 
he joked.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=070517_1_A7_HAMWo76082