[nfb-talk] Blind Photographers

Mon Feb 12 06:38:12 CST 2007

I sure agree with you Mike.  What is a picture to the blind if he can
not see it and this is coming from someone who still has some sight, not
much.  
My example to my chapter leader was, if a blind person goes to a
birthday party and can not see where the birthday person is, how can he
get a good picture of the person, say blowing out the candles.  Unless a
picture is large, they are almost useless to me.  I have always said I
would rather be blind than deaf.  I love sound and music. Most of the
time, what you can not see with your eyes you can feal with your hands.

Terry Powers

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Freeman [mailto:k7uij at panix.com] 
Sent: Friday, February 09, 2007 10:07 AM
To: NFB Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Blind Photographers

I am certain that many will disagree with me, but ...

It seems to me that programs like this are just another manifestation of
the 
wish by some sighted persons *and* some blind persons to make the blind 
sighted. Although I certainly have no objection to blind persons trying
to 
take photographs, I can't figure what this proves except to pretend that
one 
is "more normal" because one is engaging in an activity that, for most 
people, is synonymous with sight. At the very least, the notion that
blind 
photographers are giving the sighted a glimpse into the world of the
blind 
is pure codswallop!

Mike Freeman

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "RyanO" <rosentowski at neb.rr.com>
To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, February 09, 2007 5:46 AM
Subject: [nfb-talk] Blind Photographers

>From the Associated Press:

Blind Photographers Show Work in Israel
By MARSHALL THOMPSON
The Associated Press
Friday, February 9, 2007; 5:46 AM
TEL AVIV, Israel -- Reaching above her dark glasses, Riki Fritsh held a
compact camera to her forehead and snapped away at a group of passengers
boarding
a bus. Most of the travelers were caught off guard by the camera's
flash.
But they were even more surprised to learn that Fritsh is blind.
Fritsh is one of nine blind photographers featured in an exhibition at
the
Bezalel Academy of Art and Design at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
"When people see the photos, they are proud of me," said Fritsh, 50, who
has
been completely blind since birth. "They can't believe that I took these
pictures."
Organizers said one of their goals is to let visitors see what it's like
to
be blind.
"When we follow the things that they decide to shoot, it reveals their
world
to us," said Iris Shinar, one of the group's instructors.
Some of the photos in the exhibit are out of focus. Some don't show the
subjects' faces, but all provide candid glimpses into the lives of the
photographers.
One photo shows a darkened apartment and another shows the blurry image
of
the artist in an ornate mirror. A sultry woman _ the girlfriend of one
of
the
photographers _ lounges on a couch. A 90-year-old grandmother takes a
nap in
the afternoon sun.
An annual exhibit of blind photographers in Tokyo inspired Shinar and
fellow
photographer Kfir Sivan to start their own program in Israel. They hope
similar
programs will start in other countries as well.
Several groups exist worldwide for partially blind and otherwise
disabled
photographers, but completely blind photography is still quite rare,
said
Shirley
Britton of the Disabled Photographers Society in the United Kingdom.
"There seems to be a lot of people who are partially sighted," Britton
said.
"But I don't know if a completely blind person could really do
photography."
Shinar and Sivan weren't sure how it would work either. Before the class
started, they experimented by blindfolding themselves and taking
pictures to
see
what would work. They discovered that holding the camera to the
forehead,
like a third eye, was the best way to stabilize and aim the camera.
They found volunteer participants from the Herzliya Center for the
Blind,
near Tel Aviv, and started teaching. Since last March, they have been
teaching
the group on a volunteer basis, providing the students with cameras,
film
and other supplies. The classes covered composition, fundamentals, and a
history
of photography, among other subjects. The results impressed even the
instructors.
"Every week Riki brings me a roll and in every roll there are winning
shots," Shinar said.
Since she started photographing people on her bus route Fritsh, 50, has
become well-known and several people call out to her by name as they
board.
One
bus passenger even asked her to be the official photographer for a party
at
a local nursing home.
"At first, it was a bit odd," said Shira Yehzkia, an 18-year-old
passenger
whose grandfather is also blind. "But I get really excited to see blind
people
do things that are not regular for them."
While some might be skeptical that a blind person can create visual art,
professor Gerald Pryor, head of the photography department at New York
University,
said the concept makes sense.
"They see the world with their bodies," Pryor said. "They sense the
world in
a different way, and they can manifest that world in a photograph."
The art, however, doesn't just share the artists' world, Shinar said, it
also helps the artists themselves connect to the people around them.
Shinar said some students like to document their travels and activities
for
their grandchildren. One woman photographed her Passover feast
preparations
for more than 30 family members.
The exhibit closed on Tuesday after a three-week run that attracted
crowds
of more than 400 people. Shinar said the class will continue.
"We can't stop now," she said. "We are like family."
The photos can still be viewed online at
http://www.theblindphotographer.com

RyanO

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