If you were not able to see, would you seek new ways to express yourself creatively? Would you still take photographs? How might you cope in a world that caters so exclusively to people with sight? Blind photography is a field that poses all these questions — and more — by re-framing the way we think about photographs, as well as the people behind the camera.

My introduction to blind photography was through art curator Kate Martin, and her work with blind photographers such as Andrew Follows, Rosita McKenzie, and Jan Boelsche. When Kate mentioned the projects she was curating in collaboration with these photographers, I started picking her brain for more information — I’d previously been completely oblivious to this fascinating field of photography.
I have to admit that I usually take my sight for granted, and forget how challenging our world must be for those with vision impairments. But within photography, our obstacles can sometimes be our greatest strengths.

Blind photography interested me because of its challenging nature: how can a blind person make a photograph? While the idea might seem inherently contradictory at first, it quickly becomes clear that there exist myriad ways through which a vision impaired photographer can create work. Upon further exploration, we also discover that the methods behind blind photography question our fundamental notions of both sight and art: what does it mean to see? What does our creative process say about our work, and what part does our relationships with others play?

'Green, Montsalvat' - a photograph by vision impaired photographer Andrew Follows.
‘Green, Montsalvat ‘ is a beautiful image by vision impaired photography Andrew Follows. In order to make
this image, Follows needed to embark on a far different creative process than other photographers.

Questioning how we see
Not all blind photographers are completely without sight. Those within the field generally prefer the term ‘visual impairment’ (or, vision impairment), as it provides a more accurate depiction of the range of vision a photographer might actually have. Many people who are categorized as being blind are able to see a certain amount, whether it be the outline of shapes, shadows, or colors.

While I’ve played around with making photographs without wearing my glasses — without which I can barely see — I’m well aware that I have no idea what it would be like to navigate our world without sight, not to mention be a practicing professional photographer. To make photographs with a vision impairment requires thinking outside the box of photography, and art in general: the concept and creative process need to hold more weight (or at least weight of a different kind). It also calls for greater vulnerability, and letting go of control — something that is usually challenging for photographers.

And yet, as a multi-media artist recently said to me, “Art is not the medium, and art is not the execution; art is the idea.” While this opinion is debatable, it’s one with which I happen to agree — and one that blind photography supports, too.

As photographers, we all want to shoot from the heart. But how many of us really walk the walk when it comes to this? Photographers with visual impairments are raising the bar by stepping outside the darkroom (so to speak) — and into new ways of seeing.

How blind photography works
Briefly, blind photography typically consists of a vision impaired photographer and an assistant with whom they share a close professional or personal bond. While the creative process varies between photographers, generally there will be an ongoing dialogue between the photographer and their assistant throughout it.

For example, the photographer might share her initial concept for what she wants to photograph, or the idea she wants to convey, while her assistant would then help to bring her vision to fruition, by helping in any way necessary — adjusting camera settings, bringing her to the location, describing the scenery in detail, and so on. The actual process will vary greatly, depending on the people involved, the level of visual impairment, and the interests of the photographer. The relationship between the blind photographer and their assistant is integral to the creative process of making the photographs.

As Blind With Camera School thoughtfully explains:
“When we think of sight, we think of light and when we think of a blind, we think of darkness. The partition between light and darkness is natural as the polarity between people with sight and people with blindness is deeply rooted in our historical, psychological and sociological influences. Our cultural emphasis on eye centeredness for interpretation of knowledge, truth and reality make it difficult for us to imagine living without sight.

Photography by the visually impaired is in the remotest of our imagination and most of us are unaware that they can take pictures and also they can be trained in photography like the sighted people.”
A woman stands between two colored filters while viewing a painting in an art gallery.

Art installations that question how we see our world — and, specifically, how we see visual art and media — are one thing; being a visually impaired photographer puts this idea into real-world practice.

Inspiring others with blind filmmaking
To me, blind photography encourages us to take up artistic practices for the purpose of exploring the world as we experience it; the practice requires the artist to let go of control, communicate closely with another, work through ways of seeing the world anew, and share their perspective with others.
Similarly, blind photography can also inspire those of us with full vision to see the world through our mind’s eye (or, third eye). One Iranian filmmaker takes up this very challenge in his experimental film called ’7 Blind Women Filmmakers.’ The film was inspired by a nightmare of being blind — after which Mohd Shirvani asked himself:

“What should I do if I, as a film director, would become blind?

I was wondering if I could keep making films. This film has been made by a number of blind women filmmakers to answer that question. I taught them how to narrate their own stories through film language with small digital cameras and they also taught me how to see the world with my third eye on my forehead.”
The opposite side of how people with visual impairments create work is how they experience artworks by others, whether in a gallery, or museum setting. While some museums are taking action “to address the issue of how to provide vision impaired guests with meaningful experiences in museums, where touching the objects has been traditionally discouraged,” we still have a long way to go to present visually impaired artists, photographers, and art-lovers alike with better ways in which to experience art.

This is an area that I look forward to watching in the coming years. As we expand our views on what it means to see, and work toward creating art spaces that are more inclusive than exclusive, we broaden our understanding of what it means to be an artist — and, equally, a human being.

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”
– Helen Keller
 
SOURCE: Ignite.in