Visually impaired photographers

January 28, 2007 10:33 PM

"I'm photography's degree zero." Evgen Bavcar takes interesting photos despite being blind. "Naturally there are certain adjustments I have made to the camera" [quicktime]. He's also far from alone. [first link via the Athanasius Kircher Society] [more inside]
posted by mediareport (23 comments total)

Are you blind?, a wonderful photo-essay
Gothamist interviews a blind street photographer
"What are you thinking, teaching photography to blind people?" (promo site for an upcoming book)
posted by mediareport at 10:35 PM on January 28, 2007

this is really impressive and kind of unbelievable
posted by dminor at 10:51 PM on January 28, 2007

Thanks.
posted by dobbs at 11:07 PM on January 28, 2007

Wow, this is amazing.

I wish my photography skillz were half as good and I've got 20/20 vision. I don't quite know how he does it, or how the blind compose their images in general, but it's freaking awesome.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 11:12 PM on January 28, 2007

I'd love to know more, too. He explains the process a bit here, and I love what he writes here:

Every photo I take I have to have perfectly organized in my head before shooting. I put the camera at the height of my mouth and that's how I photograph people I hear talking. The autofocus helps, but I can manage without it. It's simple. I measure the distance with my hands and the rest is done by my internal desire for images. I know there are always things that escape me, but that's true of photographers who can physically see. My images are fragile; I've never seen them, but I know they exist, and some of them have touched me deeply.

And I'm guessing that's him using his hand to judge the distance in the "interesting photos" link above.
posted by mediareport at 11:23 PM on January 28, 2007

Holy shit.
posted by Tlogmer at 1:45 AM on January 29, 2007

This is so amazing and beautiful it almost has me choked up.
posted by Brittanie at 1:48 AM on January 29, 2007

Wonderful. Reminds me of the movie "Proof" where Hugo Weaving plays a blind photographer who takes photos as proof of what people tell him.
posted by markdj at 4:07 AM on January 29, 2007

I've met blind people who also take photographs but never as self-consciously as I do. Some of them even do it with the hope of seeing again some day.

Man, that's going to stay with me all day ... taking photos of today in the hope - hope! - that when enough tomorrows come technology and/or medicine will have advanced enough to allow you to see that instant you recorded.
posted by anastasiav at 6:07 AM on January 29, 2007

Are there deaf musicians? Seriously, I'd like to know.
posted by elmwood at 6:15 AM on January 29, 2007

I believe there might have been some noteworthy deaf musicians in the past...
posted by CautionToTheWind at 6:24 AM on January 29, 2007

For the record elmwood, I believe CautionToTheWind is referring to Beethoven
posted by knapah at 6:39 AM on January 29, 2007

So much of being a "good photographer" happens post-exposure, when you cast an unforgiving eye towards which images make the cut or don't, and make other decisions about cropping, etc. He must have a heck of an editor as well.
posted by availablelight at 6:46 AM on January 29, 2007

Amazing post. Thanks for this.
posted by blendor at 7:25 AM on January 29, 2007

Yes, what availablelight said.
I wonder, given his disability, just how many photos we don't see.
The photos on his site are amazing, regardless.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 7:41 AM on January 29, 2007

Awesome post. Yesterday I would have laughed at the idea of a blind photographer: "What? You can't lack the one ability necessary for the task! What's next? A singer without vocal chords!." But I would have been foolish then.

Thanks for opening my eyes to that. I enjoyed it.
posted by dios at 7:53 AM on January 29, 2007

Reminds me of the movie "Proof" where Hugo Weaving plays a blind photographer who takes photos as proof of what people tell him.

And a young Russell Crow plays his reluctant accomplice. Good movie.
posted by booth at 8:07 AM on January 29, 2007

Uhh ... Beethoven began to lose his hearing when he was about 30. I should have been clearer, and said "deaf from birth".
posted by elmwood at 8:56 AM on January 29, 2007

Isn't there a blind photographer in Pecker?
posted by Astro Zombie at 9:53 AM on January 29, 2007

elmwood, check out evelyn glennie, a deaf virtuoso percussionist working in classical, pop and avant garde music.
posted by ism at 12:04 PM on January 29, 2007

I love this post
posted by autoverzekering at 12:17 PM on January 29, 2007

That "Are You Blind?" photo-essay is especially impressive. Putting the text in Braille and making the viewer scroll over the words was a great touch.

Great post! Thanks!
posted by gwyn at 4:57 PM on January 29, 2007

Astro Zombie, indeed there is. First thing I thought of.
posted by zoinks at 12:02 AM on January 30, 2007