[accessibleimage] Blind photographers turn to cameras to share their world


link to site
http://www.theblindphotographer.com/
link to full article
http://news.findlaw.com/scripts/printer_friendly.pl?page=/ap/e/53/02-09-2007/49c200299f6dea68.html
excerpt article
Blind photographers turn to cameras to share their world
(AP) - 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.

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