Intensified Seeing: A Sea Limpet
© Bruce Hall. All Rights Reserved.

Seeing Differently: Artistry From Within

Seeing is about much more than sight.

Can we sense sound without the ability to hear? Can we taste without eating? Can we feel without touching? Can we see without sight?

The answer—a definitive yes—requires unleashing the power of our senses, especially  in the creative process.

The Power of the Senses

According to Scientific American, there is evidence to suggest that, if we live without one sense, “the brain rewires itself to boost the remaining senses.”

That is exactly the process of the many sight-impaired photographers who are working today—artists who use sound, touch, memory, and other sensations to “compose” their images and sense the timing of their subjects.

These artists believe that the image comes from within, not from the “outside.” And they prove that, often, a blind person can have a very clear vision.

Fortune Teller
© Pete Eckert. All Rights Reserved.

Blind Photographers as Visionaries

From among the many  (see the Blind Photographers Guild and several Flickr sites for the range of the community), two contemporary photographers, Bruce Hall and Pete Eckert, have proven themselves to be exceptional visionaries.

Their creative process and their images provide a transformative OIC Moment—seeing is about much more than sight.

James Loves the Water, or Does He?
© Bruce Hall. All Rights Reserved.

Bruce Hall: Intensified Seeing

As a child with limited vision, Bruce Hall changed his life one day when he looked through a telescope and saw something he had never been able to see before: a star.

This startling moment led to an obsession with cameras, lenses, magnifiers, large computer screens, and other optical devices. These tools all assist him in his vision— “intensified seeing,” as he calls it.

“I think all photographers take pictures in order to see,” he says. “But for me it’s a necessity. It’s beyond being in love with cameras. I can’t see without a camera.”

Hall describes his creative process: “First I see an impression. I take what I think I see, later I can see what I saw. I have certain aims, guesses, impressions, but the photographs are always a surprise.”

His current love is underwater work, where he can use his macro lens to get close to the beauty of the deep—both plant and animal life. He also is working on a project with his autistic twin sons.

Painting with Light
© Pete Eckert. All Rights Reserved.

Pete Eckert: A Visual Person

For Pete Eckert, the story was different. He was sighted and then lost his sight as the result of a degenerative eye disease. He had time to prepare for the inevitable and explored ways he could pursue his artistic interests. He chose photography.

Now, he is accompanied by his guide dog, Uzu, and searches for moments through his other senses . . . and memory.

“I see each shot very clearly. You have to hear where the movement is and react intuitively. I’m a very visual person. I just can’t see.”

In his creative process, Eckert uses a slow shutter speed and “light painting.” When he senses the subject’s position and movement, he adds moving light—aiming flashlights, lasers, lighters, and candles toward the subject.

Once Eckert has processed the images, he involves a sighted person to help him select the images that will become large prints for galleries. “I slip photos under the door from the world of the blind to be viewed in the light of the sighted,” he says. “Talking with people in galleries builds a bridge between my mind’s eye and their vision of my work.”

His advice for aspiring photographers who are having trouble with subject selection or composition: “If you can’t see, it’s because your vision is getting in the way.”

Stephanie
© Pete Eckert. All Rights Reserved.

The Creative Process: Outside In and Inside Out

These experiences just confirm what we have always known. The creative process is a rich experience that is fed by exploration within and without.

The work of Bruce Hall and Pete Eckert is imaginative and experimental, and very definitely comes from within. And, yes, they do also happen to be sight-impaired. However, both want their art to be seen for itself, not because it’s made by a blind person.

Thank you, Bruce and Pete, for the inspiration.

Stay tuned for our February 2013 photography competition “Blind Sight.” You’ll be asked to close your eyes or blindfold yourself and make a photograph using the power of your imagination and your other senses.

UPDATE: The OIC Moments “Blind Sight” Photography Contest has been concluded and you can view the winners, as well as download the free ebook created from contest entries, here:

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.