Hi folks. Just want to introduce myself as I just joined you all in the interests of photography. I’ve been photographing since I was kid - then into courses at universities (thats a story in itself) using film and my first digital camera was the second edition of Canon’s Rebel. Now pro cameras. My work is around with awards, a few exhibits, and of course, social media.
In January of last year I had back surgery and again in March. Havent been able to work much as I couldn’t walk too far and then carry a camera and gear. I’m just starting to photograph again. So I’m fairly fragile both physically and creatively. Thought joining a group would be a good idea to start me up again…I do have questions about photography and disabilities, how folks have adapted, etc…
That’s it for now.
Peace out.
Cynthia
Hi Cynthia and welcome!
I relate a little to your struggles post surgery - best wishes for your recovery!
I have been going through some fairly crippling mental health issues, but (as they say) the light at the end of the tunnel is getting nearer and brighter. It’s called for a lot of adaptation (to my disgust!) in terms of how and when I find energy and inspiration…
I’ve always found this forum a wonderfully creative and intelligent community, primarily around open source software (I’m a darktable person) but also photography in general.
I can empathise - my back surgery was in 2020, but I’ve had several repeat hospitalisations due to my back.
There are many on the forum here who have disabilities of one kind or another, although they may not call them that. Certainly the quest for smaller, lighter equipment is pursued fairly well constantly, and some who are on those threads have talked about arthritis, or wrist/neck/back issues to do with weight.
My long glass is almost 2kg, and add that to nearly 800g of DSLR results in a combination that can be painful to carry or use. So sometimes I eschew this and use the pocket-sized micro 4/3 camera.
As @123sg mentioned, this is a great community. You will find strong opinions, maybe even opinionated people, but you will also find many who are happy to share their knowledge and experience.
So, welcome, once again, and we look forward to what you might share.
Welcome to pixls.us, @cynth
Welcome to pixls!
Welcome to pixls @cynth !
@cynth Welcome to the forum and thank you for sharing. I am with disability myself but it does not stop me from enjoying life and photography.
Hi @cynth welcomme to the forum. As others already mentioned, its a great community and a lot of us already experienced some disabilities.
I am afraid, you will be faced to a lot of solutions and every of them will be very individually. But anyway, the folks here is great and i hope you will have a lot of fun!
Marter
A very warm welcome to a wonderful corner of the internet :-)!
Hello, and a warm welcome to this very friendly and knowledgeable community!
In terms of working with disability, I would encourage you to look up the work and bio of one of my favorite recent photographers–Lauren Simonutti. She had a horrific and disabling accident but was able to adapt and continue her work in film that entailed very creative darkroom manipulations. Sadly, she died several years ago. I saw her portfolio in Silvershots magazine in 2007. A real gem if you can get hold of this issue.
Also the wonderful work and story of Josef Sudek, famous for his photography of Prague after he lost an arm in WWI.
Welcome Cynthia. This is a very supportive and respectful community. I am a darktable devoted having moved from lightroom many years ago. I find the playraw category a great way to learn new tips and tricks and also see how other FOSS programs such as RawTherapee handle images. I teach photography through community education and picking up a camera has strong therapeutic effects for my of my students.
Welcome to pixls. us.
This place has been amazing for the amount and quality of help one can get.