September 10, 2015

Legally Blind Photographer - How Modern Technology Makes it Possible!

Tammy Ruggles shares how modern technology makes it possible for her to be a photographer who is legally blind:

"The words "legally blind photographer" don't sound like they should exist together. Indeed, until recently I didn't think this path was available to me. I'd always loved taking pictures, ever since I was a little girl, snapping shots of my family and pets with the Kodak and Polaroid cameras my mother always had around.

But I was born with retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive blinding disease that deteriorates the retinas over time. And with retinitis pigmentosa comes night blindness, which meant I couldn't see in a darkroom to use the chemicals and develop photos, nor could I read the settings on a camera to shoot manually — all major problems in the era before digital photography. So as a teenager I decided, regretfully, to put my love of photography in a box and leave it alone.

I didn't feel bitter about it. It was just another adjustment I had to make given the vision problem I had.

I can see things with my camera that I can't see without it, like it's a second set of eyes."

To read more about Tammy Ruggles please visit vox.com