Greetings fellow travelers.
It's cold outside and you're probably planning to go to the slopes or to the beach. Either place provides great opportunities for picture taking. When I was trying to decide what to write for this column I thought of my father, who passed away six years ago this month. My father loved photography. Mostly, he loved composing the scene he wanted to capture. He lived during the film era, but I think that he would have loved this digital era. I often heard him say he didn't need to print the image. He just loved composing and framing it. Toward the end of his life he stopped taking pictures. Parkinson's made holding the camera and snapping the shutter difficult. I wish he had known about the many pieces of adaptive photo equipment.
I sit in a wheelchair. I know that sometimes it is difficult for me to keep the camera steady while framing a shot. My father must have gone through similar problems. Fortunately, finding ways to cope have been easier for me than they were for him. Several companies have developed devices that clamp tight onto the frame of the chair and allow a camera to be positioned for a clear, steady image. Some of these devices are the Laird VGO, Symmetric Designs’ Camera Mount, and Orcca Technology Incorporated’s Camera Mounting System.
Today's cameras are smaller than my father’s were. So too are their control buttons. If you have poor dexterity or gripping ability these cameras can be a problem. There are solutions. The Gentle-ed IR Remote Control is a shutter release extension that uses the Infra-red wireless control found on many newer cameras to trigger the shutter. Conceptus, an Arizona-based company, makes switches for skydiving photographers. The best of these is called the Bite Switch and it is perfect for those with limited arm/hand mobility. As its name implies users bite down on it to operate the camera shutter.
Finally, and this may be a surprise to you, even those who have very poor or no eyesight, can be photographers. I remember when I was a staff writer for a disability style magazine. One of the frequent contributors was a blind photographer. One advantage of today's digital cameras is their large LED viewscreens. For someone with low vision the larger the screen the better. But for those people who are completely blind and still want to take photographs the best advice I can give you is to rely on your intact senses. For instance, taking a picture of a sunrise one would face the East and let the rays of the sun warm your face while pointing the camera in that direction. If you want a candid picture of people listen to the direction of their voices. If your ears are sharp enough you can even tell how far away from you they are, and then a flick of your finger can adjust the camera’s zoom.
If you have questions about becoming an amateur of professional photographer, and you have a disability, the best place to ask questions and receive valuable information is a worldwide organization logically called The Disabled Photographers Society.
Well, that’s it for this entry. I hope that I have been helpful in presenting you with ways to capture the memories of your travels. Till, next time…happy traveling!
