The absolute beauty and wonder that lives all around us is truly magical and photos often help us capture a small slice of that.
Yet so much of that beauty is so often taken for granted by the sighted world.
Nature and life in general are always changing around us, offering new colors, textures and feelings with the rise and fall of each new day.
Yet how many of you truly appreciate these changes?
How many truly stop to take in the beauty of what you can see with your eyes, realizing the sheer magnificence of it all?
Capturing the beauty of nature
As a small boy I was always captivated by the beauty of nature and how it made me feel and how the blend of colors came together, whether it was the rivers and waterfalls as they flowed through the forest or the different kinds of trees, it all merged in such a harmonious way.
There was a part of me that always wanted to capture that beauty and hold onto it and I always loved taking photos (even with my rapidly diminishing sight) – yet as my sight continued to leave me, it felt as though that part of me was leaving too.
Now, as I stand here today with no sight left to see those amazing images, I still find myself loving being immersed in the beauty of nature, it’s just that now I experience it through my other senses.
What technology makes possible
What I see and feel internally is just as vivid and vast as it ever was, but up until recently it has been something that I have not been able to capture and take home to share with others like I could before.
However, with the advancements of technology things have recently changed and for the first time in a long time this blind guy has been able to capture unique moments and experiences through the lens of an iPhone.
I don’t always know what or how things are going to appear when I take a photo, and often I am relying purely on instinct and intuition, but this technology has allowed me to relive a childhood dream and express and share my own unique pictures with the world.
It has been such a joy for me to be able to share all the photos that I have taken from my travels on my Facebook page called “Think Photography.” This page for me brings a message of hope, showing the wider public that just like many things, photography is not something that the blind need to give up along with their sight.
All it ever takes is to think differently and think creatively and just get out there and do these things and make the most of every moment.
Sight or no sight, there is so much beauty to be seen and felt in this world.
Don’t ever let anything stop you from capturing it.
About the author
Prabath Wickramanayake is a disability rights activist from Melbourne, Australia. He is passionate about helping to uplift and inspire others (especially those less fortunate) by sharing his experiences and his stories with the world.
You can follow him on Instagram or follow his page, Think Photography, on Facebook.
For more from Prabath, read his first #MyBlindStory post, “Yes, Let’s Do It!”
