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Blind photographers show work in Israel; Shalom!
Topic Started: Feb 9 2007, 10:21 PM (363 Views)
Johnny Fist
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Blind photographers show work in Israel

By MARSHALL THOMPSON, Associated Press Writer 31 minutes ago

TEL AVIV, Israel - Reaching above her dark glasses, Riki Fritsh held a compact camera to her forehead and snapped away at a group of passengers boarding a bus. Most of the travelers were caught off guard by the camera's flash. But they were even more surprised to learn that Fritsh is blind.

Fritsh is one of nine blind photographers featured in an exhibition at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

"When people see the photos, they are proud of me," said Fritsh, 50, who has been completely blind since birth. "They can't believe that I took these pictures."

Organizers said one of their goals is to let visitors see what it's like to be blind.

"When we follow the things that they decide to shoot, it reveals their world to us," said Iris Shinar, one of the group's instructors.

Some of the photos in the exhibit are out of focus. Some don't show the subjects' faces, but all provide candid glimpses into the lives of the photographers.

One photo shows a darkened apartment and another shows the blurry image of the artist in an ornate mirror. A sultry woman — the girlfriend of one of the photographers — lounges on a couch. A 90-year-old grandmother takes a nap in the afternoon sun.

An annual exhibit of blind photographers in Tokyo inspired Shinar and fellow photographer Kfir Sivan to start their own program in
Israel. They hope similar programs will start in other countries as well.

Several groups exist worldwide for partially blind and otherwise disabled photographers, but completely blind photography is still quite rare, said Shirley Britton of the Disabled Photographers Society in the United Kingdom.

"There seems to be a lot of people who are partially sighted," Britton said. "But I don't know if a completely blind person could really do photography."

Shinar and Sivan weren't sure how it would work either. Before the class started, they experimented by blindfolding themselves and taking pictures to see what would work. They discovered that holding the camera to the forehead, like a third eye, was the best way to stabilize and aim the camera.

They found volunteer participants from the Herzliya Center for the Blind, near Tel Aviv, and started teaching. Since last March, they have been teaching the group on a volunteer basis, providing the students with cameras, film and other supplies. The classes covered composition, fundamentals, and a history of photography, among other subjects. The results impressed even the instructors.

"Every week Riki brings me a roll and in every roll there are winning shots," Shinar said.

Since she started photographing people on her bus route Fritsh, 50, has become well-known and several people call out to her by name as they board. One bus passenger even asked her to be the official photographer for a party at a local nursing home.

"At first, it was a bit odd," said Shira Yehzkia, an 18-year-old passenger whose grandfather is also blind. "But I get really excited to see blind people do things that are not regular for them."

While some might be skeptical that a blind person can create visual art, professor Gerald Pryor, head of the photography department at New York University, said the concept makes sense.

"They see the world with their bodies," Pryor said. "They sense the world in a different way, and they can manifest that world in a photograph."

The art, however, doesn't just share the artists' world, Shinar said, it also helps the artists themselves connect to the people around them.

Shinar said some students like to document their travels and activities for their grandchildren. One woman photographed her Passover feast preparations for more than 30 family members.

The exhibit closed on Tuesday after a three-week run that attracted crowds of more than 400 people. Shinar said the class will continue.

"We can't stop now," she said. "We are like family."

Source.
Online gallery
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Leprechaun
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Posted Image
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mireland
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Leprechaun
Feb 9 2007, 03:05 PM
Posted Image

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Johnny Fist
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HAHAH!!! Eat ass, assholes!
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rockinup1231
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Sorry man, anything that happens in the middle east that doesn't have to do with leveling it with a 15 mega ton bomb just isn't worth hearing about to me.

Or some others.
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genesound
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rockinup1231
Feb 9 2007, 11:04 PM
Sorry man, anything that happens in the middle east that doesn't have to do with leveling it with a 15 mega ton bomb just isn't worth hearing about to me.

Or some others.

I'm pretty sure there are ppl there that feel exactly the same about us here.
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Johnny Fist
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Yeah, its kind of weird how that works out.
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mireland
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genesound
Feb 10 2007, 11:42 AM
rockinup1231
Feb 9 2007, 11:04 PM
Sorry man, anything that happens in the middle east that doesn't have to do with leveling it with a 15 mega ton bomb just isn't worth hearing about to me.

Or some others.

I'm pretty sure there are ppl there that feel exactly the same about us here.

nah, just about Johnny Fist.. :lol:
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rockinup1231
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Sure they want to kill us, but what else is new.
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Johnny Fist
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mireland
Feb 10 2007, 01:10 PM
genesound
Feb 10 2007, 11:42 AM
rockinup1231
Feb 9 2007, 11:04 PM
Sorry man, anything that happens in the middle east that doesn't have to do with leveling it with a 15 mega ton bomb just isn't worth hearing about to me.

Or some others.

I'm pretty sure there are ppl there that feel exactly the same about us here.

nah, just about Johnny Fist.. :lol:

Throw away your keyboard.
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mireland
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Johnny Fist
Feb 10 2007, 03:40 PM
mireland
Feb 10 2007, 01:10 PM
genesound
Feb 10 2007, 11:42 AM
rockinup1231
Feb 9 2007, 11:04 PM
Sorry man, anything that happens in the middle east that doesn't have to do with leveling it with a 15 mega ton bomb just isn't worth hearing about to me.

Or some others.

I'm pretty sure there are ppl there that feel exactly the same about us here.

nah, just about Johnny Fist.. :lol:

Throw away your keyboard.

get rid of your monitor... <_<
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werz
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rockinup1231
Feb 11 2007, 01:41 AM
Sure they want to kill us, but what else is new.

once you stop killing them, you may be surprised to find they won't want to kill you anymore.
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Johnny Fist
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And once you stop posting, you'd be surprised how I stop making fun of you.
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werz
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Your posts fist, do a good job of making an idiot of yourself, you don't need my help.
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Johnny Fist
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Throw away your keyboard, eurotrash.
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