I have macular degeneration, which takes away one’s central, acute vision. I began experiencing vision loss about twenty years ago, and became legally blind at the end of 1996.
Not driving means more walking, with its slower pace through the world, and a more intimate contact with it. The change in vision has also changed the way I perceive what I see and shoot. If it weren’t for my MD, I’d probably not be as involved in photography as I am. I need magnification for many tasks. I use a hand magnifier to set my camera, and I must really concentrate on framing a picture. Still, I don’t really see what I’ve captured until I get it on my computer screen.
I’ve done photography intermittently since the mid 1950s, but never with the eye which MD has given me. I have had no formal photographic or artistic schooling, other than a couple of years of wheel thrown high fire stoneware work in the early 1960s.
I cherish our deliberate and our accidental beauties, and those in nature. I enjoy illusion, and I sometimes try for a little mystery, as well as having some fun.
Visit Charlie’s website “With A Different Eye” to see more of his work.
