Hi All, As people with visual impairment, getting photographed sometimes feels like a group project where everyone knows what's happening except you.
Somebody says, "Stand there." Somebody says, "Smile." Somebody says, "Perfect!" The camera clicks. And before you've figured out whether you're looking at the camera, the photograph is already taken. A few minutes later, somebody describes it. "Nice picture, Aishwarya." And you're thinking, "Good. Because I had absolutely no idea what I was doing." Being late blind, I had one advantage: I'd seen photographs before losing my sight. I also dabbled in photography years ago, so I understood some of the basics photographers look for. Add years of posing as a visually impaired person, making mistakes, getting feedback from friends, and occasionally discovering I was looking at the ceiling, and I've picked up a few useful tips. So if photographs make you awkward, this one's for you. Let's start with the first challenge. Finding the camera. Or more accurately, finding the person holding it. If I can't figure out where the photographer is standing, I ask them to keep talking. "Can you keep talking for a moment so I can find you?" Once I hear their voice, I turn towards it. And while we're at it, a small request to sighted photographers: please don't just say, "Look here." We genuinely don't know where "here" is. Instead, keep talking until we're looking towards you. A simple "Yes, there" or "A little to your left" is far more helpful. Finding the camera is one thing. Smiling is a completely different challenge. Sighted people have visual reasons to smile. They see other people smiling. They see something funny happening. Some even see a camera and instantly transform into Bollywood actors. We don't get those visual cues. Somebody says, "Smile!" And suddenly we're expected to produce happiness on demand. Why? Nothing funny happened. Nobody told a joke. Why are we smiling exactly? But if you don't smile at all, there's a fair chance you'll end up looking like the one person in the group who didn't really want to be there. I've found it helps to think of something funny. An old joke. A ridiculous memory. That one friend who constantly says outrageous things. Or better still, become the person cracking jokes while the photograph is being taken. If everyone starts laughing, chances are you'll laugh too. And genuine laughter almost always photographs better than a smile produced because somebody instructed us to. Another thing I've noticed is that the moment somebody announces a photograph, many of us become alarmingly formal. We stand straight. Shoulders square. Arms glued to our sides. Looking less like we're attending a birthday party and more like we're applying for a passport. Relax. Roll your shoulders back slightly and let them settle naturally. Good posture is great. Looking like you're reporting for military duty is probably unnecessary. One photography trick I remember from my sighted days is that people rarely look their best standing perfectly straight facing the camera. Turn your body slightly. Not much. Twenty to thirty degrees is enough. Then turn your face back towards the camera. It's a tiny adjustment, but it makes a surprising difference. And while we're talking about standing, don't stand on both legs like you're guarding a government building. Shift your weight onto one leg and let the other relax. Apparently, this looks natural. Personally, I spent years standing like a lamp post and wondering why everyone else looked more relaxed than me. Now let's discuss a subject nobody prepares you for. Hands. What exactly are we supposed to do with them? To this day, I'm convinced most people are improvising. You can put one hand in a pocket. Hold your cane. Hold a handbag. Hold a coffee cup. Rest a hand on your hip. Lightly clasp your hands together. The important word here is lightly. Not as though you're preparing to arm wrestle somebody. And if anyone genuinely knows the universal answer to "What do I do with my hands in photographs?", please let me know. One thing I still struggle with is the chin. Actually, "struggle" might be putting it mildly. My chin and I have a long history. Mostly of embarrassing photographs. Many of us develop little habits without realising it. Mine is lifting my chin slightly. More than once, I've happily posed for a photograph, heard the camera click, and a few minutes later somebody says, "Nice picture." Then comes the description. "Aishwarya, you're looking slightly upwards." Slightly upwards? What do you mean slightly upwards? Apparently, while everyone else was looking at the camera, I was looking somewhere above it. Why? No idea. Maybe I was waiting for divine intervention. Maybe I was checking on the weather. Either way, the photograph was already taken. I've had many of those "Why didn't anyone tell me before?" moments. Now I ask a trusted friend, "Is my head straight?" before the photograph is taken. It doesn't always work. But it has definitely reduced the number of photographs where I appear to be receiving important messages from the universe. Group photographs are actually easier in my opinion. You already have people around you, so use that. Turn slightly towards the person next to you. Stand a little closer. Put an arm around a friend's shoulder if that's comfortable. Family photographs, partner photographs and friend photographs often look best when there's some visible connection between people. Just make sure you've correctly identified who is standing next to you before enthusiastically putting your arm around them. I will leave the reasons for this advice to your imagination. One question I hear occasionally is whether people should hide their white cane in photographs. Personally, I never understood why. The cane is part of my life. It's part of my independence. It's part of my story. I don't see any reason to hide it. Another thing I've learnt is not to depend on a single photograph. Sighted people don't. They take ten photographs. Sometimes twenty. Then they choose the best one. We deserve the same luxury. Take multiple shots. Move a little. Try again. Change your position. Try a different smile. The odds improve dramatically. And finally, every visually impaired person needs one brutally honest friend. Not the friend who says, "You look nice" in every photograph. The friend who says: "Your head is tilted." "You're looking at the floor." "Turn slightly left." "That smile looks a little scary." Those friends are invaluable. Keep them around. And if that brutally honest friend isn't available, we now have AI. One thing I love about today's AI tools is how well they can describe photographs. Upload a few photographs and ask questions. Am I looking towards the camera? Is my head tilted? What are my hands doing? Do I look relaxed or stiff? It's one of the easiest ways for us to understand how we currently appear in photographs and identify little things we might want to improve. Of course, AI isn't perfect. But neither are friends. The advantage is that AI doesn't get tired of looking at the twentieth photograph from the same event. At the end of the day, photographs aren't really about perfect poses. They're about people. The occasion. The conversations. The laughter. The memories. The photograph is simply helping preserve all of that. Anyway, these are a few things I've learnt over the years. I'm still figuring some of them out myself. My chin occasionally reminds me of that. If you're a person with visual impairment and have your own tricks for photographs, I'd love to hear them. And if somebody finally figures out what we're supposed to do with our hands, please tell the rest of us. with regards, Aishwarya -- Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "AccessIndia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/a/accessindia.org.in/d/msgid/accessindia/CAN1woN7SQjngHU%2B8DktWwVpDr2wYqchT%3Dgu3Otd14e9ixx6aig%40mail.gmail.com.
