My names Keith and I’m a visual impaired, disabled photographer and under graduate student at the Open College of the Arts.
From an early age, I became interested in photography and art in general, taking photographs as a child during school trips and on family holidays. Shortly after leaving school in 1986 this began to diminish, However in 2004 whilst visiting Brittany with family and friends, my interest in photography was reawakened as I began to use a small digital Kodak compact camera taking photos of the areas stunning landscapes and coastline away from well-known tourist hotspots.
Returning home, I found myself browsing through different photography sites and magazines, eager to know more about photography in general and the different techniques used in creative photography. With this in mind I began attending local college evening and weekend courses exploring a variety of photographic genres, such as Macro photography, studio and location portraiture along with general digital photography techniques and methods.
My life took a dramatic change during September 1994, when I sustained a serious life-threatening head injury which from this point onwards changed my life completely. Now over twenty five years on I continue to live with a number of disabilities, these include having no left side to my field to my vision in both eyes, having restricted mobility with only full movement in one leg and the use of only one arm and hand. However, despite this over the years I have managed to find ways to adapt my photography through careful selection of equipment and pure determination that I’ve been able to continue my passion for photography. Admittedly I have to rely on others to drive when on location or act as a guide dependant on the terrain, or situation I’m looking to capture.
My photography has been influenced by photographers such as Henri Cartier Bresson, Martin Paar, William Erwitt and Ansel Adams. However, this said my more recent imagery I believe has the influence of photographers such as Fay Goodwin’s woodlands, Clyde Butchers reflections and Michael Kenna’s minimalistic approach, all of whom I have looked at during the course of my photographic studies.
I have a personal passion for Black and white photography, which has been strengthened further during my time with the Open College of the Arts and the research I’ve conducted during this period. Living life with disability can be challenging at the best of time, however over since 2004 my photography has helped me personally to distract my thoughts away from my disabilities and the conditions I have whilst giving me the oppertunity to focus on something I am passionate about.
If you’d like to know more about my photography please take the time to view and follow my photography on Facebook, or Instagram.
OCA Photography 3 (512503) 