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Photos seen through the eyes of the visually impaired

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Sensory photography has enabled three visually-impaired individuals to take photos using their other four senses.

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Free Malaysia Today
This incredible nature shot was captured by Sabahan Ahar Tabe who is visually impaired. (Ahar Tabe pic)

KUALA LUMPUR:
Ahar Tabe looks like any other young man. Wearing a black baseball cap with a camera in hand, he is deep in concentration as he considers the best angle, light and composition of the cluster of flowers he is about to photograph.

But there is one unique fact about the 26-year-old Sabahan: he is visually impaired, and can only make out vague shapes and colours.

Despite living with visual impairment since young, he has always harboured a love for photography, and in 2018, the door of opportunity opened for him.

“When I was studying at the Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB), I came to know about a sensory photography class. So, I took the opportunity to increase my knowledge about photography,” Ahar told FMT, adding that he was overjoyed to learn it was still possible for him to take good shots.

In sensory photography, the senses of touch, smell, taste and hearing come into play when taking photographs since the sense of sight has been compromised.

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Photography enthusiast Ahar Tabe is visually impaired, which means he can only make out vague shapes and colours. (Muhaimin Marwan @ FMT Lifestyle)

Ahar was also taught how to use patterns and textures to enhance the quality of his photographs. Since then, he has been capturing some of the most beautiful shots, with nature and buildings being subjects close to his heart.

“I would really encourage other visually-impaired individuals to take up photography as this can be a way to explore new things and discover other opportunities,” he said.

Vivian’s story

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Despite having extremely low vision, Vivian Kwek has a passion for photography. (Muhaimin Marwan @ FMT Lifestyle)

Always with a camera in hand, Vivian Kwek loved taking photographs of her late mother. Today, she treasures these as they have become the only physical means for her to remember the beautiful moments they spent together.

“But I didn’t know what the real meaning of photography was,” shared the 61-year-old, who said she has extremely low vision and severely impacted night vision.

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Kwek put to practice techniques she learned in sensory photography to capture this stunning shot. (Vivian Kwek pic)

Like Ahar, she, too, enrolled for sensory photography and it was an eye-opening experience for her. “We were taught how to use the camera properly, about light and shadow, as well as how to include feelings and emotions into each picture.”

She said that besides photography being a means to capture good memories, it was a “very useful hobby to enhance and empower” oneself.

Jamaliah’s story

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Jamaliah Mohd Yasin became blind from glaucoma when she was 60 years old. (Muhaimin Marwan @ FMT Lifestyle)

Jamaliah Mohd Yasin has always loved photography, largely due to her father who was a freelance photographer. However, when she was 60 years old, her world turned dark when she became completely blind from glaucoma.

When she heard about sensory photography, something clicked. She decided to enrol and in no time, she was taking photos again.

“I’ll imagine something in front of me, angle my camera, and shoot. Sometimes, I’ll just follow my heart,” she shared with FMT.

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Jamaliah uses her power of imagination to take memorable photos. (Jamaliah Mohd Yasin pic)

For the jovial 68-year-old, practice makes perfect, and to date, she has taken more than 11,000 photographs. Her efforts have paid off as she won the special recognition prize in Huawei’s Next-Image Photography Awards in 2018.

“When I lost my eyesight, I felt like I couldn’t do anything. But I was wrong as actually, I can do something for myself. I can make myself happy, and everyone around me happy too.”

Community support

The sensory photography programme, which is a mix of theory-based lessons and field trips, is an initiative by Plus Community Partnership, a communication and design company that aims to actively empower the underserved community.

The company collaborated with photographer David Lok from Studio DL who structured the syllabus, and M Thavasothy from MAB who played the role of coordinator.

Monica Chen and Ken Goh, co-founders and creative directors of Plus Community Partnership, shared their thoughts with FMT.

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Monica Chen.

“We want to help the community in ways that can empower them and to teach them something so that they can help themselves. We don’t want to give you a fish, and then have you come back for a fish again. We want to teach you how to fish and do it really well,” said 56-year-old Chen.

Since 2018, the students’ photographs have been showcased in two exhibitions, with the latest being RHB’s “Art with Heart” which was open to the public from Sept 6-11.

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Ken Goh.

Meanwhile, Goh, 56, added: “For us, we realise that sensory photography is more than photography: it’s bigger than that. It has helped them to regain their confidence. And for other people to realise that if the marginalised community are given a chance and some guidance, they can shine. They can prove to you that anything is possible, and they are capable of achieving it.”

Learn more about Plus Community Partnership via its website.

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