blindness

A wedding photographer specially created this "super contrast" image so that a blind groom could see pictures of his big day.

I met Blake Lindsay in 2016 when I was working on my first photo series about blindness. I worked with Envision, formerly Dallas Light House for the Blind, to document the stories of 15 people with a variety of visual impairments. Blake was the first of the company’s employees I met who took me on his journey as a blind person, or rather “handi-capable” person as he likes to describe himself.​

A team of scientists at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology have developed an artificial eye that could someday help cure blindness or even enhance human vision. For now, their creation boasts just 100-pixel resolution, but the groundwork has been laid.

Here's a 15-minute video featuring the internationally acclaimed sports photographer David Katz, a man who was diagnosed as being legally blind when he was just 3 months old.

Here's a short 2-minute feature by Great Big Story about the life and work of photographer Steven Erra, who isn't allowing his loss of vision and eventual blindness get in the way of his light painting photo work.

One of the great things about photography is that inspirational stories aren't hard to come by -- whether it's tragic circumstances that are being brought to light by a daring photojournalist or a success story about a young photographer who is just discovering his passion for this industry.

Street photographer Flo Fox's story is yet another kind of inspirational. It's a story of overcoming unimaginable adversity, and a rock hard determination not to let any of life's curveballs get in the way of doing what you love.

Tommy Edison is an incredible person. Born blind, he has managed to lead a successful, fulfilling life as a film critic, receiving national attention for his spot on reviews of movies like "Water for Elephants." But in addition to successfully reviewing a genre most would consider to be in the domain of the sighted, Mr. Edison is also a prolific Instagram user.

Cincinnati native Amy Hildebrand was born completely blind due to albinism, a disorder in which the body is unable to produce melanin (the pigment that gives color to hair, skin, and eyes).

Pete Eckert didn't start out too seriously in photography. Trained in sculpture and industrial design, he was working as a carpenter when one day a doctor diagnosed him with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic eye condition that leads to permanent blindness. He eventually discovered photography and has been doing amazing work since. The beautifully made video above sheds light on how he goes about creating art despite his visual impairment.