Wheelchairs and photography

So I've always had an interest in photography. I can remember as a kid hanging around in my Dads darkroom, the red light glowing and the smell of the chemicals in the trays waiting for the paper.

Over the years I was content with the camera that came with my various phones until my eldest sister gifted me a Panasonic DMC-LZ40. Suddenly I was holding a Real Camera*. While it was a little small for my hands, it looked and felt like a Real Camera* should. I could go out and start taking photos again, and with the digital zoom on this thing I could take some amazing photos!

This one from the Southern Gateway Centre on Mount Ousley road, Bulli is one of my favourites

Since then I've also acquired a Canon 20D (a loan from my Grandfather, another who shared a passion for photography and cameras) and a Canon 80D, along with a small collection of lenses and other paraphernalia. I've taken photos of many, many, many birds and flowers and insects, and before I got sick, I used to go for walks down to local ponds and creeks to get some really nice photos.

Then I got sick. I didn't really stop taking photos, even when I was in Spinal Rehab at Prince of Wales. This flower is from the garden at the Rehab centre.

What DID change was how practical it became to be out and about and taking photos. I couldn't get in amongst the creeks and ponds any more and even trying to do something as simple as set-up say a moon shot became much more difficult because it turns out that having a functional pair of legs is really helpful when getting in amongst it all.

I've been able to have some success around the house in setting up a couple of small experiments, and I think I've done worn grooves around the local parks with the power chair, however I want to do more and for that I need to learn how to integrate my wheelchairs into the process. If I want to do a project like street photography, or long exposure water falls anything that's going to require more than a simple point and shoot, then I need to become a proper Wheelchair Photographer.

I'm not the only person who uses a wheelchair and is into taking pictures so this is going to be me learning about the hows and the whys and also the whens and the whats and possibly the whos. I'll blog about it and possibly do some video content about it. It's going to be fun :)