Making a Breakthrough – Eventually!

Well, it’s the end of April now – nearly May – and at last I do have some news to report, although it’s not quite the news I was expecting to share. I still haven’t had that breakthrough with the Erik-style camera technique I was seeking. Instead, the bolt from the blue (when it came) was about ‘what’ I do, not ‘how’ I do it!

Walking round Canal Gardens,
then stopping for a cuppa!

Inspired by a talk from Ted Leeming, and another from Cherry Larcombe, I thought about all the things we’d been noticing on our walks around Canal Gardens (a small area of our local park) – seeing the new growth of spring – buds on the trees; flowers and their leaves, with so many textures and different greens – the shades, tones and tints; the bright white bark on the silver birch trees; a rainbow sparkling in the mist around the fountains. I could use the camera to capture them all – to help me see them better, engage with them more, reinforce the therapeutic benefits of Mother Nature.  

I just need a tripod – a mobility-tripod FOR ME!!!

That’s my breakthrough – a mobility-tripod FOR ME!!!

So we went to our local Mobility Shop last week to test-drive a lightweight ‘four-wheeled-walker’ aiming to see whether the ‘Tripod-for-Me’ idea would work as well in practice as it did in my head – and it was brilliant, immediately brilliant. It seemed to have hidden photographic super-powers!!

And the woman in the shop was brilliant too, joining in with the process (even though I doubt that many people come in for a mobility-aid wearing an DSLR on a shoulder strap, and then proceed to walk around the shop testing the walker/camera combo!) She even pointed out that the walker had a bag “for my extra camera equipment”. What a sales pitch!!! And so the test-drive quickly turned into, can we buy it NOW?

(Mind you, it’s the cheapest bit of camera equipment I've ever bought!!!)

And that’s what the two montages on this page are about – the over-excited snapping of my ‘inner 5‑year-old self’ – though unfortunately the combination of wet weather, then very cold, windy weather plus three (routine) medical appointments mean that Ian, me, the walker and the camera have only had one real outing (leading to the image at the top of this page). The montage below was taken in the shop and around the house.

Test-driving the walker/camera combination,
in the shop and then later, round the house

Now I accept that it’s not strictly ‘wheelchair photography’ – it’s really only ‘reduced mobility photography’ – and you might think that I’m still some way from achieving my goal of:

“embracing wheelchair photography, instead of struggling to make the transition and, as a consequence, blaming it for being a poor imitation of my former, able‑photography”

But, to me, it’s felt like a proper ‘Road to Damascus’ breakthrough because I've stopped all that mental anguish – the analysing, over‑thinking, the intellectual fight – and instead I’m child-like and enthusiastic again. Excited at the prospect of the camera living in its rightful place on the kitchen table, ready to come with us, whenever we go out of the door.

Wallet, keys, phone, yes. Camera, yes, yes, yes. Good-to-go!!

Excited at the prospect of having the camera nestling into my hand; of seeing, noticing, engaging with the world around me, with Mother Nature; of sharing it with Ian, with you, with random passers-by.

Yes – I've fallen in love with the camera again.

I know that there’s still ‘work’ to be done – I need to establish ‘best-practice’ with the walker (ensuring good posture) and with the camera (keeping its weight near to my body and thereby minimising the strain on my back, for example). But I know it will be worth it. As Rachel Howfield Massey (leader of ‘Other Ways to Walk’) wrote recently:

“People are often surprised how quickly they notice a change in their sense of wellbeing when they start connecting with nature – and how simple it is to achieve this …

The difficult part is usually remembering to do it.”

I believe – well, I sincerely hope – that this re-ignited passion for photography (allied with a re‑connection with nature) is a transferable asset. So then it will only be a small step from ‘reduced mobility photography’ with the walker, to a more contemplative, sedentary style of photography with the wheelchair. And then I’ll be spoilt for choice – two different techniques for different days and different moods!!

Well, that’s what I believe/hope/trust will happen.

Watch this space!

Paddy xxxx

April 2024