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Showing posts from 2010

Trails and Trials of a Wheelchair Photographer

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Of all the terrains I have been on this one looks fairly simple. I rarely challenge my scooter's mobility when I am on a solo shoot. I am comfortable with pavement and shallow gravel and trails through low cut grass. I did recently get into a situation that was a steep incline and of all of my concerns I never thought that a stall on a steep hill would happen. Especially with well charged batteries. That is exactly what happened. I almost topped a  steep incline, not much higher than the one pictured here and right before reaching the top my scooter stalled and stopped. Having a fear of heights I was determined not to look back the very long slowly rising incline. I pulled my key out and pushed it back in to try to restart it but nothing. The circuit had been thrown and the button I needed to reset it was out of reach from my position. This is typically when anger and fear ultimately kick in. I got my cellphone and called my husband. While I was waiting I cursed under my breath

Independence Day Parade 2010

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In my Sophomore year of college I went through a very metamorphic and painful change. It was my year of enlightenment, the year I realized that the more I learned the more I knew very little about this world, the universe and how things work. I went head to head with an English professor whose heart and soul was into that years presidential election. That year I stood on everything that I was taught to believe and voted for a President that if I had known what it meant, the things that would transpire after and the regret I would feel afterward I would have never voted that way. It is very difficult to give up what you know sometimes when you have held on to it for so long, even for the truth. However, there comes a time when you have to ask yourself do you really want your fundamental beliefs centered around something you know is a lie? In this picture are some kids riding on a float in the 4 th of July parade. Independence Day! The day that marks freedom and liberty. The kids a

A Wheelchair View: Life Beyond Death

A Wheelchair View: Life Beyond Death

Life Beyond Death

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One of my favorite things as a kid was to get on my bike (I had a big three wheeler) and ride with my younger brother down the long driveway of our farm in a little town called Miltonville, and go to the Miltonville Cemetery across the street. We enjoyed reading all the stones as if they were part of a giant history book and made it a point to stop by the old well that rested in the center of the place. Despite knowing where we were, we grew up believing that there was something that came after death. We were fascinated with the thoughts of ghosts like most children are, but our faith was in an afterlife and for me I enjoyed going because of the spirits that still lingered like the birds, squirrels, rabbits, the trees and the wind. Even the statues and the stonework seem to have spirits of their own. The photo of the "Twisted Tree," was taken at Greenwood Cemetery in Hamilton, Ohio and serves as an example of some of the wondrous things you can find within the gates. I fi

A Wheelchair View - Changes

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I have been neglecting this blog a lot lately and to my readers, I am very sorry. My mind and my life has shifted into career mode concentrating on my photography. Photography is a risky field to get into, even more so for a physically challenged woman in a wheelchair. I am not saying that to lead into any sort of pity trip, that's not my style. I am however, pointing out some pretty obvious challenges that there are to being a photographer in a wheelchair. For example, high and low shots have to be approached somewhat more creatively than someone who can climb a latter, or lay down on the floor. It doesn't mean that I can't get the shots that I want, it just requires a bit more of a journey to get there. I have grown to look at challenges as adventures, sometimes things work out as planned, sometimes they are a bloody nightmare. Sometimes I get the shot that I am working for and sometimes, more often than not, it comes out better. The point is even when I fail I wheel aw

Taking the Physical Challenge

Over Christmas the disabled community lost two of it's members by the taking of their own lives. One had been suffering greatly with AIDS and the other was crushed by chronic pain and financial pressures. When I learned of this my blood ran cold and the horrific idea that more was to come during this economic crisis flooded my thoughts. My own experience is not exempt from the hardships that these men face. There are many things that I need that I don't have the resources or the money for. I am still amazed at how many people assume that a disability paves the way to an easy life, that the government takes care of the bills and medical needs. While there is awesome help there are also many strings and many road blocks that a disabled person has to overcome to gain financial Independence and stability. When it is gained it is very fragile, it only takes one bout of sickness, an injury or mechanical failure to rip it away. I didn't bring you to this dark place to talk about t