Topic: A blind photographer - Ken Keen

[irv_b]

Having a mooch about on the web around LF photography and came across this video about Ken Keen. Never again will I complain about not being able to see a shot this guy is incredible
I had a quick search and there is a bit about him on a thread 2 years back but I thought it a worthwhile watch- I hope you enjoy as much as I did.
Sorry I couldn't embed the video you'll have to click the link

View: https://vimeo.com/124642746

[Francois]

Just remove the final s on https and it works everytime
The Art of Seeing - Documentary on Vimeo

[Paul Mitchell]

Ken is a good friend of mine, he only lives 10 mins away from me. I often pop round to talk about alt proc and pinhole. I often tell him about the crazy folk on FW, sadly he's unable to participate in anything online due to his eyesight. Next time I see him I'll tell him about an honourable mention on here.

[Late Developer]

This is remarkable.  Actually, it's inspirational.  I've just had a look at Ken's gallery on the RPS website and his photos are stunning.  If we ever needed proof that the art of photography is in one's "imagination" rather than the "craft", this is it.

[Francois]

Too bad he doesn't use a braille reader, it could be nice to have him drop by from time to time.

Maybe one of those read aloud programs could help? I think there must be a Firefox plugin for that...

[charles binns]

What a lovely film.  I had a look at his RPS gallery which has some lovely images.

I went to an exhibition of photographs taken by a totally blind artist in Mexico earlier this year.  He had been given a camera by an American photographer and used sound to compose images of his friends and family.  The shots he took were really rather moving. 

[Francois]

I went looking for some computer tools for the visually impaired and found these two resources that look good
http://usabilitygeek.com/10-free-screen-reader-blind-visually-impaired-users/
http://hellboundbloggers.com/2010/07/special-web-browsers-for-visual-impaired-users-8830/

[zapsnaps]

What a great chap. 'Inspirational' is a word, like 'awesome', which is chucked around so much these days, it has rather lost its meaning. But his photos, artistic vision, integrity and outlook are very inspirational to me. Thanks for posting this.

[Francois]

One thing I do love about the short doc is that it's one of those feel good movies I like so much...

[LT]

Ive had the pleasure of attending one of Ken's talks, and seen his prints in the flesh.Really wonderful pictures.

[6cmsquare]

Beautiful stuff. What is the exact printing technique he's using? (other than being a contact print) Was it being all done in daylight just for the sake of the video, or is it really only sensitive to UV light - I'm not familiar with it?

[Francois]

Cyanotypes can be done in regular household light as they're only sensitive to UV.
He's using a slightly different variation on the traditional cyanotype process that is called cyanotype rex. The biggest difference is that you get faster exposures when compared to the regular version. But in the end, the results are pretty much the same IMHO since they both use the same chemicals.

[Paul Mitchell]

Beautiful stuff. What is the exact printing technique he's using? (other than being a contact print) Was it being all done in daylight just for the sake of the video, or is it really only sensitive to UV light - I'm not familiar with it?

The majority of his images are salt prints (and some Cyanotype Rex) which can be made under normal lighting conditions due to his poor eyesight.

[Andrej K]

Wonderful testimony about the importance of the "mind's eye"... Really fantastic work, very inspiring...

[Ed Wenn]

Yes, Ken's work is wonderful. I love it. Actually, I think we discussed him on one of the Filmwasters podcasts a few years ago. I assume this was as a result of Leon's erstwhile connections with the Arena group.