“Can visually impaired people really take photographs?”
Like many others, Wong Yuk, director of the Chinese lifestyle platform DL, was sceptical when he first heard about blind photography. A collaboration between DL and DBS in 2019 transformed his thinking.
Participants of the Moment of Purpose photography exhibition
“We visited many social enterprises with DBS Hong Kong during the summer of 2019. That’s when I encountered Sightfeeling, a blind photography group,” recounts Yuk, who met Sightfeeling’s cofounder Fishing and learnt about the interesting way he experiences photography. Yuk was amazed by the ability of visually impaired photographers to draw on their other senses. If they smell sulphur, they know there are fireworks; if they hear hooves on the ground, they know sheep are nearby; if they feel a breeze, they can find a stream. Yuk was amazed and, at the same time, ashamed of his scepticism.
“We always tend to find something to be unhappy about,” Yuk muses. “But when even visually impaired photographers can achieve their dreams, I have to ask myself – shouldn’t we all be reaching higher?” It was this epiphany that planted the seeds for the Moment of Purpose photography exhibition.
Life is full of uncertainties, but also unexpected blessings
“Sightfeeling won the 2019 DBS Social Impact Prize, and subsequently connected with DL through one of our projects. Us three coming together had to be fate,” says Amy Wu, Head of Group Strategic Marketing and Communications, DBS Bank (Hong Kong). “When Yuk proposed a charity photography exhibition, we were sold!” The pandemic had been a source of great stress, particularly for local minorities. By showcasing photographs captured by four local singers and Sightfeeling photographers alongside the DBS stories that inspired them, Amy hoped to draw attention to unexpected blessings amid the hardships.
“Can visually impaired people really take photographs?” Fishing gets this question a lot.
“Yes! And more,” he says. “Several of us travelled to Sri Lanka in 2017, where we volunteered at a local blind organisation and talked about cameras and photography. We had consulted with four visually impaired photographers prior to the trip, and we returned home amazed by the potential of blind photography. We started exploring options for hosting blind photography events in Hong Kong. That’s when Sightfeeling was born.” In the short years since, Fishing’s team has grown bigger and bigger, attesting to the limitless possibilities in life, right up to the finish line.
Sightfeeling cofounder Fishing (L) and Sightfeeling photographer Kwok Kin (R)
DBS Team Story: Inspiration for Visually Impaired Photographers
Participating in the Moment of Purpose exhibition were four visually impaired photographers. One of them is Kwok Kin, who has just 10% of his vision remaining. He took drawing lessons as a child, which gave him a keen eye for lines and flow. Today, this drives his passion for photography. “For me, photography is not just about capturing a moment. With only 10% of my vision remaining, I often need to get up close to see my subject better.” This has shaped his personal style, which is to think carefully and watch closely.
Another exhibitor is Sophi, who is fully blind and relies on sound, touch and smell to sense her surroundings and capture scenes. She uses other people’s verbal descriptions and sensory cues such as the ticking of a clock to gauge her surroundings, then composes the scene in her head before taking her shot. She has captured many unexpected images this way.
Sightfeeling photographer Kwok Kin has a keen eye for lines and flow. With only 10% of his vision remaining, he is determined to continue pursuing his passion for photography.
Amy hopes to influence society for the better through DBS stories.
Like many others around the world, the pandemic left Amy feeling adrift. This inspired her to bring positivity to society through DBS stories, each recounting a challenge that DBS had overcome together with its clients, colleagues and the community. These stories were showcased at the exhibition together with the Sightfeeling photographs that they inspired, such as DBS Bank (Hong Kong)’s Head of Group Procurement Services Alison’s dramatic story of procuring masks that inspired Sightfeeling photographer Cathy to capture a photograph of the sun peeking through a veil of heavy clouds.
There are multi-sensory postcards for sale at the exhibition – perfect for heartfelt messages to loved ones.
It has often been said that the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts. It is the hope of Amy, Yuk and Fishing that this exhibition will inspire and challenge each of us to reach for more, bringing hope and change to the people around us.