What is the secret of the blind photographer who conquered the world with fantastic shots

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Pete Eckert could not have imagined that someday he would not only be engaged in photography, but also become a famous photographer. Until the trouble happened, and he began to lose his sight. However, if this terrible disease forces some people to withdraw into themselves and cut off all communications with the outside world, then for Pete Eckert it became a kind of lever, grabbing which, he was able to turn his whole life.

Not being able to see and using only his own senses, this man became a photographer, whose fascinating works have spread all over the world and not only brought him real fame, but also helped to find himself again.

Terrible disease

Pete had big plans for the future. He studied sculpture and industrial design. I was going to continue my studies at the University of Yale at the Faculty of Architecture. But suddenly he began to notice that he was losing his sight. The young man underwent a medical examination and heard a disappointing diagnosis: retinitis pigmentosa. And after a while, after watching the television show of Dean Edel, Eckert learned that his illness is considered incurable, which means that blindness cannot be avoided. It took the guy about two years to realize and accept this sad fact. Eckert was aware that due to blindness he would have to give up a lot of things. Remained in the past and the construction site, where the guy worked before his illness. With constantly deteriorating eyesight, it was unsafe to stay there, and Pete had to move to another state with his mother. By the way, he went there not alone, but with his friend Eni, who did not leave her beloved in trouble and soon became his wife.

Searching for a job

Before the guy began to plunge into complete darkness, he managed to get a master's degree and become the owner of a black belt in taekwondo. By the way, Pete Ecker was so successful in mastering the technique of martial arts that for some time after receiving the black belt he worked as a taekwondo coach. His students and sparring partners refused to believe that an almost blind person could be a serious opponent in sports. But as Pete demonstrated his abilities, mistrust gradually gave way to surprise, and then respect. Ecker later shared his secret of success. He said that sound orientation helped him to win in sparring. And this instinct replaced his eyesight. But all this could not help him get normal money, and Pete was constantly tormented by one question: how to feed his family? It should be said that Ecker had an incredible tunnel vision. Therefore, already being blind, he was able to read. The young man tried to get a job at a bank, but he was refused everywhere as soon as they learned about the disease. Faced with a problem, Eckert was outraged at how blind citizens were treated in his country, whom, it would seem, the government should provide assistance … In fact, there was practically no work for the visually impaired. This is evidenced by the numbers - the unemployment rate for people with visual impairments at that time was 85%. When Pete was in his early twenties, he made graphite paintings and was engaged in wood carving from morning to night. The wife constantly had to be near and evaluate the quality of his work. This activity was a continuous torment for both. In addition, she did not provide a good income, and they had to, as they say, make ends meet. And in 1996, when Pitt was 30 years old, tunnel vision also disappeared - he was completely blind.

Self-taught photographer

Pete could not sit around and did not give up the hope of getting money. And then one day, while taking apart a box with old things of his mother, a man stumbled upon a camera. It was an old 1950 model. Pulling the rarity out of the box, Pete persuaded his wife to help him learn how to use it. This was in 2000, when digital devices had not yet succeeded in replacing film ones. Before his illness, Eckert did not have to deal with photography and, of course, he knew absolutely nothing about it. However, this did not stop the young man from purchasing all the accessories for photography. Moreover, he visited the photo shop every day and asked the sellers questions. Thus, the man learned the basics of the art of photography.

Pete Ecker bought himself a Uzu shepherd dog and went with her on evening walks. By the way, Uzu was not only a good guide, but also a brave defender. It was the dog who once saved Ecker's life by protecting him from hooligans who saw an easy target in a blind person. At first, the newly-minted photographer took pictures of statues. But after a while I began to look for more interesting topics. He wanted to show other people what the world of the blind is. Success After a while Ecker had already accumulated so many works that it was possible to organize the first exhibition. Success awaited the photographer - his works were praised and even purchased for their collections. Finally, a white streak began in the life of Pete Eckert. The work began to generate income, and within twenty years after the onset of complete blindness, he was able to become a rather popular photographer. The unusual and at the same time amazing photographs caught the attention of the publishers of Playboy, and Ecker was commissioned a series of erotic photographs made in his style. To be honest, they looked a little creepy, but the customers were delighted.

Pete Eckert's demand grew every day. In 2013, Swarovski decided to use his services, offering to take photographs of jewelry created by the company's designers for an exhibition at the summit of famous jewelers in Austria. Once again, the customers were satisfied with the work done. Pete Eckert received another large order from the advertising agency Grabarz and Partner, which, on behalf of Volkswagen, invited Ecker to take photographs to advertise his new car. He agreed. Eckert had never photographed a car the way he had seen it before.

What's the secret?

"How can a blind photographer take pictures like this?" Some ask. The fact is that the master prefers to work under infrared lighting and practices long exposures. In addition, he, like a bat mouse, uses his own voice in order to study the subject being filmed. The photographer first listens attentively, and then touches the subject with his hand. This technique helps him to feel the connection between the subject and the sound. Ecker said that any, even the most motionless object is endowed with its own sound, a combination of specific vibrations that cannot be confused with anything else. According to Eckert himself, he sees "light" emanating from himself. This sensation occurs in amputees. They seem to feel the severed leg or arm. The photographer is sure that this feeling he owes to his constant efforts, which he made in order to learn to perceive the world around him. Many of his masterpieces Pete Eckert created in his home studio. But there are photographs, perhaps the most breathtaking ones, that combine unusual figures with the background of city streets or natural landscapes.

It is also known that Pete Ecker was also involved in photographic journalism. For example, in the album, which the author called "Bus Series", Eckert clearly demonstrates the difficulties that blind and visually impaired people have to face in urban modes of transport. "My work connects the world of the seeing with the world of the blind," said Eckert. Looking back on the past years, Pete Ecker admits that they were difficult for him. The blind photographer had to overcome many difficulties. But he managed to cope with them and declare himself to the whole world. With his works, the author seemed to continue the impressionist movement that existed many years ago. History knows that some impressionist painters had problems with the quality of vision, and even then they tried to show society a different way of seeing ordinary objects. Therefore, today we can confidently state that blind photography is another stage in the development of this art form.