An exhibition showcasing the photography of blind and partially sighted people is to open in Edinburgh.
The display features work by people with a range of sight loss conditions, all of whom are members of the Revealed Visually Impaired Photographic Group.
The group was set up three years ago and now meets monthly at the Edinburgh headquarters of sight loss charity RNIB Scotland.
One of the amateur photographers is Rita Simpson, 62, from Edinburgh, who developed tunnel vision 13 years ago and now only has 13 per cent vision.
She said: "One of the things we want to challenge in our work is the idea that people with sight loss can't be creative in the visual arts. We want the public to be more prepared to think outside the box regarding what those with sight loss can do.”
Accompanying each photograph will be a tactile interpretation of the image made by Sam Rutherford, who tutors the group, using the texture of ink on paper to give people with no sight a sense of tone and composition.
Rita, who spent most of her working life as a hairdresser, added: “Of course, it's more difficult for us to take good photos. My visual impairment, for example, means I can only focus on things in my central field of vision, which sometimes makes composition difficult. I just see the outline of shapes. So I tend to do more close-up shots than landscapes.
"But Sam Rutherford, our volunteer tutor who is a professional photographer in Edinburgh, helps us with things like checking the camera settings and focus. It can be difficult, but comparing what you think you can see in the viewfinder and the final photograph is sometimes fascinating."
“Sam worked closely with each photographer to discover what they wanted their photographs to say. She then set about creating the essence of each photo in such a way that it can be more easily understood by visually disabled audiences and everyone else who experiences the exhibition."
Alongside Rita’s, the exhibition celebrates the work of local amateur photographers Andreas Gartner, Anne Henderson, Fiona Powell, Alan McIntyre and Anne Dignan, with photographs on show available in postcard and notelet form.
Sam Rutherford said: "I've learned so much, myself, especially in doing the tactile versions of the photos on exhibition. I'd never worked in that medium before. It's been incredibly rewarding to work with such creative and diverse people. They all have such strong ideas of what they want to convey in their photographs."
The exhibition will run from July 23 at Circus Bistro, St Mary’s Street.
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