In the past, I have written and shared on many occasions, that I am a color blind photographer. Being color blind has not stopped my learning of photography. It has also not stopped my improvement over the years. One thing that I have never mentioned until now, is that I am also dyslexic. Below you will read about both of these.
Color Blind Photographer
Previously in discussions about my color blindness, it was mentioned that I am likely color deficient and not color blind. It’s a roadblock to face no matter what way you put it.
How do I see colors? Well, I see them all but there are certain colors that when next to each other, look the same. For example, Melissa and I were hanging out with friends and the conversation got on the topic of their wall color. They were considering a new color for the room we were sitting in. Near the end of the conversation, Melissa mentioned that she liked the blue walls. Turns out that the entire time, I thought the walls were a deep green. Why is that? Well, our friends painted the walls blue, but never re-painted the deep green that was inside of the built-in storage.
Things like this happen to me on a regular basis, many times while shooting and of course when processing.
To assist my processing, there are a few things I do.
- Use the ColorChecker Passport while shooting
- Use the ColorMunki to calibrate my monitors
- Ask Melissa to verify colors when needed
- Request for color correction / verification from print labs when needed
If you are reading this and are also a color blind photographer, know that you can still be a photographer. Know that having a roadblock is not something to get stuck on. Known when to ask for help and learn from it. If possible, adapt. Of course, there are many levels of color blindness, so not everyone can adapt.
Dyslexic Writer
I was not diagnosed with dyslexia until I was a senior in high school. For my entire life until college, I thought that my bad grades were due to not being smart enough. Turned out that being dyslexic had something to do with it.
What is dyslexia? It is a reading disability that occurs when the brain does not properly recognize and process certain symbols. So for me, I often time invert words or letters, thus making it difficult to learn through reading. It also makes it more difficult to proofread my own articles, papers and books.
Like any roadblock in life, there are many levels to dyslexia. Mine is mild, but still enough to make it difficult. Years later, after focusing on blogging and returning to college to achieve a bachelor’s degree, I came to realize just how much it affects me. Very often I have to put down a book that I’m reading for school, or an article I’m writing for my blog or at work. Many times I will ask Melissa, who is a language arts teacher, to proof read a paper I am writing for school.
As mentioned, roadblocks can be bypassed. The key is to find how.
When blogging, there are a few ways I proof read my articles.
- Use the built-in Mac spell checker
- Use the built-in WordPress spell checker
- Use the WordPress plugin, After the Deadline
Even with three spell checkers in use, sometimes errors get through.
Real example: Recently I had a phone interview scheduled for a big paper I am writing. The phone number started with the area code, 585. I dialed the number and when the phone was picked up on the other end, it was a wrong number. I looked at my call history and it turned out that I dialed the exact number, but starting with the area code 858. However, in my head I was reading 585 while dialing.
In A Nutshell
So there you have it. I’m a color blind and dyslexic photographer and blogger. I often make mistakes when writing, but that’s me. When I make a mistake, I learn from it. How? Well, I will keep that mistake in the back of my mind. Then when shooting or writing something in the future, I will try my hardest to get passed the original mistake so it doesn’t happen again.
Another example of a photographer who faces a serious roadblock to his work, is Jaleel King. Jaleel is a photographer who also happens to be paralyzed and in a wheelchair. Jaleel is fearless and creates amazing photography despite his roadblock. Check out this video that he published:
Are you someone who has a roadblock that directly affects your work? Please comment below to share.
Thanks for reading and happy shooting,
Scott
Great Article, and video, also having mild dyslexia I understand your hurdles. I am still unsure if it made learning the relation between aperture and shutter – easier or more difficult, lol. good read thank you!
Thanks man. I didn’t know you had dyslexia too. Apparently a bunch of my photo friends have some form of it.
I teach photography to jr high and high school students. I have a new student who is 12 with severe dyslexia and can’t read. Does anyone have tips on how I should adapt teaching her because I really want her to enjoy and excel at photography. She is a very visual learner and creative. Will this affect her being able to shoot on manual mode and have to get into the menu of her camera?
My wife teaches students with dyslexia and is trained in the Wilson program. I’m not certain, but I’m sure some of that methodology could be adapted to photography education.
Thank you. I will investigate this.