Rick had been wanting to do a workshop like Imagine Me for a good while. He made great use of his time, trying out all the gear and learning to use a drawing program on the iPad. He had already purchased a new camera and iPad before the workshop ended!

Jayme was enthusiastic about the Panasonic DMC-FZ1000 with Leica 25-400mm zoom lens f2.8-f4. With the downloadable app that could control all aspects of he camera as well as the zoom, it made it much easier for him to manipulate. Like Rick, he also ended up buying a new camera because of the workshop! So great to see people inspired to continue creating.

While in Orange I took some time to check out Orange Regional Gallery. Here I saw a great retrospective of Christian Thompson, a notable indigenous photographer who often works with altered portraits. I used his work as one of the sources of inspiration for the workshop.

On the first day Chris seemed quite cynical about the whole experience and didn't seem like he was convinced that he wanted to be there. The second day he was so late that I was worried he wouldn't turn up at all, but in fact it turned out there was just a problem with his morning carers. That day he seemed to be much more positive, and said the workshop was “getting him out of the house, a chance to talk to other people with similar disabilities who understood what it was all about… and a change from feeding and talking to the magpies on the back deck.”

Chris found the camera work difficult, but really enjoyed the creation of his own image in photoshop. He was especially enthusiastic about posing for the photograph and he went to the trouble of going to a local costume hire store to find a superman cape. Chris really liked talking to the others in the workshop and the others encouraged Chris to talk about his life and himself. To our delight we discovered that deep down Chris was actually quite a philosopher and a deep thinker. “It’s the fear that you are not empowered to speak up but that is exactly what changes people’s attitudes and perspectives. My playing small does not serve the world. There’s nothing good about shrinking. I ask myself who am I. Who am I not to be as I am,” he said.

As the workshop went on Chris became more positive in his attitude about everything, was chatty and sociable with the whole group. The group in turn offered to meet up with him on a regular basis, just to catch up. These social connections made during the workshops can really be just as important as the skills learned for people who may not often get to socialise (especially with others who have had similar experiences).

When I was out and about in Orange, I found that the Union Bank hotel and restaurant has a fabulous atmosphere and architecture with indoor and outdoor courtyard. Luckily it is also accessible! I had the pleasure of eating these delicious vegetable dishes there, accompanied by my friend Rachel Ellis.

More updates coming soon

I was in Sydney on the weekend of the 19-20th of September for the Accessible Arts Expo, and while I was there I had the opportunity to do some research into the most recent cameras that would be most accessible for people with disability. I went into TEDS camera store in Sydney and physically tried out a number of cameras which were either touch screen or could be totally controlled from an app downloaded from the app store.

The cameras from Panasonic were the most accessible as they enabled control of all camera functions such as ISO, shutter speed and aperture but also the ZOOM — this was the only manufacturer that was combining higher end 1” sensor with the accessible app. 1" is not that high, but higher than the basic point and shoot which often have a sensor 1/2.3” (very small). See image above picturing the different sensor sizes.

The Panasonic app has a great user interface and so is easy to navigate, as is the camera functionality. Controls are not buried deep inside the menu so its simple to make your way around.

PANASONIC IMAGE APP — Download from the Apple Store or Google Play for Android

The camera has an electronic zoom therefore it is able to be controlled through the app. This is really amazing as the zoom is 25-400mm and is a Leica lens. The camera comes out of the Panasonic factory but is identical to the Leica.

Panasonic DMC-FZ1000 with Leica 25-400mm zoom lens f2.8-f4.  The camera is about $1000  
Check out this review www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonic-lumix-dmc-fz1000

This is the camera I recommend, because it can be totally controlled from an app on the iPhone or Android. The app is great to use and can also control the zoom — none of the other cameras enable you to control as much as this one. Panasonic DMC-FZ1000 with Leica 25-400mm zoom lens f2.8-f4.  This camera is not touch screen, but through the free Panasonic image app for mobile devices you can control everything including zoom.

Rachel is an artist, and has a beautiful home filled with artful objects and paintings lining the walls. It was such a pleasure to stay there, and it made the whole trip a lovely experience. A big thanks to Rachel!

In this particular workshop I worked with a group of 4 people. Their names were Sean Gibson, George Green, Ally Salter and Katherine Inwersen. Each had a different disability, and got different things out of the workshop program.

ALLY has cerebral palsy and let's us know if she likes something by an excited animated expression, as she cannot speak nor control her physical movements. She responded really strongly to the image previously created by Emily where her face is blended with that of a tiger. Ally loves animals and so we created a portrait of her in a beautiful fur jacket with a white tiger.

Ally is learning photography once a week and will now have a switch to enable her to control the camera shutter fitted to her chair. She is taking photos with her carer by expressing her excitement when she sees something she wants to make an image of.

SEAN took to the workshops straight away, showing a strong interest in drawing and cartoon-style imagery. For Sean, I developed an alternative program that enabled him to draw over the top of his photograph and then remove the underlying photographic image. He was particularly inspired by Popeye, using a pipe creating a speech bubble that has a statement about his concern for the environment. The result was amazing and he was obviously very engaged in the process.

At the end of the workshops we discovered that Sean had been a graffiti artist, and had actually acquired his brain injury while doing his graffiti art. His carers from ABI and family came along to the final exhibition and saw his focused interest in the program. They said that they intended to purchase the apps and iPad for his upcoming birthday. Sean also wrote by hand a long message of text about the environment that accompanies his image, which the carer agency took this back to the office and framed – they believed this would be an encouragement to his carers to see what Sean was capable of.

KATHERINE arrived at the workshop in a very negative space. She wanted to make an image that expressed her real feelings about her disability that she had always kept hidden since her horse riding accident 15 years ago. Her original ideas for her artwork were extremely bleak and lacking hope, so as we further discussed things I tried to focus on any positives I could find. After further conversation, I found that Kathy had a strong connection to her animals, and we spoke about how they loved and relied upon her.

The next day Catherine came to the workshop more positive and changed her image to include her animals and grandson in her portrait. They were waking with her down the road and leaving the bleakness behind. By the end of the project, Katherine said she felt so much lighter, having let go of the burden of her dark emotions. In an interview, she described art as "another means of self expression and communication" and saying that the workshops were "cathartic in the utmost degree."

I traveled out of Sydney on a dark and stormy day. As I drove along looking at this dramatic cloudscape, I couldn't resist stopping to take some photos.

Once in Goulburn, I had the chance to get my bearings and explore a bit. I stopped at the Grit cafe, well known by locals for its delicious food and accessible layout. The best thing I had was a salad of apple, celery and brown rice  to accompany an old favourite corn fritters with salsa. Yum!

Her home is on a beautiful sheep-farming property called Bohara. Walking around the paddocks in the early morning, I was happy to be out in the country again. It was still really cold and frosty at this point, with tiny, glittering ice particles covering the grass — and even the sheep!

Here I met up with my good friends Eloise Lindsay and Nugent Wade Brown. Nugent used to be a primary school teacher, and had been helping me out with the Crescent School workshops. It was so great to have him around to assist, as he has had years of experience teaching kids with special needs.

The restaurant served a totally fabulous gnocchi with smoked vegetables and cream sauce, which I really recommend to anyone who might be in the Goulburn area!

Next stop on the workshop tour is Bathurst, so look out for the next wrap-up post soon.