This could also be entitled, “HELP.”   In the post “By Way of Explanation-CRAO” I gave a poetic rendition of my sight loss in one eye due to, in English, an eye stroke.  This is a straight forward post sharing the consequences of the damage to my left eye.  Functionally I am blind in that eye and now have no depth perception.  However, I see color and shape but miss details altogether and everything in the center is a complete blur and really not there.

The problem, in the past I loved taking photographs and using them for gift cards and to write too.  I usually created more than just photograph out of them using Adobe Photoshop.  My first attempt at taking pictures was at the coast.  My left eye, the damaged one, is very much my dominant eye and the only eye I can use for a view finder.  The right eye just can’t do it.  I look at what I want to take, set the camera, put the camera up to my eye, focus (which means waiting for camera to beep since I can’t tell) then shot.  These shots were unremarkable but OK since how could I miss with ocean, sky and blooming yellow lupine?

It’s OK but not worthy of anything.  Next I did my favorite thing of close up flowers.  The original wasn’t framed right but I was able to crop and save and make it usable.

So I upped the trouble for myself.  We took the dogs for a walk in the park late in the day.  Beautiful shadows and I took my camera to practice.  My thought was if I placed my body in front of the scene with the right angle and view then put the camera up to my eye, I could succeed at composing a more complicated photo.  Just one small problem.  Even with both eyes my vision isn’t wonderful.  (I have glaucoma as well.)  I was trying for the pattern the tree shadows made on the grass.

I cropped out the power tower I got on the left.  The wires are still there.  I never saw our shadows on the grass with two eyes let along one.  Sigh!  Oh and I cut off the top of the front tree even in the original.

I turned to my right and there looking really quite cool in the yellowing light of early sunset was the play structure.  This picture had no land mine shadows and I was able to crop out the houses.  So it I can actually stand.

Maybe I can find some words for it or another use.  But you see my problem.

On vacation in Nebraska, I used my canon point and shoot that only has a screen.  My pictures were better composed but I had a lot of trouble using the screen because of the glare and my contrast vision is really messed up.  What I need is a good DSLR with a Kindle like screen that can stand the glare.  I’ve not looked but I have a hunch that’s a no way!

If any of you have an idea, suggestion, even a little bit of glimmer of an idea, send it my way please.  We’re off to the coast again soon and I will keep trying.  Good thing this isn’t film!