Virtual photo walks open new vistas
Canadian’s ingenuity helps the disabled
Having viewed her world through a veritable pinhole for so long, it’s no wonder C. Corey Fisk, a bedbound paraplegic, is so drawn to photography.
Until recently, the California shutterbug’s subjects were limited to two oak trees, a fence, some grass and a couple of bird-feeders — that she could see out the sliding glass doors of her room. But thanks to a Canadian man’s ingenuity, Fisk’s lens is now as wide as the globe itself.
Virtual photo walks, founded by Ontario’s John Butterill, allow people with disabilities to remotely participate in photo-shoots around the world. With a little technical wizardry, they can see the complete landscape, as well as the camera’s viewfinder image, and direct the photographer to capture the shots they want.
“For people who literally can’t leave their bed, the power — and the empowerment — that comes with this is incredible,” says Fisk, whose severe mobility restrictions are caused by multiple sclerosis. “I’m not the most, shall we say, soft and sentimental person. But I was basically in tears (after my first session). . . . It was immensely moving.”
Using the tag line “walk the walk for those who can’t,” virtual photo walks were founded in February on the social networking site Google+. During a video “hangout” with a fellow photographer, Butterill realized that by making a few adaptations, he could tie the functionality of his iphone to his DSLR camera (details are explained on the Virtual Photo Walks web page).
He then tested his theory by taking Fisk on a photo tour of the Canadian winter — a particular thrill for the native New Englander, who after moving out West thought she’d never again see snow.
“I told her, ‘You’ll be able to see what I see; the camera lens and iphone lens will match up, and you tell me what you want to shoot,’” says Butterill, 60. “They were her pictures. I was just the ears, legs and hands.”
Not long after, the Rosedale, Ont., man provided the same opportunity to an online acquaintance’s seven-year-old child, who was in the hospital for Crohn’s colitis treatments. The boy’s father was so moved by his son’s experience that he recounted it in a poignant post on Google+.
“I read that and knew my life was changed forever,” recalls Butterill, who that morning began work on an official Virtual Photo Walks page.