Do you take photographs of your daily life? Tell us about it in the comments! 😀

[Click images for image description]

Full paper here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1472586X.2021.1942188

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#AccessibleAcademia
Nothing about us without us
Who: Klein
Journal: Visual Studies
Published: 2021
Title: No selfies: the social world of autistic male adults as depicted in their everyday photographic practices

Everyday Autistic Photography

Creating & sharing photos of our daily life is now incredibly common, and provides a unique insight into the way an individual experiences
& interacts with the world

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This study looked at the photography practices of four male autistic adults.

Everyday photography practices are an opportunity for visual communication & sociality, as well as offering an insight into the unique ways and individual experiences being in the world.

Their photography was influenced by the unique approaches & understanding by which they navigate the world

[A photo shows the ground, with parallel shadows from a fence causing dark lines on the earth.]

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Notably, there were no selfies.
Participants did take pictures of other people, but usually in profile, at a distance, with their faces concealed, or with their backs turned.

[A photo of the London Underground, taken directly down a carriage, showing many vertical yellow poles. Peoples legs are visible.]

[A photo of a frog, gently held in a gloved hand]

Lawlor: Autistic people’s sociality includes “the complexity of real world engagements; worlds where even animals are participants and vehicles of engagement.”

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[A photo shows a street, with tall houses rising on each side, and a weather-worn road with a white line leading from the bottom left-hand corner towards the centre of the image. At the far end of the road, some people walk.]

“this line draws my attention. It forces you to lean a little back. It points you back, while these people point your vision to look forward. […] the people are not interesting to look at.”

The autistic adults use of photography shows how they interact socially with animals & the environment. They showed a detailed focus on patterns, light and composition, as well as spatial and temporal dimensions of photography