I am grateful that my photo series “Living in the Shadows,” shot in Hong Kong, has been selected for the Official Selection of the 2024 International Photography Awards.
For as long as I remember, I have been fascinated by visual patterns in the world around me. Even as a child, I could spend hours watching the way the sun cast shadows on the walls of my bedroom. Later in life, I began to explore the interplay between light, shadow, and the shapes they create through my photography. I became obsessed with symmetry and the intricate lines and forms that surround us.
There’s a deeper reason for this:
Patterns provide a sense of order in a world that often feels confusing and overwhelming to me as an autistic person.
I can be at a party, for example, and feel completely clueless. There is no apparent order to the interactions between people. There are no discernible patterns in how they move and talk. Conversations flow unpredictably. I have no idea what to say or do. It’s like being swept away in a sea of sensory chaos. Each time, I drown. And every time, it hurts – because I feel like I’m outside the natural flow of the world.
But when I’m roaming the mountains with my camera, scanning the horizon for interesting compositions – as I was in Hong Kong last December – a sense of calm washes over me. The world doesn’t feel so chaotic and confusing anymore. I find a deep comfort in seeing buildings line up perfectly or watching the sunlight glide along the rooftops. In those moments, I feel a sense of harmony. Love, even. I am finally one with the world.
Patterns instill a sense of inner peace in my autistic brain.
I am not alone in this. As psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen explains in his book “The Pattern Seekers,” autistic people often exhibit heightened sensitivity to patterns, whether visual or otherwise.
This pattern-seeking quality allows many of us to offer original perspectives and draw connections between seemingly unrelated elements – whether it’s through artistic expression, deep problem-solving, or scientific exploration.
However, this intense focus on patterns can also become disabling when the external environment is unpredictable or lacks clear structure. Sadly, this is one of the reasons why many autistic people remain sidelined in society.
Without appropriate accommodations – such as clear and predictable routines, structured work or learning environments, and sensory-friendly spaces – autistic people never get a fair chance in life.
Too many autistic people still live in the shadows.
Their strengths remain unrecognized and their potential unrealized.
We can do better than this.
We can give everyone a fair and equal chance to thrive.
Because everyone deserves their moment in the light.
Photos: Close-ups of apartment buildings in Hong Kong before sunset, captured with a telephoto zoom lens from the surrounding mountains over the course of several days in December 2023.
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Beautiful port. Thank you.
Thank you, Bernard!