“My eyes are in my heart”

Joao Maia is a former postman from Sao Paulo. He lost his sight when he was 28 after developing uveitis, The Huffington Post reports. He can now only see some shapes and colors when they are as close to him as possible.

“My life is a huge water color painting,” the photographer says. In his words, you don’t need to see to take photographs. He often turns to sighted people for help – they describe to him the way athletes look and help him process the snaps. “My eyes are in my heart,” Maia says.

“I think photography gives me the opportunity to tell people that, although I am visually impaired, I exist, I am here. I register what I see, in my way: out of focus [and] blurry. But photography gives shape to my view,” Maia says.

Incidentally, you also have an opportunity to inscribe your name in the history of photo art. Seventeen years of photo history, 115 photo exhibits in the cities of Ukraine, and 778 decorated photographers. Add to this 35 cities that hosted the photo exhibits and 335,000 kilometers of roads (!) – from Chernihiv to Sevastopol, from Uzhhorod to Donetsk. These are just a few striking facts about the Newspaper Den International Photography Competition launched in the now distant 1998. In response to numerous requests from authors, the jury of this year’s Den Photography Competition has decided to continue receiving photographs until September 30. You can see all the competition details on Den’s website, in the newspaper, and on our pages in social networking sites. It does not matter whether you are an amateur or a professional photographer – the main criterion of evaluation is the quality of content. Don’t miss your chance!