Blind photographer Andrew Follows relies on his hearing to take amazing pictures at the Commonwealth Games

Andrew Follows is quite the star at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

No one can believe that this 56-year-old man from Australia is blind, especially when they see how confidently he goes about taking pictures of all the sportspersons competing in the games.

Follows has a form of retinitis pigmentosa. This is a rare genetic disorder in which the cells of the retina are not able to sufficiently process light.

Follows is blind in the left eye and has tunnel vision in the right eye. This means he cannot rely on his eyes to compose or time his images.

Over the years Follows has developed techniques for making photographs. These work especially well in swimming events where he uses his hearing to follow the sound of the water splashing and the crowd.

Follows says he realizes the race is coming to an end when the crowd gets louder. At that point, he focuses his camera on the end blocks and start pressing the shutter button. He sees the final results on the computer.

He says the camera acts as his eye and allows him to see like everyone else.