For 27-year-old Katie Todd, her world is silent and seen through a shadowy veil of colour.
Profoundly deaf and partially sighted, she relies on routines and one-on-one care, although behind her daily struggle is a unique gift.
As a talented photographer, her images were among 58 local works displayed at a Kapiti Coast-inspired Te Ara Korowai photography exhibition last week.
PATTERNS: Katie sees the world in a unique and precise way, depicted in her photography.
Photo: Katie Todd / KAP090715SPLfoot
Relying on the partial sight of one eye, the youngest of nine siblings has found enjoyment in capturing scenes from everyday life, using a compact camera to offer stirring insight into her mind.
"When we'd go for a walk to the beach or up town, she'd spend an hour taking photos of the things she loves, including wheels and feet," said Katie's friend and ex-community support worker Angela Chamberlain.
"Like all photographers, some of the photos she took weren't much, but then some were amazing."
Among activities including weekly horse vaulting, gym visits and swimming, the pair spent two years capturing scenes at different locations on a Friday, with Angela, also a photographer, editing Katie's captivating works.
"I think Katie has a very creative mind, while also thinking quite literally.
"For example, how many people would find a shape and think of it as similar to the pattern on their shoes, and take photographs of it?
"She's just awesome."
Christine Todd, Katie's mother, said her daughter first showed interest in photography at age 12, when she took a photo angled down a slide at Frank Kitts Park in Wellington.
"We thought, this is interesting, because she had taken it very specifically from the top of the slide down to the bottom, and it had all this graffiti on the sides.
"That's what got us on to buying her a camera, and now she has a heap of photos.
"What she had on display at the exhibition is just a drop in the ocean."
For a person whose life has been met with difficulty and frustrations, photography is a means of mental and creative release.
"The thing we love about Katie's photography is that we see the world the way she sees it," said her mother, who captures images of Kapiti Island for gift cards.
"It's lovely she can find beauty and through her photography share what she sees as beautiful."
Mrs Todd described her favourite of Katie's photos as Beauty and the Beast, a piece she named, that depicts the front of a dirty old tyre, with fresh white daisies coming out from underneath.
