Tactile Photos

What if you could touch a sunset?

A 3D-printed tactile photograph of Courthouse Towers in Arches National Park, The raised relief captures the tall, vertical sandstone formations rising from the desert floor, with textured rock faces that convey the rugged surfaces and deep crevices of the cliffs. The foreground features subtle tactile patterns suggesting desert terrain, while the smooth upper section represents the open sky. At the bottom edge of the piece, a **braille label** identifies the artwork as “Courthouse Towers,” and a **QR code** beside it can be scanned to access an **audio description** of the scene. The artwork is monochromatic, emphasizing shape, depth, and texture to make the dramatic Utah landscape accessible through touch.

Tactile Photos brings photography into your hands through touch and sound.

Created by Ted and Carrie Tahquechi, our exhibitions pair photographs with tactile interpretations, audio descriptions, and guided tactile walkthroughs. Blind, low-vision, and sighted visitors are invited to explore the work together.

Our collection ranges from beaches and mountain landscapes to architecture, desert formations, and familiar landmarks. Each photograph offers a different place to explore, with details to discover at your own pace.

Explore Our Exhibitions

Photography you are invited to touch

At a Tactile Photos exhibition, touching the artwork is part of the experience. You can follow the lines of a bridge, explore the textures of a rocky landscape, or trace changes in light across a scene.

Each work brings together three components: the original photograph, a two-color tactile relief, and an accessibility plate with printed text, braille, and a tactile QR code. Using your phone, you can access an audio description of the photograph and a walkthrough that helps you locate and explore features of the tactile piece.

The photograph, relief, and audio each contribute different information. You choose how to explore them, how long to spend, and which details interest you.

Exhibition visitor, shared anonymously.

“Holding this print, my fingers are doing the looking. I’m not just being told what’s in the picture; I am discovering the landscape for myself.”

A closeup image of a person toughing a tactile print.

From a photograph to a tactile experience

We developed our process through years of experimentation with ways to make photography accessible through touch. Our work translates brightness information, shape and selected textures into raised surfaces, with careful attention to how a composition reads beneath someone’s fingertips.

Every tactile piece is printed in two contrasting colors to support visual exploration as well as touch. Its compact format allows visitors to explore the composition with their hands without having to move across a large surface.

Both of us contribute to the photography, artistic decisions, technical development, and accessibility of the work. Exhibitions and conversations with visitors continue to inform how we present the collection.

Meet Ted and Carrie

A two-part presentation of Sedona Sunset by Carrie Tahquechi, showing the original photograph on top and the 3D-printed tactile version below it. The top image is a vivid color photograph of Sedona’s red rock formations glowing in warm orange and purple tones beneath a dramatic sunset sky. Below it, the tactile version translates the same scene into raised relief, with textured layers that represent the cliffs, open desert, and smooth sky. The tactile print emphasizes form and contour rather than color, allowing the landscape to be experienced through touch. At the bottom edge of the tactile piece, a **braille label** reads “Sedona Sunset,” and a **QR code** beside it can be scanned to access an **audio description** of the artwork. The pairing highlights how a traditional photograph and a tactile version can work together to make visual art accessible to blind and low-vision audiences.

Exhibitions and public programs

A gallery wall at the Firehouse Art Center with tactile and traditional photos hanging.

Tactile Photos debuted at the National Federation of the Blind’s 2024 national convention in Florida. Since then, we have shared the work through exhibitions, community events, and ongoing installations. Across the U.S.

The collection includes photographs from the coast, the desert, mountain environments, and the built landscape, including work from Rocky Mountain National Park. A defined exhibition selection of approximately 15 to 20 pieces offers visitors a range of subjects and textures to explore.

Host an Exhibition

We welcome conversations with galleries, museums, libraries, disability organizations, parks, and community spaces about hosting the work. Alongside exhibitions, we offer smaller displays, supervised demonstrations, and public programs. These gatherings give visitors time to ask questions and talk with us about the photographs, the process, and accessibility in visual art.

Discuss Hosting an ExhibitionContact

A closeup image of a person feeling a tactile print.

Our Partners

Thank you to ElevenLabs, West3D, Polymaker, RedLine Contemporary Art Center, and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts for supporting the development and presentation of Tactile Photos.