Thanks to digital photography, almost anyone can take a beautiful picture without the need of a dark room or strategic lighting - even the blind.

Tammy Ruggles, 54, was born with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative condition that results in the deterioration of the retinas over time. At age 40, she was declared legally blind and subsequently lost her career as a social worker.

'It was my chosen profession, and I didn't give it up lightly,' Kentucky-based Tammy explained in a post for Vox. 'When it disappeared, so did some of my confidence and sense of identity. What was I to call myself if not a social worker?'

Beauty in the eye of the beholder: Stunning black and white photos taken by Tammy Ruggles , 54, a legally blind photographer, were made possible thanks to digital cameras

Long lost dreams: Tammy (pictured left in 1965 and right today) was long a fan for photography as a young girl, but gave up the dream as a teen as her vision made it impossible

When she was a youngster, Tammy had been an avid fan of photography, picking up old Kodak and Polaroid cameras to snap shots of pets and family members with dreams of taking it farther.

But those dreams would be dashed as her vision deteriorated - she was unable to use the manually-operated cameras that were around in the age before digital photography, and her night blindness meant she would never be able to work in a dark room.

'So as a teenager I decided, regretfully, to put my love of photography in a box and leave it alone,' she said. 'I didn't feel bitter about it. It was just another adjustment I had to make given the vision problem I had.'

However, the idea remained in the back of her mind.

Over the years, Tammy read about great photographers and imagined the scenes she wished she could capture on film.

Then, in 2013, with no ability to drive, pursue her previous career or even to sketch pictures, she decided to go back to her childhood passion. With the advent of user-friendly digital cameras, it was more possible than ever before, so she ordered herself one.

The shapes of things: In an article for Vox, Tammy described how losing her job as a social worker brought her back to her passion for photography

Bit of a blur: Though legally blind, Tammy is able to see blurry shapes, explaining that her vision is 'like a camera lens that is turned so far out of focus'

The light and dark: Tammy sees best in contrast, which is why she prefers to work in black and white

'I still have some vision. "Legally blind" doesn't mean completely blind,' she said. 'Each person's experience is different, but for me it means that everything I see is extremely blurry — oddly enough, like a camera lens that is turned so far out of focus that you can't distinguish a person from a tree, or see where steps begin and end, or where the restroom door is, or what a person's features look like.

'I see the general blurry shape of things, and the closer I am to something, the better I can determine what it is.'

And with that in mind, Tammy was filled with self-doubt over her ability to take on the challenge, to actually become successful as a 'legally blind photographer.

But with some encouragement from her son, Tammy was eventually able to unwrap the camera and take it out into the backyard for a spin.

What she found in the images, after uploading them to her 47-inch monitor, was a whole other world than the one she could just barely see in front of her.

'Not only could I take the kind of pictures I'd always wanted to take, I could see things with my camera that I couldn't see without it, like it's a second set of eyes,' she said. 'A double gift.'

'A second set of eyes': After uploading images to her computer at home, Tammy is able to 'see things with my camera that I couldn't see without it'

Taking on the world: Tammy's work focuses mainly on nature, because her lack of vision is less of an issue while photographing landscapes

A bright idea: Tammy believes that her condition is actually an asset in her photography, as it helped her form her own style

The results of Tammy's 'double gift' are collected into a stunning series of black and white - because she sees 'best in contrast' - images that mostly feature scenes found in nature.

This is down to the face that Tammy's eyesight is less of an issue when shooting static objects and landscapes compared to capturing people.

'I can't tell if someone is looking at the camera, or if I'm cutting off heads, or centering, or if the lighting is right or wrong,' she explained.

But in other cases, Tammy believes that her vision condition is in fact an asset to her work, giving her a unique style. She doesn't dwell on the techniques that other photographers use - she isn't like them - and she doesn't obsess over things being perfect.

It's a quality she has likely gained through her struggles against - and acceptance of - her condition, which will continue to deteriorate as she ages.

'And when the day comes that I can't take pictures this way anymore, because my vision has deteriorated so much, then I will find a way for that to be okay, too, because I have a collection of photos that I'm happy with,' Tammy said.