Expressive Hands

Focus: Emphasis, Contrast, Balance

Goal: Created a series of photos that capture a story through portraiture of hands.

Objective: Create a series of 3-5 photos that captures the expressive portrait qualities of the human hands. Your series should be captivating and have a message or tell a story. Do not be trite or cliche. Go beyond a couple holding hands because they are in love. Think about these ideas: How do our hands help us with our everyday functions? What do our hands tell others about our interests and talents? How do our hands help us earn a living or provide for ourselves and our families? What can others learn about us by simply looking at our hands? (Digital, feel free to look at both this assignment and the drawing/painting assignment and adapt it as you feel inspired. Remember the ultimate goal is to show a high level of technical skill and understanding of the principles of design.)

Examples stories:

-Your barista creating your morning coffee.

-A local band playing their instruments during a performance.

-A family member sitting with someone in the hospital (birth of a new baby or the sickness of a parent).

-A parent teaching a child a new skill like riding a bike. tying their shoe, or writing their name.

-A group of people playing a card game or chess

-Someone performing their job.

-Someone preparing a meal.

-Someone creating/sewing/building something.

Some helpful hints for all photos:

1. For every great shot, it takes between 50-75 average to boring shots… take lots and lots of pictures at the time of the shot, sort through and edit them later!
2. Be creative with your angle or perspective. Get above, below, or up close to the subject. Make me see it in a new way that is different than what I would typically see in my everyday experiences.
3. Be mindful of your composition and framing. The rule of thirds is a great trick! Remember this can be adjusted some with editing after the fact but it always helps to start with good photos.
4. Manipulate the depth of field and be mindful of the surrounds in the background of your composition. These details are just as important as your main subjects.

Example Series:

Luis Mallo “Passengers” created in the mid-1990’s showing the hands of subway riders.

Example Series:

James Bueti “Head Hands Feet” is a current work being build that shows these three aspects of artisans as they work.