Hands

For this project, I focused on capturing hands in a mysterious way while also working on my concentration of sunsets. I created this photo by taking a drive down Main Street to find the best place to photograph the sunset from, intending to put my hand in front of it. I parked in front of Sam's because the sunset looked brilliant from there. After many attempts, I found that the sunset looked the best when I zoomed really tight on it. I couldn't get my hand in a shot that tight, so I decided to create a photo that would be more surreal. When I got home, I took separate photos of my hand in front of a wall. Using Photoshop, I combined a few photos to create a single image where hands are reaching toward the sun, the center of the mysterious beauty.

The techniques I used were formal balance, silhouette, and high key lighting. In photoshop, I played with color and lighting to make the image more fluid. I lowered the brightness on the hands and replaced some of the colors from the wall that spilled onto the hand with colors that matched the background. There is contrast between bright and dark colors.

The image is supposed to seem ethereal and the hands are guides that pull you in toward the sun, something that they are longing for in this strange world. It represents the way that in these seemingly dark times, many seek to reach for the light in the world. If I were to change something about this image, I would make the horizon a little lower.