AP Photography Portfolio

Score: 5

How do a person’s hands portray emotions that a face fails to? The truth, I determined, is that hands reveal identity unbeknownst to their bearer. Every scar, wrinkle, or accessory exposes knowledge that a mere glimpse of a face can’t uncover. The intention of my works is to share the stories and sentiments of ordinary people in a way we often struggle to understand through a simple portrait or glance. While faces and actions have the ability to represent an individual's personality, it’s hands that tell stories from start to finish. Hands which create moments, ending as quickly as they begin.

Capturing a profound photograph took planning, numerous attempts, and revisions. Shutter speed became vital as I experimented with freezing the continuous motion of hands performing spontaneous gestures. Furthermore, I found that emotions were shrouded by color and hectic surroundings. To combat distractions that suppress meaning I used a wide aperture to blur disturbances and removed the hindrance of color. Absence of color allows reflection on the textures, gestures, and hand positioning that further expose an individual’s character. Character; unmasked further by hands than by a face.