I have seen a hundred photos of people’s faces - pretty faces, smiling faces, sad faces, angry faces, old faces. I have a taken hundreds of these photos myself. I undoubtedly have a pull towards photographing people. I like connecting with others. I like portraying the intimacies of others. I like telling a story that isn’t mine. But I asked myself how I could do this in an unconventional way… How could I achieve my deeply rooted desires in a way that I haven’t before?
My work began with the intention of focusing on the specific, tiny, details of my subjects’ hands… wrinkles and tattoos and scars and calluses and jewelry. But as my work progressed I began to note that people have hands that look alike and sometimes these little details are a facade. I did not want to convey a human solely on their physicality. I then directed my focus towards people doing things - what do people use their hands for? What they do with them to make them feel good? And what does that tell us about that person?
I have decided to title my work Touch. Make. Feel. As I concluded my project I was still stumped for a title. But, standing across the room from my 13” 19” prints that I was so proud of, one singular theme became clear. I did not just photography people’s hands doing things or touching things. I photographed people making tiny efforts to better their lives, to make themselves happy or just to feel a little bit better. My subjects were not doing anything they had to do, but things they chose to do. Upon this realization I contemplated all of the actions that hands do. Consequently, I decided that touching, feeling, and making are the three most satisfying and valuable to me as an artist and a human being. I feel that these God given capabilities are some of my greatest blessings and roles on this planet.
I had two minor challenges throughout this project. First was finding a variety of subject matter. I live in a house with a hundred 18-21 year old white girls. Whether I like it or not, a lot of our hands look remarkably similar and there is a clear lack of diversity. I didn’t want this limited scope to be the extent of my project. My second problem was getting up close and personal with the view camera. It goes without saying that quiet, intimate moments are not easily captured with the view camera. However, with some trial and error, I feel that I was able to conquer this obstacle for my final work.
Hands make. Hands touch. Hands catch. Hands wave. Hands hold. Hands play. Hands brush. Hands build. Hands clap. Hands feel. Hands pick. Hands tickle. Hands create. Our hands are carried with us every day. They do so much and feel so much. What do they do for you?
