hands

Note: The picture that was displayed here was removed to respect the parents request for privacy. It is unfortunate that in this day and age that we feel we need to be so careful.

I shot this portrait in my front yard this evening. This boy lives across the street and he was playing with several of the younger kids in my neighborhood including my two sons. During a quick break in the action he gave me a quick pose so I could snap this picture. I like the portrait a lot, but I think what makes it have so much more impact is his mother's hands. As he looked up at me she instinctively grabbed his hair. To me the hands say so much about her feelings of love and caring for her son. His expression is tremendously genuine and show his comfort by his mother's love. I chose this particular treatment because I was able to make the hands stand out as much as the boy's face and that was important to me in my interpretation.

Earlier today these very same hands were busy caring for my oldest son. I received a call from his preschool saying that he had been hurt on the playground. The hands belong to one of his teachers. Harris had a pretty good cut on his head and needed to get to the doctor. Both of his teachers instinctly cared for him, treated him, and held him until my wife and I could get there. When I arrived at the school, I could see the concern on his other teacher's face but he was calm and was able to tell me what happened. Both of his teachers along with several others cared for my son and held him when he needed it most and for that I am grateful.

These hands (along with many others) are important to me and I hope I did them justice. Thank you C, A, E.