Hands

Aren't hands fascinating? You can tell a lot about a person's journey in life by looking at their hands. And isn't it interesting that we all have such unique hands? I can recall the look of my grandparents' and parents' hands almost as well as their faces.



I was so struck with this simple black and white photograph of a hand (a self portrait by John Coplans). I would love to try something similar. Wouldn't this be an especially cool art series? Maybe photograph your child's hand every year on their birthday or something? I'm trying to figure out a good way to photograph Evie's hand before she loses all that gorgeous baby chub. What's better than wrist and knuckle fat rolls?


(Images via this great post at Habitually Chic on Fredrick Malle's apartments. I am CRAZY over his style.)
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20 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 31, 2011 at 6:45 AM

    My mum has framed photos of myself and my siblings hands and feet from when we were little (aged about 6, 3 and 2 I think). There is a photo with all our feet together (seen from the sole of the foot) and then photos of each pair individually. They are in black and white as well, and look gorgeous. Especially the chubby little baby feet.

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  2. MelissaMay 31, 2011 at 6:49 AM

    I love the quote he give in the last photo, too. I have a picture of my 90 year old grandfather holding my newborn in his huge hands-- I blew it up to 11x14, but after seeing this I think maybe I should go with a much, much larger print.

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  3. meenal @ maison marigoldMay 31, 2011 at 7:02 AM

    that photo of the hand is so striking..hands are one thing i always notice about people, apart from the eyes..they say a lot about them..thanks for sharing..have lovely day..do visit my blog when you have a moment..xx meenal

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  4. pve designMay 31, 2011 at 7:07 AM

    My Father tells me my hands are so close to my sister's hands, almost an exact replica....hands down.
    pve

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  5. Viva CindyMay 31, 2011 at 7:37 AM

    I am pregnant right now and have a little list of photo ideas to document the little ones growth over the years. close up hands and feet are definitely on the list...i love the adult hand too! so many things you can do yourself that look like expensive artwork!! thanks

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  6. Alicia@ eco friendly homemakingMay 31, 2011 at 8:07 AM

    That photo of the hand is so unique! I agree you can tell a lot about a person from looking at their hands. I hope you will drop by and enter my eco friendly giveaway.

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  7. AnonymousMay 31, 2011 at 8:09 AM

    This hand is doing the sign language for the letter "N". You could have your kids' hands doing the sign language for the first letter of their name.

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  8. Allison EganMay 31, 2011 at 8:29 AM

    So true! hands can be so expressive! I love those black and white photos!
    xo Allison

    Spicer + Bank
    www.spicerandbank.blogspot.com

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  9. UnknownMay 31, 2011 at 11:15 AM

    I think you'll really enjoy this photo project/book http://billwest.com/manual-project/

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  10. AnonymousMay 31, 2011 at 2:05 PM

    I love this post! Hands are my favorite feature on a person. They say so much.

    Thank you!

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  11. Jenny at LGNMay 31, 2011 at 2:08 PM

    Michelle, What a cool project! Thanks for sharing!

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  12. Erika WardMay 31, 2011 at 4:16 PM

    Aww, how sweet. Love baby wrist fat. Yummy. I pray you make the attempt...it'll be fantastic!

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  13. AnaMay 31, 2011 at 4:16 PM

    It's so funny what you said about your parents and grandparents hands because I feel just the same. And I remember my dad saying we have identique hands, the same lines, everything. I just loved this post. Thank you for sharing it with us.

    Ana, from Portugal.

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  14. tina - Half Of What I SayMay 31, 2011 at 6:26 PM

    The mix of art in that space is so inspiring. Look forward to your hand photos!

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  15. Elisa @ What the VitaMay 31, 2011 at 11:42 PM

    Check this out: http://pinterest.com/pin/16769783/

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  16. debsfrecklesJune 1, 2011 at 2:13 AM

    I really like this picture because of the position the hand is in. Years ago my sister pointed out to me that when my hands are resting they are usually in that position. I never noticed it about myself, but since she said that I catch myself doing it all the time.

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  17. AnonymousJune 2, 2011 at 9:43 AM

    I think it's a great idea to document our family members' hands. When my 30-year-old brother died suddenly before Christmas, our family took pictures of our hands holding and surrounding his. He was an auto mechanic, so his hands were strong and scarred. I haven't had the strength to have the photos printed yet, but someday they'll be put in a special spot in my home.

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  18. AbbeyJune 2, 2011 at 8:39 PM

    baby chub!! oh my. sending you lots of love

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  19. Sarah JaneJune 2, 2011 at 10:22 PM

    Fascinating. And I love the idea of taking pics of my children's hands every year. Thanks!

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  20. AnonymousJune 17, 2011 at 4:18 PM

    I had a bronze cast made of both my babies hands when they were 5 months old - I adore them! They would be the thing I would save if my house was on fire. You can check them out here

    http://babbleandsnaps.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/babies-hands/

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