Photographing Hands Challenge - and Episode 71 of Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres

We know hands are incredible things.

We become particularly aware of it if for some reason we might not be able to work them properly - and suddenly everything from using our phones to picking our noses becomes extraordinarily difficult.

Hands are such a part of our lives that we also realise the story they tell in other people's.

Looking at the hands of another person, we can instantly tell something about them – whether the hands are short and pudgy like a baby's, or long and elegant, full of rough callouses or expensively manicured, young or old, masculine or feminine, clean or dirty, smooth or textured, and so on.

And that's before we even get to seeing them in action.

Pulling, holding, pressing, stretching, clasping, picking, poking, hitting, gripping, cupping, stroking, pinching, gesturing.

With so many stories available to photograph, you'll never run out of ideas. However, in order to enhance any narrative you need to consider both the composition, and the lighting.

Leading lines, diagonals, curves - how are you drawing the eye through the image?

Aperture - do you want the whole hand in focus, or just a small part of it?

Shutter speed - are the hands moving, and how would you want to capture that sense of movement?

Lighting – front, back, side, edge, more than one light source?

So this week's photo challenge for the live video podcast is to create an interesting, engaging image featuring hands in action – in the process of doing something.

Make sure the hands are taking up at least a quarter of the whole image (but can be much closer), although don't forget to take the background into consideration as to whether it is enhancing or diminishing the story you are wanting to tell.

See how you get on – I'm really looking forward to seeing what people are going to produce! But if you find you're struggling, then you can still submit a photo you're having difficulty with - just explain the problem and I can include suggestions and ideas in the podcast too.

Place your photo (just the one please) either into this event page in the Discussion section:
https://www.facebook.com/events/192976179529425/

or into the Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/240842990388815/

Try and get it in before the end of the weekend, or by Monday (16th August) at the latest. Anything that arrives on Tuesday runs the risk of not being included in the podcast.

You can use a phone, tablet, point-and-shoot or DSLR (or mirrorless).

And then, make sure you tune in to Facebook Live on Tuesday 17th August at 7.30pm (UK time) where I'll go through the photos, and give comments and feedback, and hopefully we will all become inspired by some of the submissions to go and try out new things with our photography.

Meanwhile enjoy Episode 71 below, where I give plenty of examples of images of hands in action.

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0:00 - Welcome, what's coming up, greetings and comments
04:05 - Introduction to the idea of photographing hands at work
25:15- Looking for feedback from the podcast that was live streamed directly onto YouTube
33:53 - Critique of images submitted to the Facebook Group, "Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres"
1:16:10 - Coming up next week - the Photographing Hands Challenge
1:18:32 - End

If you found this interesting/useful/entertaining, then please consider supporting these podcasts and blog posts via buymeacoffee.com/kimayres

Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/kimayres – to be notified of new podcasts and behind-the-scenes videos.

And, or course, if you would like to submit a photo for feedback, or just ask a photography related question, then do join my Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres Facebook group and I will put it into the following podcast:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/240842990388815/