They say that the eyes are windows to the soul. I believe that if ever there was a window to the heart, it would be the hands. The Bible says, “Whatever you put your hand to do, do it with all your might”. My favourite subject to photograph is people – my favourite thing about people is their hands. I have found that whenever I am photographing someone doing something meaningful, the best bits I take away from those sets of photos are the ones of the hands. The photos in my personal collection which move me the most are the ones of my loved ones’ hands doing beautiful things. Granddad reading a book, my son picking a flower – these shots make my heart leap every time I see them.
This photo was taken while my childrens’ granddad read to them. I find it so moving because, as the saying goes, this picture paints a thousand words. 2 generations coming together for a common purpose. Enjoying a book together – young and old. A friend and fellow photographer has said of this photo that he loves the look of his rugged thumb nail. You can tell he’s put in many hours of hard labor and maybe even struggle and pain, yet he still takes joy in a quiet moment spent with a little boy and a book.
My little boys absolutely adore a good root around in the dirt from time to time. And they love their mummy. I have received countless bunches of weeds masked as flowers and they never last for long before I have to steal away and throw them out the kitchen window when the boys aren’t looking. It just happened one day that while I was fiddling with my camera, Elijah came running in with his face and hands absolutely caked in black dirt and a fist full of dandelions. I love the gentle grasp he has on these flowers and the dirt-covered finger tips. This is the essence of boyhood and the very heart of my precious little boy as seen through the window of his hands.
