I was working on a project titled ‘The Hands,’ which I aimed to submit as a panel of 20 images for a photography accreditation. The ‘Portrait’ category is incredibly competitive, and I was racking my brain for a unique concept.
I came across a black and white photo of Cate Blanchett where the expression of her hands was amazing—full of emotion, artistic, and beautiful. Inspired by that, I wanted to create a series that went beyond just ‘pretty’ to something deeply engaging for the viewer.
I then began looking for models. I knew that if I asked people to pose just for a single, specific hand image, many might turn me down. I didn’t have the budget for professional models—and truthfully, I didn’t want them. I believe that with the right guidance, anyone can produce a creative and powerful image. To me, it is a collaboration; a photographer must know how to guide and communicate the concept effectively to the model in order to produce the image.
I proposed creating a set of stunning portraits that the models could use for their own social media in exchange for their time. I custom-designed each shoot, creating both ‘The Hands’ project images and some beautiful black and white portraits. The project spanned over five years, and I finally submitted the panel for judging. I am happy to say that I passed the accreditation! Now, I’m excited to start sharing the images created during this journey—the beautiful ‘by-products’ of my project.
2017
Model: Lucia Simonova, Hair, makeup, styling: Amanda Hsu
