A Captured Face

This past week I have had the assignment to photograph portraits of various age groups. Today, I photographed my grandfather. You could tell he wasn't terribly excited about this whole ordeal, but he humored me (especially since I told him it was for my grade ;) and it made me realize how handsome my grandfather is. He has seen many days working hard on farms, in schools, in the garden, and around the house and if you had asked me to photograph the part that best captures my grandfather, I would have picked his hands. My grandpa comes from a family who originates in the Ukraine, so his hands are really big and strong! I remember as a small child not wanting to ever get a spanking from him. His hands have reached out to me, instead, to envelop me in a huge bear hug or helped me to build my trebuchet for Physical Science class freshman year. Yes, I would have to say my grandfather's hands are what I would photograph to capture his personality, but today, I photographed his face, because that is where I see his love for other people and his huge smile when his rumbling laughter fills the room. My grandpa may have rough, work hands, but I know he is a softy on the inside when I look at his handsome face.