How to photograph what a hug feels like
January 9, 2012 5:32 PM Subscribe
I would like to photograph what it feels like to be hugged (be the huggee). I'm looking for inspiration. Have you ever seen a photo or film shot that captures this feeling?
I'm hoping this isn't an impossible thing to capture in a photo--what you feel when you're in your mother's/father's grandmother's/grandfather's loving embrace. I'm not looking for anything erotic with this, but more a child's feeling in one of his/her parents'/grandparents' arms. I have a great photo of myself as a child hugging my grandfather's neck and can picture what I saw from my perspective, but the photo itself is from the outside in.
Have you ever seen this done? Of course I don't want to imitate someone else's work, but would really appreciate some imagistic starting points.
Many thanks for your help.
I'm hoping this isn't an impossible thing to capture in a photo--what you feel when you're in your mother's/father's grandmother's/grandfather's loving embrace. I'm not looking for anything erotic with this, but more a child's feeling in one of his/her parents'/grandparents' arms. I have a great photo of myself as a child hugging my grandfather's neck and can picture what I saw from my perspective, but the photo itself is from the outside in.
Have you ever seen this done? Of course I don't want to imitate someone else's work, but would really appreciate some imagistic starting points.
Many thanks for your help.
you may also want to check out the beginning of the film "love actually", which shows families and people seeing each other and hugging at heathrow airport. according to IMDB:
The airport greeting footage at the beginning and end of the film is real. Richard Curtis had a team of cameramen film at Heathrow airport for a week, and whenever they saw something that would fit in they asked the people involved for permission to use the footage.
posted by koroshiya at 5:42 PM on January 9, 2012 [1 favorite]
The airport greeting footage at the beginning and end of the film is real. Richard Curtis had a team of cameramen film at Heathrow airport for a week, and whenever they saw something that would fit in they asked the people involved for permission to use the footage.
posted by koroshiya at 5:42 PM on January 9, 2012 [1 favorite]
There are lots of "free hugs" videos on the web. The look of someone's face softening as they let their guard down on being hugged by a complete stranger is pretty sweet.
posted by headnsouth at 5:43 PM on January 9, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by headnsouth at 5:43 PM on January 9, 2012 [1 favorite]
This photograph by Duane Michals springs to mind.
posted by timsneezed at 6:11 PM on January 9, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by timsneezed at 6:11 PM on January 9, 2012 [1 favorite]
...this photo by Edward Weston is what came to me.
posted by bonobothegreat at 6:22 PM on January 9, 2012
posted by bonobothegreat at 6:22 PM on January 9, 2012
I'm a huge nerd, so this was the first image to come to my mind.
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:57 PM on January 9, 2012
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:57 PM on January 9, 2012
I had some candlesticks once that were two pieces of clay twining up around each other... that's the closest I can think of to an abstract representation, and makes me realize why I liked them so much. I searched the web and don't see anything similar, but maybe some kind of abstraction like that?
I could see this as being a neat series - what it feels like to dance, what it feels like to sing in a group...
posted by ldthomps at 6:59 PM on January 9, 2012
I could see this as being a neat series - what it feels like to dance, what it feels like to sing in a group...
posted by ldthomps at 6:59 PM on January 9, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Nightman at 5:35 PM on January 9, 2012 [5 favorites]