a bird in the hand

A Bird In The Hand

I created this image as part of the Inspiration Collaboration project, inspired by the painting "Mother's Hands" by Helen Eaton:

This inspirational challenge was a tough one for me, and I put a lot of thought into it. First, I photographed my husband's hands while he was reading the newspaper. I tried to capture his hands as well as the headline for the day, which was...surprise, surprise...about the COVID-19 pandemic. 

That went well, but it didn't capture my imagination.

Most of the world's population has been asked to stay at home in order to "flatten the curve" and keep ourselves, and others, safe. Many people are finding this challenging and are coming up with ways to amuse themselves, and their children. This got me thinking about hand shadows.

Then I got thinking about the restrictions we are under, and how everyone is longing for freedom and "getting back to normal". So I thought about birds...flying birds are always a symbol of freedom to me.

I looked online to learn how to make a bird with hand shadows. Then I waited...and waited...for a sunny day. Finally that day arrived and I photographed my own hands using my tripod and self timer. 

A little creative work on my computer added the flying crow. When I looked up the definition for the expression "A Bird In The Hand", it seemed quite fitting to use as the title for this image: 

a bird in the hand: Something of some value that is already acquired. Taken from the proverb "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush," which means that having something, even if it is a lesser quantity, is better than taking the chance of losing it in order to attain something else that seems more desirable.

A Bird In The Hand