Project overview
Inspired by a vintage image titled Cigarette Psychology, this photography project explores how subtle variations in hand posture can suggest different personality types or emotional states. Each grip was carefully recreated and photographed using a film camera to capture texture, imperfection, and mood. The result is a quiet study of how gesture can function as a kind of visual language.
Part 1: The Pessimistic, The Dreamer, The Daring
The first three grips explore inward and outward tension.
The Pessimistic draws inward, fingertips curled and cautious.
The Dreamer is loose and absent-minded, suspended mid-thought.
The Daring reaches outward, angular and intentional.
The grain of the film adds a physical quality that echoes the psychological contrast between control and looseness.
Part 2: The Intellectual, The Elevated, The Delicate
The second set shifts focus to abstraction and restraint.
The Intellectual is analytical and poised, almost rehearsed.
The Elevated turns upward, like a quiet refusal or release.
The Delicate flirts with absence — fingers barely touching, gesture interrupted.
Together, they suggest how even the smallest variation in posture can carry emotional weight.
