Inspiration for the Hands Photo
While brainstorming concepts for my “hands” photo, I thought of a segment I shot for NBC in 1999 for our Beating the Odds series. We featured Dat Nguyen, a blind-since-birth guitarist from Vietnam, who came to the US after living in a string of abusive orphanages and foster homes after the death of his mother (dad was American but not in the picture.) We won a Golden Mic for the segment.
Dat is a self-taught musician, inspired to play guitar after hearing a piece by Andreas Segovia (yep, me too). After arriving in the States, he entered Cal State Fullerton’s music program.
Listening to Dat play is magical.
Beyond his talent, he’s just a cool dude. During the shoot, we had fun chatting and joking around, and then we got into a conversation that came around to… hands.
The Hands of…
A god. That’s what Dat has. Me on the other hand? I mentioned I played classical guitar, although not particularly well. He asked to feel my hands (since he could not see them.) I gave him my left hand. He ran his fingers across my callouses, my palms, and the back of my hand, reading every inch. He let go and said:
“YOU HAVE MAN HANDS.”
Dat Nguyen
Twenty-four years later, I’m still laughing. It’s a regular joke. As you can see in the photo, I do not have feminine hands. They are working hands.
And yes, Dat. I still play classical guitar with my man-hands.
Next week’s prompt:
Hmmmm… I’ll have to think about that one for a bit.
Until next time…
