I really love that word, most especially in how it relates to the emotion captured by a still photograph in our body language and nonverbal communication.

Definition wise, nuance \NOO-ahnss\ is a noun meaning: 1 : a subtle distinction or variation. 2 : a subtle quality : nicety. 3 : sensibility to, awareness of, or ability to express delicate shadings (as of meaning, feeling, or value).

In the flesh we see nuance in the subtleties of how a palm grips a hip bone, how eyes meet, heads lay together or fingers caress a flower.  It appears in the tension of the muscles around the eyes as they attempt to fight back tears or a deep breath right before someone is about to express something important.  These bits of nuance perhaps seem trivial until you consider the emotions that have guided and motivated the body’s language.  Further, because of the fleeting nature of these delicate instances, they can be nearly invisible to the eye, but this is really the beauty of still photography in its ability to shine a light upon them and preserve them forever.