What Do I Do with My Hands?

All to often, models ask a most perplexing question; "What do I do with my hands?" You, the photographer, have to be in control of your photo shoot and must have an answer to the question. What do we do with those hands? Viewers pay a lot of attention to the gestures of the hands, so we must make sure they display the mood we want to express.

No matter what you are having the hands do, your first goal is to make them work in the photograph. Make them look natural. Remember the old axiom - "Idle hands are the Devil's tool." Give those hands something to do. In the photo to the left, Michelle places her hands on the tree she is leaning against. By using her hands to help support her body, her hands are no longer just sitting waiting for something to do.

Have your model interact with props. This helps to create a connection with the "scenery" and also takes that question out of the model's mind. Remember, models are rarely comfortable with dangling hands.

Remember the theme of your photo and let the hands help in that theme.

In the photo to the right, Carla placed her hands in her pockets for a more casual look, which matches her casual dress. Remember the theme of your photo and let the hands help in that theme. Also, take variations of the shot with the hands doing different things. Shooting more shots is often a very successful way of getting the shot you want. Remember, if all the shots are good, you have a better chance of getting a great shot.

Keep the hands relaxed. Any unnatural tension in the hands will reveal an insecurity in the shot. When the model relaxes the hands, the shot becomes relaxed and allows the look on the face to be the center of the shot.

Things to watch for:

Make sure hands are clean and nails are maintained. People, especially women, pay much attention to the cleanliness of hands and fingernails. This is a natural instinct to judge the hygiene of people. Dirty nails and hands, in our minds, means a dirty person. If your model smokes, makes sure the hands are free of yellow stains, usually on the pointer and middle finger of her prominent hand. Also, while once popular, cigarettes are no longer a good prop for a fashion or glamour shot and have become more popular on web sites with the word "trash" in the title.

Hands are a means of nonverbal communication. Make sure your model's hands do not communicate a message not beneficial to your shot. Watch for unnatural tension. If your model is fidgeting with her hands, give her something to do with them or offer suggestions on how to hold them.

Never crop a shot at the wrist (or any other joint). Cropping at joints creates an artificial amputation in the mind of the viewer. For hands, never crop the shot any lower than mid forearm. You will save your viewers much unneeded trauma.

Most of all, just by paying attention to and guiding the hands of your model, you will increase the attractiveness of your photos immensely.