Let's Talk About Hands


You usually have 2 at the ends of your arms and they usually have 5 fingers on each one, but everyone is different. 

The end. 

Nah, I’m just joking around, but seriously, hands can be so tricky when it comes to photoshoots and posing. They're lanky, awkward at times, and sometimes just feel like they’re in the way.

When you’re working with someone that may have more experience in front of a camera, posing hands isn’t always a problem. However, when you’re working with someone who may feel more uneasy and unnatural in front of a camera, it’s easy to wish hands could just disappear and hide in pockets for the whole shoot. 

I’m here today to give you all the advice I’ve got for posing hands and avoiding any awkwardness. These tips can also be useful for anyone trying to take self portraits or casual pictures of friends and family.


  • Props.

Props can be a total lifesaver when it comes to busying hands on your client, model, or subject. You can read about what kind of props I use in my shoots in my blog post All About Props. Hats, books, pens, flowers, bags, sweaters, blankets, I mean the list is endless really. If you can give the model something to hold it can really help them feel more comfortable in front of the camera. The trick to holding props is to hold them gently, very relaxed, you don’t want clenched fists while holding flowers and you don’t want straight fingers when holding a prop either.  It might feel unnatural and awkward in the moment, but if your hands are loose and relaxed when you hold the props it comes across on the camera beautifully and effortlessly.

If you’re holding a prop in only one hand you’ll want the other hand in a position that isn’t distracting from the overall picture. So, for example, in our shoot with Meg, at one point we had her apply some lipstick as she looked into the mirror we placed in front of her and her other hand was relaxed on the table in front of her. This way the focal point is on her face and at first glance you don’t even notice the other hand. You could also have your subject hold a hat in front of them, position their arms relaxed and in front of their legs while both hands hold on gently to the brim of the hat. If my subject is holding a prop, but they seem really stiff or uneasy in front of the camera, I like to have them twirl around holding the prop (like a hat or flowers). The first few twirls will most likely be awkward and stiff, but once they get the hang of it, maybe their favorite song is playing, the flow will really help their hands loosen up.



  • Don’t have any props? No problem! 

The general rule of thumb when posing is you don’t want your limbs straight and stiff because it will come across on camera as stick straight and robot like. I like to avoid hands on hips unless I’m going for a specific style photo or it fits in with the story I’m trying to tell. My go to poses (that include hands) without props are:

Hold a pea. Yes, you heard that right. Have your subject pretend they are holding something very small (like a pea) in between their pointer fingers and thumbs. Have their arms bent across their stomach, but relaxed enough so their arms aren’t stiff. I find this comes across as effortless through the camera. Instead of holding a pea you could have the subject hold one of their fingers as well, and experiment with hands at different heights (like high and across the belly, to lower with outstretched arms).

If it’s cold out and the subject is wearing a coat with pockets, I like to have them put their hands in their pockets and either smile, look into the distance, or raise their shoulders and have them laugh. The same goes for putting hands in their pants pockets.

If you decide to have the subject twirl, or dance around, you’ll want to make sure their limbs are relaxed, no straight arms, no straight fingers, no clenched fists, and try to avoid robot dance moves, unless of course, that’s what you’re aiming for. Though there's nothing wrong with robots dance moves if that's your style. I like to pretend I’m pointing with a relaxed hand. I know it sounds funny, but trust me! Think long ballerina arms and hands. Think Michelangelo and his painting The Creation of Adam in the Sistine Chapel (you know, the famous hand one). Relaxed. Once you master the relaxed and effortless hands, you’ll be a pro at posing hands.

Another good overall tip is to busy your hands! Hold a bag, put your arm around another person, hold your hands together, put your hands behind you. As long as you give your hands a “task” then you'll focus less on what to do with them and more on your pose for the camera. 

My last tip, and this is probably the best one I've got: don't overthink it! I like to try to have fun at my shoots, lots of laughing, music, and genuine smiles. I think when things feel more relaxed overall and everyone is genuinely having a good time, that's when the truly effortless pictures come out!


Do you have any tips for posing hands? Did we leave out some ideas? Let us know on our Instagram page! 


-Kristen