Perfect positioning of the hands always helps to get a better click during portrait photography. But most people just get puzzled about which hand poses to apply and ask the photographer’s suggestion with a nervous laugh.
So, as the perfect hand posing is essential, we’ll help you with the 14 best hand poses tips for portrait photography to apply. If you are a bit shy in facing cameras, it may take a little time for you to get the hand posing right.
But once you get familiar with all the best hand poses, it will become way more comfortable for you to handle. When you pose with proper hand positioning, the photographer can click amazing pictures of yours.
The 14 Best Hand Poses Tips for Portrait Photography will Blow your Mind.
The perfect hand poses always help to result in amazing captures. Getting a bit shy the first time while posing may seem awkward, but you will get better at posing with a few tries. Also, you may get confused about which poses to apply during various photoshoots.
To help you in this matter, here are the best fourteen hand poses tips that you can try during portrait photography:
1. Touch or Do Something with Your Hands
People can get awkward about what to do with their hands when the photographer captures their images. Though this confusion mainly arises for inexperienced persons, sometimes even the experienced models get puzzled. At that moment, as a photographer, you should tell your model to hold onto something and do or touch something with their hands.
You can tell them to simply put their hands into the pockets or fold their arms in the front. Both these posing will help the people in front of the camera be at ease. You can also ask them to place their hands against something like a wall, a desk, even a chair, or something suitable nearby.
Getting the hands in a flattering position can also result in perfect captures. The model can also hold something like a ball or a glass of cold drinks. A flower or the bokeh of flowers can also provide an ideal look to your models.
2. Using Various Angles to Make the Hands Look Smaller
Hand placement is important to consider during the photoshoot for both the model and the photographer. Improper placement of the hands can make them look larger in the camera, which is not wanted in any case. Likewise, you shouldn’t let the model’s hands be straight as the hands will look large in that pose.
When the model’s hands are seen sidewise, they will look way smaller. So, you need to tell them to put their hands at a slight angle away from the camera. If they cannot do it or have problems, you should step up as the photographer.
You need to change your position in that scene and capture the image from a bit side-angled position. The model’s hands need to look thin and small has when the entire hand is visible in the picture. So, whether you are a photographer or a model, always create an angled position of the hands to make them look small.
3. Relax the Fingers
As the most crucial parts of the hands, fingers play a significant part in hand poses during portrait photoshoots. If the fingers look clenched, they will create a vibe of tension in the whole face of the model. Because it is the most unnatural pose for the fingers when the hands are held together.
So, as a photographer, you should tell your model to stay as relaxed as possible. When you are the model, staying relaxed will make your fingers look soft and relaxed. You can shake your hands just like shaking off the water, which will eliminate all the tensions whatsoever.
When the hands and fingers become relaxed, the hand pose will perfectly capture the portrait.
4. Hands-on Cheek and Hair
Putting the hands either on the cheek or in the hair is probably the most used pose for portrait photography. You can also use these poses whether you are the photographer or the model, as these poses are mainly for women. Placing one of the hands-on your cheek is one of the simplest poses.
Though it is a simple pose, it is pretty successful in showing off the beauty of the face and femininity. Ensure most of your fingers are shown while your hand is on the cheek. Because they will create an altogether appealing and enchanting look, and you can also keep your eyes closed for a hypnotizing vibe.
As the photographer, you can also tell your model to touch their hair with a hand or both hands. It is also a familiar women’s portrait pose yet one of the greatest and most successful. When she touches her hair and looks into the camera, it will add more texture and volume to the image.
If her hair comes with natural styling and realistic curls, it will make her look stunning and create an appealing vibe.
5. Hand on Neck Pose
If you are looking for a relaxed hand pose as a photographer or a model, then the hand-on-neck pose is perfect for you. It is also a women-specialized portrait pose that may look simple but unique portraits. You can either look into the camera or look sidewise as both suit the model’s pose.
But I would suggest looking sidewise as it will show your side face along with most of the fingers. When you are the photographer, you should tell the model to avoid demonstrating the back of the hand. Because it will make the model’s fingers look large and massive, which is not expected.
So, she needs to put her hand on the neck in an angled position. As a result, the fingers will look delicate on the neck beside the smooth side face. All these perfect posings will help the photographer capture the model’s stunning portraiture.
6. Hands to Lips Pose
The hands to lips pose one of the most appealing, sexy, and seductive poses for women. It is an excellent option for hand poses to capture female close-up portraits. While applying this, you can put a slight part of one finger between your teeth, adding more spice to the image.
You can also use two or more fingers of the other hand for touching your cheek during that time. When you are the photographer, you should suggest your model for keeping her hair in front of both sides of her neck. While doing this pose, a seductive glance towards the camera from the model will make the image more stunning.
You should try to click images from different angles as the photographer while your model holds this pose. Experimenting from different sides will help you find more charming and mysterious photos of this pose.
7. Cross Arms Poses for Both Men and Women
Posing with both arms crossed is a unisex pose that athletes mainly use. However, it can be the perfect hand pose for women models with athletic figures. The major advantage of this pose is that it helps the female models to maintain their naturalistic look in front of the camera.
By placing both arms in a crossed pose, the model can emphasize the beauty of her body in front of the camera. When you are the photographer, you can create an elegant look for your female model by suggesting this pose. The most important thing to remind is the model needs to remain entirely relaxed with gentle touches.
Crossed arms pose the symbol of natural resting for men. For men, this hand pose doesn’t limit certain emotions whether he is looking into the camera or sidewise. As the model, you can sit or stand while posing with your arms crossed.
8. Hands-on Knee and Thigh
The hand putting on the knee and thigh is one of the most standard male poses. This pose only applies when the male model sits on a high tool, sofa, chair, or anywhere else high above the ground. It provides a handsome and sturdy look to the model’s face.
The hands-on knee pose looks more effective with formal outfits. You need to keep your one hand on the thigh and the wrist of the other hand on another knee. Placing your hands on your knee and thigh will create soft and smooth lines along with providing a classy look.
Being the photographer, you should click from various angles to get variations in your pictures. While posing with hands on the knee and thigh, tell your male model to stay as calm as possible. Another important thing for the model is never to overlap hands while posing like this.
9. Hand in Front of The Face Pose
It is that kind of a hand pose that not all men want to do while clicking pictures. It also doesn’t suit every condition. Both the photographer and the model should be wise enough to choose the perfect background and surroundings to apply this pose.
It is more of an aesthetic pose which is one of the most unusual ones. In this pose, the model has to put one of his hands in front of the face and touch the face. To cover one side of the face in this way, the model needs to use the outer side of the hand.
At that time, the palm side should face the camera. When you are the photographer, you can tell your model to apply this hand pose for highlighting his interesting facial features. This creative hand pose will provide a rather aesthetic look to the entire image.
10. Busy Hands Pose
The busy hands pose mainly for male models. This amazing hand pose will help you when you are puzzled about posing your hands for portraiture. The busy hands pose way simple to apply in your portrait images as the photographer.
Just tell your male model to sit somewhere with a notebook and a pen. Then ask him to write something on the notebook naturally, and he should keep looking at the notebook at that time. While applying this pose indoors, you can use a chair and a table.
If you are shooting outdoor, tell the model to sit on any higher grounds. As the photographer, to get a perfect shot, you need to choose an ideal background suitable with the busy hands pose.
11. Crossed Fingers Pose
The crossed fingers pose an excellent one to go with adding a watch to the wrist. It is a pose with which you can symbolize comfort and relaxation through your male model. To apply this pose, tell your model to sit on a high chair, cross fingers of his hands, and put one knee over another.
While doing so, he should grab that upper knee with those crossed fingers. Looking sidewise suits more with this pose than looking straight into the camera. You need to make sure there is a minor imperfection in the pose by guiding the model correctly.
Clicking the most images is mandatory under this circumstance to find the perfect photos.
12. Arm in Arm Pose
The hand pose we will be talking about now is a couple’s pose you can try as a photographer. Both male and female hands should be present in the frame as a couple’s pose. The idea of this arm-in-arm couple pose is pretty straightforward.
If you are a girl, gently grab your husband’s or boyfriend’s arm with one hand. Then, put all the fingers of another hand in between the fingers of your boyfriend’s hand. When you are the male model, tell your girlfriend to grab your hand in the way above with both of her hands.
When you are the photographer, you need to click images from various angles while the couple holds the arm-to-arm pose. Therefore, it will provide more variations to find the perfect picture among all captures you made.
13. Pose with the Engagement Rings for Couples
The couples can try out another pose with their hands during their engagement photoshoot. It can also be done after getting engaged when the rings are still on their hands. If you are the male model, you need to stand behind your would-be wife and place your hands beside both sides of her waist.
Then put all four hands of you and your would-be wife together. Make sure the two rings of both of your hands are visible from the front. You should avoid taking full shots in this wedding ring pose when you are the photographer because it can take all the attention away from the rings.
That’s the reason why you need to take closer shots of the rings in the couple’s hands. Capture images from various angles while they hold their hands together, and the rings are nicely in the frame. Try to capture from multiple angles to easily find the perfect one among them.
14. Couples Holding Each Other
Now, we will talk about another hand pose of the couples during the portrait photoshoot. This pose is possible with couples like husband-wife, boyfriend-girlfriend, or set-up couple portrait photoshoot. Either the boy or the girl can touch their partner’s face with one of his/her hands.
The male model can grab his wife or girlfriend from behind or sidewise. Then, they can also hold all four of their hands together to do a smooth dancing pose. While posing like this, they should look at each other and keep their foreheads together touched against each other.
Their smiles and holding pose will make the captured pictures look heavenly. The role of you as the photographer should be correcting their pose and hand positions. You also need to capture the most images from all possible angles to get more perfect shots.
Things You Should Avoid While Applying the Best Hand Poses for Portrait Photography
While posing with your hands, the simplest unawareness can destroy the whole frame along with the picture. That’s why, whether you are the photographer or the model, you need to remain highly conscious about not making any mistakes. Some things that you must avoid while you are posing with your hands for portraiture are:
- You should avoid placing your hands close to the camera as the closer your hands will be, the bigger they will look
- Never pose like your hands pushing against your body
- The symmetrical hand poses need to be avoided
- Don’t ever hold your hands tightly or pose with clenched fingers
- Avoid showing the backside of your hand straight into the camera
- You shouldn’t let your elbows come directly into the frame
- Try to avoid hiding both of your hands entirely in your hair
- Never grab any of your body parts tightly, as you should gently touch them with care
- You shouldn’t fan your fingers and don’t raise any of your shoulders too much
- Posing with dead hands also need to be avoided while shooting for portraiture
- Never keep the model’s hands empty if the model is doing nothing with the hands
- You shouldn’t amputate hands or fingers during the portrait photoshoot
Final Thoughts
You shouldn’t pose with dead hands during portraiture as it will destroy the model’s appearance in the image. So, you need to pose properly with your hands when you are the model, whether male or female. If you are the photographer, you need to suggest and correct the perfect hand poses.
The 14 best hand poses tips for portrait photography we have here will assist both the models and the photographers. Though those hand poses are pretty easy, they can provide aesthetic looks. Your images will become more appealing and stunning by applying those best hand poses.
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