So, what do I do with my hands? You are the model and this is your first photo shoot. You arrive early, makeup on point and having your best hair day. You greet the photographer and begin posing for a few test shots. Now, chemistry is building and the photographer is asking you to make slight adjustments with your eyes, smile and body language. You start to notice that you feel a little awkward, as your hands seem to just dangle. "Does the positioning of my hands affect the picture?", You ask yourself, "After all, the photographer will tell me what to do, right?" Very possible if the photographer knows the rules, yet what if this is his or her first shoot? Perhaps it's best everyone has a basic understanding of posing. Let's start... There are over thirty five different rules for creating a great pose from the eyes to the feet, where to crop and so on. In this blog post, I'm going to cover one of my greatest pet peeves; the hands. Have you ever seen an image of a beautiful model, yet she looked a little masculine? Or just the opposite, a very muscular man though something didn't seem quite right? As simple as tilting the head and hands may make all the difference. OK, great! So again, where do I place or how do I place my hands? A general rule to start with, is to always keep your hands on different plains. In the image to the left the model has one side placed on her thigh and the other open hand at the base of her hair. Each hand is illustrating her "feminine" side. Which lead's us to our next topic. Feminine or masculine? The Feminine Hand Rule. Of all the rules, the hand rules for me is where the art in my personal images begins. It then is followed by the eyes. In the image to the right, each hand is on different plains as discussed. Secondly, the open side of the right hand is placed to the camera along with pinky side of her left hand. This creates a very natural looking feminine look. If the thumb shows, the thumb would then be curved. When photographing female models, unless you are demonstrating power (fitness, karate, holding tools, etc.)...generally, you'll keep the front and sides of the hands to the camera rather than the back. Hence, feminine. Do you see now where the hands create a softness to the image? The Masculine Hand Rule. Since I became educated in hand placement, I also became very conscious of my own hand positions. When being photographed or even a selfie, I make best effort to display the backside of my hand. This gives a male model a more masculine look, as generally that's what you are shooting for. Depending on the message you wish to send, the sides of a male hand will follow the same rules as a female. For me and I'll leave this here, I prefer the backside or knuckle side when taking pictures unless I'm holding an object, eye glasses or etc... and just a slight tilt of the head...
7 Comments
Star Roberts
6/29/2016 10:13:56 am
Overall superb blog! This will definitely help bring photography shoots to the next level, as you continue to define aspects of modeling to others. Great job on this informative piece! 😀
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Becky Seymour Gatian
6/29/2016 10:41:29 am
Thanks so much for this article. I've just started portrait photography, and I've considered myself so much of a creative director. I've been much more comfortable with models who are seasoned and happen to know these "rules". This blog post will definitely come in handy with those "newbies" whom I choose to work in TFP work. I try to become well rounded, and this has helped more than I can say. Thanks again!! :)
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6/29/2016 08:00:13 pm
Becky, again I'd like to thank you for commenting. While I'm looking to grow this online blog, I invite you to subscribe to notifications on my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/toddmathernephotography. Doing so will automatically notify you of future blog post. All blog post are either posted or shared to this page.
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6/29/2016 08:01:20 pm
Ayeshiaa,
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7/19/2016 08:31:22 pm
I love this blog. This was very informative and will help with my next photoshoot!
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7/21/2016 06:04:21 pm
Jennifer,
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AuthorTodd Matherne Photography & Promotions. Archives
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