What Do I Do With My Hands?

Have you ever tried to take photos of someone only to discover neither of you have any clue as to what to do with their hands? I get this question a lot while photographing, especially during Senior portrait sessions.. "What do you want me to do with my hands?" Hands can be difficult to pose, but they don't have to be.

My rule of thumb? Don't pose them.

When I think of the word "pose," I think of my grade school years. Every year in October, we'd have school picture day. You remember…. The day where you have to get up early, wear your best clothes to school (but don't you DARE get them dirty) and then have a weird man touch you and move you so that you were sitting just so, then in a flash (literally) it's over and you are left with a stiff, head-cocked-too-far snapshot to document that year in your life.

Sound like fun?

Nope, I didn't think so either. That's why, when I am photographing someone, I just let them be themselves. I let their natural look come out, and then capture their beauty. From head to toe… including their hands.

Finding something to do with the hands doesn't have to be difficult. Your subject should never feel awkward, and should most definitely never look awkward in their photographs. Here are some of the things I do to get great shots of someone and incorporate their hands nicely. MOST of the suggestions I have here are for photographing seniors, but you can incorporate any group type and modify to suit your needs.

POCKETS, POCKETS, POCKETS! Most seniors today are foregoing the suit and tie look in their senior pictures and going for looks that are totally natural for them. Jeans and t-shirts, jackets and their favorite sweatshirts, the look is more comfortable than ever before. This is great for photographers because we can use those pockets to our advantage.

For girls, have them put their hands in their back pockets, then point their body at an angle where they're slightly turned, but their eyes are still looking into the lens. This gives them a sassy, flirty look. Take photos both with and without smiles. Some of my all time favorite photos are of girls who are not smiling. This same pose is also very cute if you have them put just their thumbs in their front pockets (or their belt loops). Keep their body turned at a slight angle and have them turn their heads toward the camera. Also have them tilt their head down just a little and use their eyes to create the emotion in the photograph.

For guys, hands in the front pockets work best. But be careful. Just have them put their hands half into their front pockets. You don't want them to go in all the way because it makes it look too bulky. Also, the fingers in the pockets or belt loops works nicely. Again have them turn slightly and even lean back on one leg so they look very relaxed. Having them lean against a tree, wall or fence is a great way to achieve the relaxed, even macho-cool look. Again, they can smile or not. Do a series of both so you have the choice of what you like best later.

You can also incorporate props here.. A chair, stool or trunk makes a nice footrest and makes your photo a little more interesting. But don't go overboard. The focus should always be on your subject. You don't want them to get lost in a sea of props.

USE CLOTHING TO YOUR ADVANTAGE. Have your subject bring a jacket. leather, jean or their Letterman all work nicely. For girls, you can also have them bring a sweater (turtlenecks or even scarves work nicely). For the girl poses, turn up the collar on the jacket and have them gently rest their hands around the collar near their face. Guys can either sling the jacket over their shoulder, or wear it, and put their hands in the pockets. When you do this, have them open the jacket just slightly outward. Don't let them stuff their hands in the pockets and close off their body as if they're walking home from school on a cold, 30 below day.


FOUND OBJECTS, BUILDINGS AND THINGS that have character make GREAT photograph props. Have your subject rest their hands on a fencepost, crate, tre, barrel, wall or any other object that looks interesting. This also works well if it is an object (such as a fence) where they can also set one foot on it. Have them put one foot on the bottom rail of a fence and then rest their hands on the fencepost. If the fence is sturdy enough (and if you have permission), have your subject sit on it with one foot up. have them rest their hands on their knee. This is a great pose to take in landscape orientation so you can lead up to your subject with the fence. If you have a crate, chair or trunk, they can prop their foot on that and rest their hands on their knee as well (make sure that senior ring shows!)

You may also have them lean against a wall or tree with their hands up near their face. Be careful with this though, it only works if you have the right subject and if you do it just right. I don't use this option very often, because it looks stiff and "posed." However as I said above... you can have them lean on the tree and cross their arms, put their hands in their pockets, or even sit against the tree with their hands on their knees.

LESS IS MORE when it comes to props. By all means use props and have your subject hold something, especially if they are having a hard time with hand placement. But be careful not to overwhelm them. Simplicity is key. A flower, a piece of sporting equipment, musical instrument, letterman jacket, anything that in the finished product says "this is me" are perfect props. If you are photographing a girl outdoors, find a garden or even a field and have them cup a hand around a flower and kneel on the ground as if they are either admiring it or smelling it.

RELAX, RELAX, RELAX Teens have a very laid back, relaxed attitude. Use this to your advantage. Have them cross their arms and lean on ANYTHING. You can also have them put their hands in their front pockets (or jacket pockets) while leaning, too. This works great in studio and on location, they can bend over and lean ON anything (for example, a fencepost, chair, trunk), stand and lean AGAINST anything (a wall, their car, a tree). Also the arms crossed looks good with them just standing too... especially if you put them at a slight angle like I suggested with the hands in the pocket.

SIT, BOO BOO, SIT! Not all of your photographs are going to be of your subject standing. If you are doing head shots with your subject sitting on a stool, then just have your subject place their hands in their lap, but when you're ready for more fun poses that include more of the body, move to the floor or a chair.

For shots where you're using a chair as a prop, there are two great ways to incorporate the hands. One, have them sit on the chair backwards. Then you can have them cross their arms and rest their head on their arms (have them turn their head, so their cheek rests on the arm, not the chin). This pose looks better with girls than guys. You can also have them just place their hands on the back of the chair. If the chair has knobs on each side of the back, have them rest both hands on the knob and sit at a slight angle. Then have them sit with their heads up, but still relaxed. No military poses here.

Next, have them seated on the floor or ground. You can choose to have them sit alone, or have a prop (such as a trunk, stuffed animal, book, or musical instrument). If you use something such as a trunk, have them place their elbow on the trunk and rest their head in one hand, and have them lay the other on the trunk (quick tip: if they have rings on... make that the hand that lays on the prop. They'll be easier to see). When placing hands on or near the face, either place their hand under and slightly to the side of their chin or against the temple. Don't stick their hand straight under their chin. It is too stiff and unnatural.

Another pose I love is to have them just sit on the floor or ground with one leg tucked under the other, sans props.

The untucked leg should be the leg furthest from you camera and should be up with the foot flat on the floor, and their body should be turned at an angle. Their other leg will lay on the floor crossed under the back leg. Have them balance themselves by placing the front hand behind and off to the side of them and just have them rest the other arm or hand on their knee.

This will naturally turn their upper body toward the camera. This also works with both knees up and the arms wrapped around them with the fingers entwined (you'll want to have them turn a little more toward the camera for this one)... make sure those senior rings show off, too!

While they are on the floor with one leg up, have them wrap their hands around the leg and cross their fingers. Then have them rest their head in a relaxed way on their knee. This pose is nice for girls when you don't have them smile. It gives it a dreamy look, almost like they are thinking about all the excitement ahead of them.

I LOVE HATS!! If they are wearing a hat (especially a cowboy hat or beret or similar style) or if you have some for props, have them place a hand on the hat either in a flirty manner or as if they are tipping it. This is especially effective if you get right in their face with your lens. That way you are focusing on their face and the only other thing in the picture are their fingers.. No arms flapping in the breeze!

DON'T STRESS OVER IT The more relaxed your subject is, the less you'll find yourself directing their posing. It will become natural. Talk to them, laugh with them and you'll notice a huge difference.

I like to catch my subjects off guard. My favorite thing to tell them: "hold that" if I see something I like. I'll just tell them (softly, I don't want to scare the living daylights out of them!) "hold that" and shoot real quick before they have a chance to move. Some of my favorite shots are of "poses" that came by naturally.

If I could give you one all around piece of advice it is to limit how much YOU touch and move your subject. You never want your subject to LOOK posed. So instead of turning, pushing, tilting and placing my subject, I simply guide and ask or tell them to do a certain thing. 99% of the time when I touch a subject it Is to pull down a shirt, smooth their hair or point to where I want their hand to be on their leg.
I don’t hesitate, however to walk right up and show them exactly what I want them to do, but I won't touch them. I have found that this technique not only makes them more comfortable, makes them look more relaxed and makes the photograph turn out more natural, but I find that they also have more natural smiles too! Think about it. If you are uncomfortable, does your smile feel funny? But if you are relaxed and doing what you do, your smile is completely you.. Completely beautiful!

IF ALL ELSE FAILS, hide the hands! If I have a subject who just absolutely can't get it, I'll take all my full frame photos with the hands hidden. I will have them put their hands in their pockets, hold something or even put them up against a tree then lean around that tree. Then the rest of the photos I do as head shots where the hands won't be seen. And head shots don't always have to be taken with the subject sitting on a stool. Be creative. Find a pose you like and move in closer to make it a head shot.

SPEAKING OF HEAD SHOTS… please, by all means, NEVER EVER let your subject just let their hands fall to their side. Even if you are only taking head shots, it makes their shoulders sag and their posture stinks! Instead just have them lay their hands in their lap. It will make for a more natural look. Sometimes for added effect I'll even let my subjects sit on a stool at a bit of an angle and put one foot up a rung of the stool.

No matter what level of photographer you are, I hope you benefit from my words of wisdom. I am by no means an expert in posing… more like an expert in trial and error! If you have any questions or even your own posing ideas, please feel free to leave me a comment. I love to learn, and am always looking for new ideas!