If there’s one thing that can instantly make you a better photographer, it’s learning how to pose your clients. In particular, how to pose hands. Not only will this improve your portrait photography, but it will make your clients look and feel more confident.

So today, I’m going over three hand-posing mistakes I often see photographers make and how to correct them.

Mistake #1: When the hand is up by the face.

Whenever possible, we want to try and avoid showing off the back of the palm and instead, focus on the manicure. After all, we don’t want you to have gotten that mani for nothing! In order to do this, you’re going to rotate the wrist and relax the fingers. Next, splay the fingers ever so slightly so that the fingers are dancing around the face instead of looking like you’re about to punch someone in the jaw.

Mistake #2: When the hand is “flapping in the wind.”

Instead of letting your hand dangle in the wind as shown in the photo above, try cupping the elbow or rotating the hand down to reveal the nails.

Mistake #3: When the hand is on the waist.

Instead of having your client put their hand on their natural waist, have them bring their hands up ever so slightly and then flip the hand back so the thumb is revealed.

For a better look at the behind-the-scenes of this golden hour photo session, head over to my YouTube channel.

There you have it— three small hand adjustments that end up making a big difference. If you’re looking for feedback on your own work or simply a place to join a kind, encouraging photography community, consider joining Build + Bloom, my free community filled with like-minded photographers and creatives.

How-to-Pose-Hands-in-Portrait-Photography-blog

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