idea what makes one hairstyle look good and one look messy. I pair
him up with one of our younger posers/set movers, who acts like
she is a member of the fashion police. She can spot a stray hair or a
bad outfit from across the studio. Between the two of them, we have
excellent portraits for clients.The Hands.
If you think that photographers have a hard time gracefully dealing
with the tilt of the head, you should see the way that some photog-
raphers deal with the hands. The hands are one of the most difficult
areas of the human body to pose effectively. This is why so many
photographers simply stick the
hands into the pockets—out of
sight, out of mind (or some-
thing like that). Many photogra-
phers rarely take portraits in
which the hands show, and if
they do show, they are hanging
down to the client’s side. Now
that’s artistry!Bend Every Joint?.
first started in photography
about twenty years ago, the
hands were supposed to have
every joint bent. As a result, it
wasn’t uncommon for a woman
to look like she’d missed a pay-
ment to her bookie and he took
a nutcracker to her fingers.
Let’s face it, the “all joints
bent” look is a little on the
unnatural side—I don’t know
about you, but I never have
every joint in my hand bent.
Using this strategy makes your
subject look like a mannequin
from the 1960s. Also, when you
have the hands posed in such a
way, it can draw attention away
from the face, the intended focal
point of the portrait. While this
works well for showing off a
wedding ring (or, I suppose, if
you are photographing a very
POSING THE SHOULDERS, ARMS, AND HANDS 63Hands should never just “hang there” in a
portrait. Instead, give them something to do,
even if it’s just one lightly grasping the other.