Pay Attention to the Hands - Weekly Photography Tips

Here's a secret about photography... Ok, maybe it's not a secret...

Your photos can be made or broken by one thing. HANDS.

Hands have the power to make or break your photos.

Most people don't realize how important hands are in a photo. Hands can make a photo feel natural or incredibly stiff and forced, all by their position and what they look like.

Especially in group photos - be careful of the dreaded 'everyone-with-their-hands-down-by-their-sides' photo. Give people something to do with their hands, and it will immediately make your photos seem more natural, authentic, and personal.

In the photo on the right, I told the mom and her son to hold hands. It added a personal element to the photo, as well as kept the little boy from running away from us. In this photo, everyone could have just had their hands in their lap. That would have appeared pretty stagnant and awkward. Instead, there is cohesion, interaction, and a comfortable nature to this photo, because of the variety of hand placements. This next photo is one that could have had an entirely different feel if everyone would have had their hands by their sides. Instead, by having mom's arms around her son and dad and daughter holding hands, it creates an intimate and personal photo that conveys the love in the family. Start paying attention to the placement of people's hands in your photos. Give them something to do - hands in pockets, on hips, around people, holding hands etc - it will eliminate awkwardness from your photos, and increase the authentic nature of your photos.