9 Ways to Give Your Hands Something to Do in Your Brand Photos
So you get in front of the camera, and suddenly forget all the ways you naturally use your hands every day? I’ve got you covered.
You’re not alone if the second that camera lens is pointed your way, you’re overcome with a sense of how cumbersome and restless all your limbs are. But as Lorelai’s surrogate mother at the Independence Inn once said, “Tea usually makes things like this a little less awkward. There’s things to hold and stir.”
In other words, give your hands something to do! Muscle memory can make using your hands ten times easier. Here are just 9 ways to put something in your hands that will help them relax (and work for you on autopilot while your photographer snaps away!).
IDEA #1: HOLD UP A BOOK, MAGAZINE, OR NEWSPAPER
One of the perks of these props is that they give both your hands a job. You can’t flick a paper, hold a hardback open, or keep your magazine pages from blowing in the breeze without a little help from each of your hands. Plus, these props tend to work seamlessly into other scenes—such as at your desk, lounging in a coffee shop, or liasing in the park.
IDEA #2: STIR, Pour, or Sip
Here’s another way to occupy two hands—hold a beverage in one hand, and stir with a straw or decorative spoon with the other. This works for thick smoothies, adding cream (or your favorite dairy substitute) to a coffee, or steeping tea. Oh, and let’s not forget cocktails with their little umbrellas! Pick the beverage that makes sense for your brand and take it from there. You can also pour cream into a coffee, syrup on breakfast, sauce on a falafel—food is universal. We all speak that language!
IDEA #3: TUCK HAIR BEHIND YOUR EAR OR STRAIGHTEN YOUR GLASSES
Touching your hair can add a graceful, feminine touch to a photo… and hey, most women do this dozens of times a day! While one hand tucks, the other can rest on the strap of a purse or messenger bag, hold a to-go cup, rest on a stair railing, tuck in a pocket, or whatever else the scene provides for opportunity.
IDEA #5: PUT ONE HAND IN YOUR POCKET, AND WITH THE OTHER ONE GIVE A PEACE SIGN (WINK)
If you didn’t get the Alanis Morissette reference, I’m officially old! This one is more about the peace sign—it’s not right for every brand, but tossing a peace sign out in front of your body or straight up in the air can create a wild-and-free effect, not just in the photo but for you as you loosen up for the camera, as well! My girl Promise loves this as a go-to pose.
IDEA #6: WRITE OR DOODLE
This photo of Alexis by Jenn Bakos
Writing and doodling have a universality that allow them to transcend vocation or brand. This method is also good for just relaxing and letting your photographer do what she does best—find the light, find the angle. You can just stay put and play M.A.S.H. or hangman until she tells you she’s ready to switch things up!
IDEA #7: REST YOUR CHIN ON ONE HAND OR BOTH
This is for sitting poses. Sometimes we collapse into a chair or sit gingerly on some steps, and then… what? Put our hands on our knees? No! If you were chatting with a friend in this position, you’d no doubt lean forward and rest your chin either on your knuckles or in the palm of your hand. This posture also feels casual and approachable in photos, so give it a try! Pictured: Joy Bethany
IDEA #8: GATHER UP YOUR HAIR
That’s right, Rapunzel— another hair activity! In this case, you’re either going to just plain run a hand through your hair (this will give it more body and movement), or you’re going to start gathering up your locks as though about to twist them into a ponytail… except you’ll never get there. You’ll just hold the pose or play around with your hair until your photographer says she got the shot!
IDEA #9: GO CLEAN AND SIMPLE—PLACE THEM ON YOUR HIPS
If you want to look feminine and free, do this with your thumbs in the front, and your fingers behind your back. If you want to look more boss-lady, place your other four fingers in the front.
You can also go the one-handed hand-on-hip look, and with the other hand raise an iced coffee to your lips, or hold an iPad/clipboard/notebook.
And a final way to achieve this general look but make it more laid-back is to place both hands in the back pockets of your jeans, rather than on your hips!
What about you? What’s a creative, easy way you’ve put your hands to work in your brand photos? Tell me in a comment below! Then, as always, pin this post so you can refer back to it at any time! Thanks for reading—see you at our next brand shoot!
HELLO! MY NAME IS ALEXIS.
Coffee lover, day dreamer, foodie, and creative. I believe in doing what you can with what you have where you are. I blog to help you do more with what you have. I hope you love it here!
