Portrait Photography How To

What do I do with my hands? That's a common question asked by novice models but, as a photographer, do you know how to answer it? In the below, portrait expert Miquel Quiles offers some sage advice on hand poses that he learned through experience.

"Posing hands in portraits is, without a doubt, the most difficult thing I had to learn as a portrait photographer," Quiles says. "In the last few years I've been able to get a better handle on how to make sure they look great in every frame. In today's video I'm going to share with you 10 tips  that took my hand posing from novice to pro in no time."

Here are Quiles' 10 hand posing "hacks" that he demonstrates while photographing model Masumi:

Tip #1: Avoid showing the back of the hand straight on

Tip #2: Avoid showing the inside of the hand straight on

Tip #3: Avoid pushing hands and/or fingers into the face/body

Tip #4: Moisturize hands and make sure they're clean

Tip #5: Watch out for "rebels."

Tip #6: Use the "karate chop" method

Tip #7: Make sure to match skin tones of hands and face

Tip #8: Hands in the frame should "tell a story"

Tip #9 & 10: Avoiding "dead hand" by resetting pose often

Watch his tutorial below and you're sure to get a handle on hands in no time! Then go visit and subscribe to Quieles' handy photography channel on YouTube.