TIPS ON POSING HANDS FOR BOUDOIR PORTRAITS
Posing hands can make a boudoir portrait more sensual and even provocative. Learning a few tricks to show your clients during their boudoir shoot can take your images from okay to fantastic in just a wave of a … umm, hand. Having a client pose then changing only their hand pose several times can create a lot of variety in your images which can also mean more sales.
Here are five tips on posing hands:
1. Ask your subject to touch or grab clothing and objects with their fingertips only.
This is helpful for several reasons, it keeps the hand from going into a fist position. Depending on the situation having a relaxed hand will look more feminine. However, there are some poses that a fisted hand that can be provocative.
2. I tell clients to roll their fingers slightly and to never lay their hands flat on any surface whether it is the wall, the bed, or on their body. When they roll their fingers slightly it gives a more natural look to how their hand is posed. I am not saying that flat hands never work, sometimes they do but 98% of the time I prefer for my subjects to not have flat hands.
3. When people are nervous it is hard for them to know what to do with their hands and when they feel awkward they will flatten their hands-on instinct. The best way I have found to help not only relax them and get into being photographed but also to make their hands look natural is to have them follow a motion such as pushing their hair back over their ear or running their fingers down their neck and Décolletage.
4. Having the pinky side of someone’s hand facing the camera is usually the best perspective because it is the smaller side of the hand. Depending on the angle you are shooting is going to depend on how you want to place the hand. Don’t be afraid to ask your subject to change what they are doing if you see it is not working.
5. If you pose your subject that they have their hands flat or somewhat flat have them spread their fingers slightly. To have perfectly posed hands may look unnatural. Try to avoid being perfectly symmetrical with your hand posing. This may work for one or two poses but most of the time non-symmetrical will look best.
BONUS TIP
Hiding hands can be very provocative and suggestive. Such as having the subject place their hands between their thighs and shooting from the side or back that you cannot see the hands but it suggests something naughty might be happening.
YOUTUBE
You can find a video I created on hand posing on my YouTube Channel. Here is a direct link: CLICK HERE.
About Couture Boudoir
Critsey Rowe, Couture Boudoir’s photographer, is an experienced, internationally published, and respected boudoir photographer who has dedicated her career to helping women feel comfortable and beautiful. With the help of female-only assistants and stylists, Critsey celebrates the uniqueness and intimate beauty of every client and takes truly flattering, tasteful, and gorgeous boudoir photographs.