Hands

Hands or no hands? In these pairs of images we experimented with the same expression and pose, but with and without hands. We started with the hand gesture and expression, then just removed the hands to see how different she seemed.

Bottom Line: Consider letting the hands into the portrait.

Specs: 105mm, f16, studio softbox on left, reflector on right

Left

Right

Just one moment! Adding a finger pointing — even pointing up — makes the same photo much more powerful.

An unsure expression. Nicole seems unsure. Compare to next photo right.

Hand over mouth is a common expression for strong emotion, shock, disbelief.

A questioning look. Compare to next photo right.

With the standard "I can't hear you" hand gesture, this photograph actually becomes more clear but less interesting because we don't need to look closely to "get it."

Wanting to know more. I think a much more interesting but less clear photo than the next to the right.

Adding a military salute gives the photo a whole other level of meaning. Even the green dress becomes a uniform.

A vacant look.