How to Pose Your Hands For Your Maternity Session

Get ready for your maternity photo shoot! Here I’ll share some pro tips for posing your hands during your session.

You’ve scheduled your maternity photo session, yay! You’ve planned out your outfits, hair and makeup, and even the poses that you’d like to see in your photographs. One thing that is often overlooked, however, is how to pose your hands. When it comes to your photographs, your pose could be positively stunning, your lighting gorgeous and flattering, but if your hands aren’t right, the entire photo will be thrown off.

Your pinkie should always face the camera.

During your session, the light will focus on large surfaces, and although you may not think of it this way, the palm of your hand can look large and distracting in your photos. The best thing to do is have the pinkie side of your hand facing the camera and angle your palm away from the lens. This creates a more elegant look and keeps the focus on the subject of the photograph - your beautiful self

Relax your fingers.

Nerves and tension have a tendency to show up on our hands in the form of stiff, rigid fingers. It can create a tense feeling in your photographs, and we definitely don’t want that! Try to keep your fingers relaxed and naturally separated. One thing that helps is wiggling your fingers. Not only will this relax the look of your hands, but it’ll also make you feel a little silly, and that’s the kind of energy you want communicated in your photos.

Think Soft Touches

When placing your hands anywhere on your body for a pose, think of using soft touches. Using too much pressure can cause you to dig into your skin with your fingers, leaving unflattering lines and creases. For example, if you’re placing your hand on your face, don’t put the full weight of your face into your hands. Instead, think of barely caressing your face with your hands to create flattering lines.

Avoid Stray Fingers

Sometimes when we’re posing, we may have a pinkie or a thumb jutting out, away from the rest of the fingers, creating a visual distraction. This could be the product of too much tension, so remember to relax and wiggle your fingers, and tuck your pinkie and thumb into the rest of your fingers.

Think Long and Beautiful Thoughts

Another part of our body that we often don’t think about when we’re posing is our wrists. It’s easy to jut your wrist, creating a break between your hand and the rest of your arm. Keep your wrists straight and think of creating a long, beautiful line from the tips of your fingers down to your arm. In addition, imagine creating beautiful angles for the lens to pick up. Avoid pointing your arms and hands directly to, or away from the camera. This creates an effect called foreshortening, which makes parts of the body appear to be cut off.

Practice in the Mirror

You may feel a little staring at your reflection and pretending there’s a camera in front of you, but this really is the best way to get comfortable placing your hands around your body is a flattering manner. Channel your inner little girl, the one who used to explore mom’s makeup and jewelry collection, and spend some time playing around with poses in the mirror. This way when your big day arrives, you’ll not only be more conscious of how your hands look, but posing will feel more natural.

It seems like a lot to remember, but thankfully, when it comes to posing for your maternity session, you will never be alone! Your photographer will be there to guide you, getting the overall pose down and reminding you to just relax. Enjoy this beautiful moment and celebrate the journey that you and your little one are on.