Communities

Writing
Writing
Codidact Meta
Codidact Meta
The Great Outdoors
The Great Outdoors
Photography & Video
Photography & Video
Scientific Speculation
Scientific Speculation
Cooking
Cooking
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Judaism
Judaism
Languages & Linguistics
Languages & Linguistics
Software Development
Software Development
Mathematics
Mathematics
Christianity
Christianity
Code Golf
Code Golf
Music
Music
Physics
Physics
Linux Systems
Linux Systems
Power Users
Power Users
Tabletop RPGs
Tabletop RPGs
Community Proposals
Community Proposals
tag:snake search within a tag
answers:0 unanswered questions
user:xxxx search by author id
score:0.5 posts with 0.5+ score
"snake oil" exact phrase
votes:4 posts with 4+ votes
created:<1w created < 1 week ago
post_type:xxxx type of post
Search help
Notifications
Mark all as read See all your notifications »
Q&A

Why fold your hands, and center them, in portraits?

+2
−3

What's this pose called? Let's not call it crossing your palms!

Anyways, in portraits, the subject usually never shows hands. Then why clinch your hands, then center them in the center of the portrait? What do the clasped hands betoken?

Top — Zenith. Middle — Natalie. Bottom — Wilson.

History
Why does this post require moderator attention?
You might want to add some details to your flag.
Why should this post be closed?

1 comment thread

x-post https://photo.stackexchange.com/q/129937 (1 comment)

2 answers

You are accessing this answer with a direct link, so it's being shown above all other answers regardless of its score. You can return to the normal view.

+1
−3

It's a posed artistic license or body sign language that reveals the condition of the hands and fingers which often reveal something. It might be said that it is a caring pose with the dominant hand on top over the protected one. Long fingers for example show artistic personality strengths. It also shows jewelry preferences or sometimes marital status or some other poised message of love or peace. The hands can also display youth or age and experience. In dynamic poses, hand positions can display confidence, strength or insecurity.

Compare the emotional contrast to other hand positions such as a triangle or interlocked fingers or palmed fist or hidden hands.

In any case, the hands are part of the non-verbal communication that are part of the sales pitch to invite customers.

Which career positions might be in-appropriate or appropriate for this photographic pose?

Criminal Lawyer? or Public Defender?
Coroner ? or Family Doctor ?
Concert Pianist or Violinist?

History
Why does this post require moderator attention?
You might want to add some details to your flag.

0 comment threads

+3
−0

Why? Probably because the photographer told the subjects to do that. Personally, I don't think it looks that great. The bottom picture seems better to me than the others in that regard, but I can't really say why.

In any case, you'd have to ask the photographer why he thinks this pose looks better. Artistic value is very much in the eye of the beholder.

History
Why does this post require moderator attention?
You might want to add some details to your flag.

1 comment thread

Wrist flexion? (2 comments)

Sign up to answer this question »