How to Look Professional on Video Conference Calls - Backgrounds

New Product Launch!  Executive Video Conference Call Consultation and Set-Up Package

Ah, the joy of video conference calls! Does your heart fill with joy and confidence at every opportunity you get to showcase your professional awesomeness in a video call? Do you have a set-up that supports your showing up clearly and professionally?

At this point all indications are that video calls are not going anywhere, with some companies planning to hold off on bringing employees back to their offices until 2021, or possibly ever. A lot of people are not comfortable with video calls. There are a number of reasons for this, not the least of which may be the feeling that it's like having photo day (the horror!), over and over again. And not only do you have to show up on camera yourself, but people may see your home, your private space, and depending on your particular circumstances maybe a big part of it, or a small but messy or ill-lit or unattractive or distracting part if it. Not a great set of circumstances to reinforce your confidence.

It can be an uncomfortable proposition and I know for some the solution is to turn off the camera. But turning yourself "off" is not going to serve you in the short or long run. That said, we are way past the point where just showing up on video is enough. People may not say anything about their teams' and colleagues' poor set-ups, but I know from experience that they are noticing, they are (in some cases) distracted, and they are (in some cases) not impressed. Recently a high level executive told me in person that some of her team looked terrible on their calls. And I've heard stories of executives showing up in sweats. So truly, people do notice. Looking bad on video calls is not what you want to be noticed for, but you do want to be noticed! Think "executive presence" (but not the guy in sweats!).

Video conference call background #1. The stand is included and is to be positioned right behind your chair. The single stand makes for a tiny footprint, perfect for small spaces. (Photo updated My 2021)

Still from video capture showing me in front of photo fabric video conference call backdrop #1. The image for this backdrop was shot in an office downtown and modified for use as both a digital portrait background, and later a video conference photo fabric background. (Photo updated May 2021)

When the whole video-conferencing-for-everyone thing started I had, like many people, to figure out how to go from no video call set-up to looking professional on camera overnight. I didn't have an appropriate spot in the space I share with my family, and had to set something up. I, at least, had the advantage of being a photographer. So after doing some research I made a little movie with some helpful tips, understanding that not everyone would be as excited about experimenting with set-up details as I was. Here's a link to that if you're interested: https://youtu.be/10l1QrJrVzc

One of the biggest challenges, and the source of much of what is distracting about people's set-ups, is the background. Initially I became obsessed with virtual backgrounds...finding them, designing them, using them, and helping other people use them, until I came to the frustrating realization that they seemed, really, only to work well on Zoom, and even there it helped to have a green screen. So the many users on other platforms were out of luck, to varying extents. Fast forward and I finally realized that I already had a simple solution for everyone to look good on any platform -- actual physical backdrops which I have been specially designing for portrait shoots for years. All that was needed was a redesign to make them image-appropriate for individual business people, and work in their personal spaces.

These backgrounds simplify the set-up part of the equation in an easily accessible way for non-photographers, so professionals can set up quickly, easily and consistently, never have to clean up their space again just for a video call, and feel comfortable and confident about showing up on video (whether on video calls or filming messaging videos for their teams).

Expertly designed and created these small, home-office friendly backgrounds (mounted on a small single stand that’s included) are specifically designed for one person to sit in front of, to hide the room, and create the illusion of a nice, tidy room space. They are designed so that the image frames your head and shoulders, and there are few elements in the "room", just enough to suggest a nice, tidy, home-based (in most cases) space. Even the art on the walls in these images has been modified or created to be innocuous and not distracting. (This, I'll just mention, is in direct contrast to many of the virtual backgrounds on offer out there, which are often highly distracting and filled with eye catching art and furniture...exactly what we don't want as they take the focus off you and onto the background).

Working from home often means space is at a premium so the kit is really small. The super small 3.5 x 5 foot backgrounds are printed on anti-wrinkle jersey fabric*, and the single stand is 5 feet wide (fixed width, adjustable height). This means it will fit into a small space, and the single stand means the footprint (ie. space required on the floor) is tiny. And once you set it up (or I set it up), you can easily move it aside to be popped back behind you whenever you have a call. If you do want to put it away the backdrop can be rolled up and stowed, and the stand is collapsible. *As of spring 2021 the jersey fabric is no longer available and has been replaced with an opaque black rubber backed fabric which does not wrinkle easily, and does not allow light to shine through.

Whether you are using your actual environment in your home or office, or you choose to use a virtual or physical backdrop here are a few tips to make sure the focus is on you (in fact, these are the guidelines I follow for my photo fabric background designs). Unfortunately some spaces are never going to look good on video because they are just not conducive; for example there's a door right behind your head or stuff you just can't put anywhere else, in which case a backdrop really may be the best option. But here's the list:

• Keep it simple. Remove clutter.
• If there are shelves behind you, remove objects that may appear to be "growing out of your head".
• Keep background plants off to the sides, not poking out from behind your head.
• Remember that most web cams have wide angle lenses so you need to tidy up all the way to the  edges of the room.
• If you do use a photograph (for a virtual background) make sure it's royalty free, and if it has a lot going on it it, try cropping it to remove some of the more distracting elements and blurring it a bit.
• And this is not a background thing, but it's the reason I include a small lamp in the kit...make sure there is light on your face!
• The focus should be on YOU!

Rough mock-ups of 6 specially designed video conference call photo fabric background options. (Please check back for new, additional options.) Please note that colours and crops are approximate; backdrops will appear more tightly cropped when used in real life (as web cams won't see edge to edge), camera and body position will affect the view, and body/head/hair shapes may obscure more/less of the image areas.

Of course it's not just the backgrounds, but the lighting, camera type and position, microphone, wardrobe etc., etc. that affect the way we show up. (I have lots to say about those things as well, just not here or now.) But if you have a nice background and a flattering light you will be a long way towards showing up brilliantly!

The basic package includes:

• 3.5 x 5 foot horizontal fabric backdrop that hangs from a single stand. 6 images to choose from so far. New designs will be added to over time. 
• Small collapsible stand 5 feet wide (fixed), adjustable height
• A small daylight balanced, flattering and flexible desk lamp, the exact model of which may change  based on availability. (What's available and priced right changes all the time. Key features will always be daylight balance, tall enough to be able to shine from above your computer screen, and soft bulb for flattering light.)

I would love to include a web cam and flexible camera mount in the kit, but due to the same circumstances that have us needing to do video calls in the first place, availability has been severely impacted and the webcams I would want to supply are still not available as of my writing this. So I can't promise web cams just yet.


And last but not least I will mention the two options in terms of the consultation part of the package: Option 1 includes initial video call consultation followed by an in-person set-up (in and around Toronto), while Option 2 would involve the virtual consultation only. I can say that from experience it has been found to be very helpful for me to physically visit the space as no two set-ups are the same, and there will be tips and advice on how to get the best results in your space that I'll be better able to offer if I am there and can see the specifics of a space. I also know from feedback that it can be helpful for me to set up the stand and mount the backdrop (as simple as the process is).

I can't wait to help you elevate and align your video presence with your personal brand. Harness the power of looking good to feel good! It could not be easier. I look forward to working with you!

kathryn@hollinrake.com

hollinrake.com

Pricing

Please note: I do not have e-commerce enabled so to buy a kit please e-mail me. Thank-you!

Announcing my newest portable background for corporate portraits

Me against my new Corp #7 Background.

Just in time to delay the launch of my newest portable backdrop due to circumstances beyond all of our control (I hope you and everyone close to you are safe and well), I thought I'd go ahead and write a short post about it anyway, and share a few light-hearted tips on planning for your next business portrait, so you're ready to roll when all of our businesses resume. I have used myself as a stand-in model many times due to my on-call availability and unbeatable rate. This time I was absolutely going to use someone else as my model, then the health crisis hit so here I am again, with a choice of me, or me. With that, allow me to introduce my new backdrop, creatively and illuminatingly named Corp #7.

First off, look how happy I appear (above). That's because I am a good actor! But seriously, I still need to do what I coach clients to do, which is to think about something that makes me feel warm and happy. Here below is how I looked before... Who would you rather work with?

Am I mad at the camera or maybe the world?

Let's talk about hair very briefly. I made the mistake of hurrying to tidy my hair for this shoot, which prompted me to mention a couple of things. If you have long hair consider leaving it down; if you tie it back or put it up you may look like you have really short hair in your portrait. It's not like real life, or video, where you can see the pony tail or bun (or whatever) as you move around. I put my hair back only because this photograph is all about the background. 

Clients with long hair will often say to me, "You decide how to style my hair," even though they care a lot about how their hair looks, and whatever we do will be "locked in" on their portrait until they get a new one to replace it! While I am always saying "trust your photographer", hair can make or break a portrait and make it one you love or hate, and it's so personal. So before your session think about how you like your hair best. And set yourself up for success...don't arrive with your hair in a bun and take it down on set expecting it to look like it hasn't just been stuck in a bun. If you really are flexible I'll happily help!

Left: I thought it might be worth showing this little "don't" for those who do choose to tie their hair back -- in my haste to get shooting I did mine a little sloppily, resulting in a too-small-to-count pony tail  sticking out distractingly beside my jawline. Right: Yes, subtle difference, but definitely better overall.

Onto wardrobe...every time I do one of these test shoots, when it's time for me to choose something to wear, I experience renewed empathy for my clients. It can be amazingly difficult to get it just right, and I have the luxury of a whole closet full of clothes at my finger tips. That said, though, what I own a lot of is sleeveless tops (so I stay cool during energy intensive shoots), and as I've said before, unless you have Kelly Ripa arms it's usually better, and just looks more professional, to cover them at least partially. If, like me, you are also not an executive with a lovely selection of beautifully tailored suit jackets, you may find yourself struggling with what to wear instead. 

Exasperatingly, I ended up trying six different tops. Here's a run down which I'll share to point out some easily avoidable mistakes:

The first top I tried was a sweater (which I almost never recommend for a business photo as they tend to look too casual). I thought I'd dress it up a bit by adding a decorative scarf accessory, but the style of the scarf with its random, loose bits of wool, combined with my tiny hint of a pony tail made it look as if there was a small animal attached to my neck. Also, keeping the sweater symmetrical was harder than I'd anticipated so the wide neckline looked really uneven.

The colour combo is good but that's about all that's working with this wardrobe.

 Not only that, but it turned out that this sweater is pilly and it showed. 

I never think of this sweater as being pilly but clearly it is, and it shows. I see this at a lot of (non-executive) shoots.

Bottom line: if you are going to wear a knit make sure it fits properly, does not pull anywhere, and is not pilled.

Next I tried, yup, another sweater, just to make absolutely sure I couldn't get away with something as simple and easy to grab and throw on! Again, I didn't like the neckline, the gray looked dark and blah, it didn't look any more professional than the first sweater and it certainly didn't do anything to support my credibility as an expert in corporate portraiture.

What's with the vintage sweater? Not a great choice for this "environment".

By this time I was clear I needed a collar, and a good colour, like blue which I thought would look great against this backdrop. Unfortunately, the top I chose is loose fitting linen, and while it didn't look wrinkly to me when I had it on a hanger, as soon as I put it on, and stood in front of a directional light, every wrinkle was emphasized in a bad way. What a mess. One more example of something working fine in real life but not in a still photo, and a reminder that it's important to wear something that fits you well.

Holy pile of excess fabric and wrinkles!

I wore this next blouse (below) once before for a test shot. The colour is fairly neutral and actually works OK against the background. But the top itself looks kind of unusual and just not like something you'd wear to work in a corporate environment. The take away? As obvious as this may seem, it's advisable to avoid trendy (or out-dated), or highly stylized looks that will distract viewers from seeing you, unless maybe you are a fashion designer. (It's worth noting that although all I'm trying to do is show you a new background, even in this circumstance what I'm wearing has the potential to impact the successful communication of my message.)

Unusual and somewhat dated blouse...can't get away with it...too distracting!

I will also quickly mention that I know enough by now not to even try a black suit jacket because with my fair colouring it just looks too heavy. I have no pic to illustrate this, but please trust me. Black jackets are kind of ubiquitous in the business world so I see a lot of them. If you have fair hair and a fair complexion, I strongly suggest you wear something lighter than black if you can, but not too light, as a very pale jacket on a very pale person can make that person look very washed out. In general, mid-tones rule!

I was starting to lose patience with this process (as you can see by my expression below). I have also worn this next top in a previous sample shot. In this case, though, its dark colour was a little too reminiscent of a black jacket -- it looked too dark and heavy -- and against this pseudo-institutional background the vibe was all wrong.

This top is too dark, and wrong for the "environment".

Finally, a note about a certain kind of wrinkle: I didn't even put on my favourite jacket, the shoulder of which is pictured below, because I knew these wrinkles were deal breakers. If you have a suit jacket that has those "baked in" wrinkles on the arm, please get it cleaned and pressed or wear something else. I see these sorts of wrinkles fairly regularly, especially in men's jackets, and I can tell you that they are virtually unremovable in retouching, especially if there is any kind of pattern or texture to the fabric. They will show, and they will not look good.

"Baked in wrinkles" on the upper arm of a jacket.

That's a whole lot of wardrobe don'ts! What about the do's? Referring to my final choice the white patterned blouse I finally settled on was not one that even occurred to me initially but it worked. Why? It has a collar which creates a flattering neckline, the 'v' is not too low so various crops will work, it fits nicely (not too tight or too loose), and it's not too dark or too light but looks balanced against my colouring and in the shot, not blending in too much with the background or standing out too much. It's white but not the dreaded "plain white". And while solids are often a safe choice, a pattern like this, ie. repeating, medium sized, organic, and somewhat subtle, not a small hounds tooth or large distracting geometric, can work well.

What can you do, given that you won't have a closet to go though at the time of your session? As contrary to my instincts as it is to suggest people photograph themselves, here's a thought: you could try taking selfie test shots to see what neckline, etc. looks best. Keep in mind that the most common crop is head and shoulders so you'll want to know that a tight-ish crop will work well. Lower cut tops can disappear below the bottom of the frame. You may not know going into your session what the photographer or, later, your communications department (or whoever) is going to do so always be prepared in case it's more than just a head and shoulders set-up. I'll say it again...this means your top, whatever it is, should fit well..not too tight, not too loose, and if it has a button (as on a jacket, for example) you should be able to do it up comfortably. The other things you may not know going in are how light or dark, or what colour the background is going to be. In many cases this information could be made available prior to the shoot, so wardrobe could be selected accordingly. Feel free to ask. Another thing you can do is bring an option...cleaned, pressed, and on a hanger.

Moving on, back to the main topic...the background. One of the tricky aspects of designing my portable corporate backdrops is ensuring they will look good regardless of how the final portrait is cropped. To this end they can't be too busy, or too plain, too blurred or too sharp. This new background allows for cropping quite loosely (see the image at the top of the post) and much tighter (see below).

Corp #7 was designed like its predecessors to crop well to different formats.

Final tidbit for today: often at the end of a session I will say to the subject that I am going to "shoot a plate". What does this mean and what is the purpose? Don't worry there's no need to remember this, but in case anyone is curious, all I am saying is that I want a shot of the background without a person in front of it, to facilitate cleaning up of any hair fly aways during post producton. If you have a plate shot, instead of Photoshopping out the fly aways the hard way you can create a layered file with the portrait photo on top of the background-only photo and simply erase the fly aways to reveal the backdrop. This only works if the camera remains pretty much locked in one position so if your photographer is not using a tripod this will likely not be happening. 

The backdrop photographed by itself.

Here I have a two layered file. The bottom layer is a photo of just the backdrop while the top layer is the portrait. I've erased part of myself in this example to reveal the background beneath, just to illustrate the technique.

This just shows very roughly the part of the portrait that gets erased. Where you see white here, you would actually see the layer below, ie. the clean background image, revealed.

Left: Lots of distracting frizzies around my head. Right: frizzies erased to reveal the clean background photo beneath.

Enough about me (referring to the latest overdose of self-portraits here)! I hope you see some possibilities with the new backdrop, I hope this has been somewhat helpful, and I look forward photographing someone other than myself soon! 

Lastly, I hope you and those you care about are well, and stay well, and I wish everyone strength and resilience! If you have a photo question I can help with please don't hesitate to reach out. See you soon!
  

kathryn@hollinrake.com
www.hollinrake.com

What should I do with my hands? A guide to hand positions for portraits...

One of the questions I get the most when shooting waist-up portraits: "What should I do with my hands?"

Sometimes instead of allowing for a head and shoulders crop the intended uses for a business portrait dictate we show a bit more body, for example from the waist up. Particularly for people who do not do a lot of public speaking this can present an uncomfortable challenge as they wonder what to do with their hands. The natural starting point, understandably, tends to be hands by their sides, which looks stiff and boring and can result in the hands being cropped off, so that's no good. We need to get those hands up!

No.

One advantage of including your hands in your portrait is their ability to help tell your story. Wherever they are the message they should be helping to communicate is that you are confident and relaxed. The key is to keep any sense of tension out of the wrists, hands and fingers; so rather than stretching all the fingers out, or folding them all in, position them somewhere in between these extremes. I will co-opt the words of the talent agent character Danny Reed in the movie "Holiday Inn" (although he's talking about orchids), when he says (your hands should be) "loose, looking like they don't care".

Left: we pretty much never want to see a "starfish" hand (ie. all fingers fully extended and evenly separated) as it's not pretty and exudes stress. Middle: much better...hand and and wrist are relaxed, fingers gracefully cascade from less to slightly more bent. Right: clenched fingers scream "uncomfortable".

 Please note: throughout this article the blue tinted pics are the "dont's" and the plain black and whites are the "do's".

I shot over 200 frames for this article partly because I kept getting my hands "wrong", which leads me to acknowledge that while it is really easy to get it wrong it is also way easier to get it right when your photographer is guiding you. I ended up with so many bad ones I got carried away selecting example after example of what not to do, until I realized I had an overwhelming number of, in many cases, quite subtly different images. I know from the experience of choosing selects with clients that staring at a bunch of subtly different portraits can result in their all starting to look the same. So I hit the reset button, culled out some of the subtler "wrongs" and chose the following examples to share with you. Obviously I will not cover all the possible hand positions, and there are no hard and fast rules. It goes without saying, too, that hands are just one of the many things we can get right or wrong in a portrait, so for the sake of this article we will to some extent ignore the other things and just focus on the hands.

Let's start with a popular pose for those identifying as women, especially: arms crossed. This pose offers a great way to keep your hands up and not have to think to hard about what to do with them. It doesn't work for everyone, every style of wardrobe, or every body type, but when it is possible it can help make a person look comfortable and confident...unless the hands are tucked away under the arms as if in hiding (below left), or "starfish" fingers are stressfully gripping the arms (below right). The key is to success with this pose is to rotate the wrists upward a bit and gently rest the fingers of both hands just above the elbows.

Left: hands tucked under arms as if diving for safety. Middle: both hands exposed and resting gently on arms. Right: both hands showing but looking like "starfish" or claws, and very tense.

There are a number of other ways to hold the hands up around waist level in a natural and comfortable looking way. I say comfortable looking because many people are not comfortable being photographed in any case, so as always the goal is to appear comfortable, whether you are or not.  There are, however, dead give aways as illustrated in the examples below. It is, once again, always about the lack of tension in the hands.

Top left and bottom right: death grips, dead give aways that the subject is not comfortable. Top right: loosely clasped hands with fingers bent to varying degrees, sort of "care-free" clasping. Bottom left: holding a pen. (I carry a set of silver pens to every corporate portrait shoot just to use as props.)

Lightly holding a finger on the opposite hand can look reasonably relaxed and unposed.

Another example of hands very gently, loosely together. Again, it's all about a total and obvious lack of tension.

The key to this pose is the relaxed fingers on the upper hand -- the fist is not clenched and fingers are bent to varying degrees in a casual, relaxed cascade. Also, the vertical arm is not straight up and down but lists slightly to one side.

Further to the example above here are a couple of variations that can work, or not, depending on some subtle details. Again, these won't work for everyone.

Top left: hands are both curled closed into fists, so looks a bit aggressive and emotionally "closed" as opposed to top right: hands are just a bit less curled up, looking more relaxed so the subject looks more approachable. Bottom left: OK I admit this one is not my favourite but it's OK, and at least looks fairly relaxed, unlike the bottom right pose showing fingers "desperately" intertwined.

Continuing on with the subtle differences and picky details...the next set of images includes a prop -- a table for the subject to lean on. 

Top left: hands gently touching, almost as if the subject is not conscious of her hands. Bottom right: fingers of the right hand rest casually on the hip and are spaced out unevenly, in a good way, while the 'cascading' bent fingers of the left hand appear reasonably relaxed. The wrist could have been a tiny bit bent to allow the hand to droop slightly for a subtly more relaxed look. Top right and bottom left are the "wrongs". Top right: "starfish" fingers on hip hand and hanging hand fingers all extended fully and evenly look more posed, and less natural. Bottom left: fist looks uncomfortable but so does the hand on the hip with fingers all perfectly aligned and fully extended with no gaps in between them.

Next...some seated poses, hand positions in which may be similar to some in the standing poses. Again, for those less comfortable with the whole portrait process the tendency is to place hands together, often in a tight grip.

Very tightly clasped hands belie the subject's attempt to appear comfortable and confident.

The top row are the "wrongs". Bottom row are the "betters". Top left and right: obviously tightly clasped hands which look the opposite of relaxed and confident. Top and bottom middle: this difference is subtle... in the bottom one hands and fingers looks a little more "random" (note the way the index finger on the top hand is separated to sit over the thumb of the bottom hand). The top middle one is not terrible but the fact that all fingers on the top hand are neatly beside each other makes it look more formal and posed, which again works against an overall appearance of naturally occurring comfort. Bottom left and bottom right: hands look reasonably "tidy" but not too perfect.

Another useful prop can be a table or desk at which the subject sits, circumstances allowing. This can be a great help, especially for more casual portraits, in terms of getting the hands up and into the frame.  An added bonus when using a desk or table is that additional props may be added and not seem out of place. I used a pen here, again. Another option might be a cup or glass, if appropriate. As always the desire is for the hands to support the overall appearance of comfort and confidence rather than to betray it, and to make sure the hands and fingers look as aesthetically pleasing as possible, meaning, for example, no "log jams" (as shown in the bottom middle shot below where all the fingers are prominently intertwined and positioned distractingly straight toward the camera).

Oh-oh...model is getting a but grumpy! As I said near the beginning of the article we are here to look at hands so please excuse my increasingly dour demeanour! By now the reader will know what I am going to say about each of these. I'll add that in terms of the props, it's important to make sure the prop does not become too much of a focus point...it's just there to give the hands something to do, not to look like a product that the subject is selling. If the subject gets even less comfortable worrying about how to hold it "correctly" ditch it!

One final set of at-the-table poses to illustrate, especially, a pet peeve of mine -- the back-of-fist-to-the-camera scenario shown in the bottom left image. This has a simple fix which is to rotate the wrist to expose the side of the fist to the camera in a much more aesthetically pleasing way (bottom middle).

Top left: fingers look like a tense log jam compared to top middle: nice and relaxed. Top right: something like this can work but you need to make sure it doesn't look weird and posed like this one does. Bottom right: The top hand is not terrible although it looks a bit posed (the chin is obviously not actually resting on the hand), but the hand on the table is curled into a fist, which does not contribute to a feeling of approachability.

I realized after doing the first shots for this post that many of the poses I was suggesting work much better for female identifying subjects than male. So I decided to put on a suit (since I photograph a lot of men in suits, and suits can affect the kinds of poses that will work) and shoot a quick example of a common, more casual, usually male pose...hands in pockets (often not an option for women because as we all know and complain about incessantly, women's clothes tend more often that not to be missing pockets). Turns out I don't have a business suit, so I donned the closest thing I had, noting that when men put their hands in their pockets when wearing a suit jacket their hands aren't actually visible. (My little jacket is much shorter than a suit jacket.)

Left: One thing subjects often try right off the bat is putting their hands behind their backs which is a no-no as it can make you look as if you have no arms, and it is not a comfortable look. Right: Putting hands fully in the pockets can work really well if your jacket covers your hands, but works less well if you can see the hands disappearing into the pockets, and in this case stretching out the pants. Brief wardrobe note: I cannot fail to acknowledge the shirt wrinkles. No matter what I did to try to mitigate this my crisp, white shirt pulled in the same places every frame I shot creating several unsightly stress wrinkles. This is one reason I do not love crisp shirts especially ones that don't fit very well!

Last set of examples: casual standing. Once again I shot so many bad ones I was tempted to share them all with their nit picky but important flaws. But rather than overwhelm the reader with multiple examples of not-quite-right I narrowed it down to these. One more time...it's about keeping the hands loose, as if they fell into place without a moment's thought.

Left: too formal, the hand on the hip looks unrealistically perfectly placed with fingers all aligned, as if it's hovering instead of really resting on the hip, while the hand on the leg looks pressed too smoothly against the leg and not at all relaxed. Middle: both hands look relaxed...fingers not perfectly lined up, lightly bent, hands relaxed, hand by the leg rotated toward camera very slightly. Right: Hand on leg looks like a tense "starfish" as, to some extent, does the hand on the hip.

I will just mention one more "don't" I didn't even shoot because it is so often a hard no: both hands on hips. There are a number of reasons this pose can look less than awesome: it can look like a fashion model pose (so just not appropriate), it can force too wide a crop, or cause the elbows to be cut off in the crop, it can cause a whole bunch of unsightly stress wrinkles and buckling of fabric, and it can make your body look oddly wide. Best just to avoid!

And that's about it for now. As I mentioned at the top it was not my intention to cover every conceivable workable or unworkable pose. And to repeat myself further, what works or doesn't  won't be the same for everyone anyway, due to people's different body types, wardrobe, personalities, etc. It's not as if you have to remember all this! Your photographer will help you. That's what we're here for! But I thought it may be helpful to provide an overview of some of the more and less successful basic hand positions so you'll feel maybe just a little more comfortable next time you find yourself required to use your hands in a portrait, as you tell your story.

I can't wait to get back to capturing your stories when human contact is allowed again and business resumes!

In the meantime please don't hesitate to get in touch if I can help you prepare for your next shoot or be of assistance in some way.

kathryn@hollinrake.com
www.hollinrake.com