Part 3 of 5 in a Portraiture Series from Cuba
If the spine carries emotion and the eyes reveal it, then the hands—those often-forgotten tools of expression—announce it before anything else.
Watch closely the next time someone is being photographed. Before they smile, before they pose, before they even know what to do with their face… they’ll move their hands.
Tuck them in a pocket.
Brush back hair.
Cross their arms.
Fidget. Flirt. Gesture.
Signal.
That’s what hands do in portraiture—they speak first.
This third model—again, professional, poised, paid—had an innate sense of body language. But what struck me most about her was how naturally she used her hands to communicate mood, tone, and atmosphere.
She didn’t pose them. She didn’t hold them stiff or over-direct them. She let them move like punctuation to her posture.
When she rested her hand on her hip, it said: Here I am.
When she placed a palm gently on a wall, it whispered: I’m still listening.
When she tugged at the edge of her shirt, it hinted: There’s more underneath.
And I just followed.
That’s the entire approach I brought to these sessions.
Minimal direction. Maximal observation.
Let me make something clear again, because it matters:
These were paid shoots with working models.
They knew how to move. How to flow. How to fill the frame.
All I had to do was watch, react, and shoot.
And in that rhythm—especially with this particular model—I realized just how often the hands delivered the emotional beat before the rest of the body caught up.
So many of us, especially photographers trained in traditional or studio environments, spend all our time thinking about:
Light
Lenses
Locations
Look
But not enough time thinking about limbs.
How people hold themselves.
Where they place their weight.
What their hands are doing—intentionally or not.
Because when hands are forced into stiff, awkward shapes, the photo feels staged.
But when hands move freely, truthfully, instinctively?
That’s when you’ve got something.
Let’s talk practical again for a moment.
As with every shoot in this series, I used only my iPhone 16 Pro Max, leaning into the 1X, 2X, and 5X lenses. In this case, I tended to favor 2X more than usual—just enough reach to give her space, while still keeping the hands visible in the frame.
We shot outdoors, in the kind of golden, humid Havana light that photographers dream about. But I stayed close to open shade, because I didn’t want the hands to be lost in harsh contrast or blown-out highlights.
I didn’t retouch these images beyond some basic balancing. No hand-smoothing. No skin-perfecting. I want the texture to stay—because hands aren’t just expressive, they’re honest.
They show age.
Work.
Tension.
Ease.
Artistry.
Personality.
And they always show something the face sometimes hides.
Hands are storytellers.
They hold history. Gesture toward meaning.
They remind us that portraiture doesn’t start or end with the face.
One hand against a wall.
Two fingers brushing the jaw.
Palms open.
Fists clenched.
A delicate curve, a commanding point, a playful flick of the wrist.
In every case, your subject is saying something.
And your job as the photographer is to translate—not interrupt.
So here’s what I want you to try next time you’re shooting people:
Watch their hands.
Before you check exposure.
Before you check your focus.
Before you start suggesting poses.
Just observe what their hands do naturally.
And let that be the lead-in to the shot.
Looking back at today’s gallery, I see now what I didn’t consciously see in the moment: her hands were never still.
Not in a fidgety way. In a fluent way.
She talked with her body, yes.
But she started every sentence with her fingers.
I didn’t plan for that.
But I was ready for it.
And that’s half the job, right?
Being ready.
Noticing.
Receiving.
Day Four drops tomorrow.
It’s called “Lean In.”
It’s about body weight, gravity, and intimacy.
You don’t want to miss that one.
But until then, spend a few extra moments looking at the photos below.
Zoom in.
Look past the face.
Find the fingertips. The palms. The gesture.
Let the hands speak.
They always do.
Click.
Jack
