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Hand Model Guide: How To Become A Hand Model
9th July 2021
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9th July 2021
Do you have beautiful hands? Have you ever thought of becoming a hand model? Look no further as we’ve got all the information you need to get started.
From how to find hand modelling jobs to what a hand model earns, once you’ve read our guide, you’ll be good to go!
A hand model is someone who models with their hands. Hand models are usually considered to be part of the body-part modelling category, typically used in commercial modelling but also in high-fashion too.
Hand models are cast when there are close-up shots needed of items on or near the hands. For example, jewellery, food, drinks or nail polish.
Feeling inspired? Let’s go through everything you need to know about how to become a hand model!
Practice, practice, practice! Like many jobs, practice makes perfect and hand modelling is no exception. The first step in becoming a hand model is practising how to present and place your hand in front of the camera to showcase it in the best light.
The poses need to look natural on camera, even though they can feel unnatural in real life. Therefore, practising hand model poses in front of a mirror can be hugely helpful. As well as taking photos of your hands and seeing which poses work and which don’t.
Now comes your hand model portfolio. We recommend you hire a professional photographer to take photos of your hands in different poses and angles. You can look at fashion magazines or online for inspiration. It’s worth investing in professional pictures as poor quality, amateur images will not look good. Remember to make sure your portfolio is of high quality and saved in the correct format. If agents can’t open or access your work they might just move on to the next model, as they don’t have time to waste!
The exact same applies to other body part modellings, such as leg and feet modelling. Your portfolio is your chance to showcase your best work. Therefore, it’s important not to rush this part of the process and realise you might need to update it many times.
Once you have practised a lot and have a portfolio, it’s time to approach a hand model agency.
Spend time researching agencies that specialise in hand modelling and see which brands they’ve worked with. Although you want to make a great impression on the agency, they must also impress you with their previous work, clients and connections. So, take time to choose the right agency.
Also, don’t be afraid to apply to more than one! It’s good to keep your options open and have a few different agencies to choose from.
Getting into hand modelling is similar to getting into any kind of modelling. Generally, the best way is to find a brilliant agency to represent you.
However, there are other ways to find hand modelling jobs without an agency. Including posting pictures of your hand modelling on your social media profiles and using relevant hashtags. This will help get you noticed. You could also follow hand modelling agencies and other hand models on social media for inspiration.
You can also search for hand model jobs near me online and look out for hand model casting calls. Another way to find work is to sign up to casting websites such as Star Now, which post daily adverts for models and actors.
As well as this, making contacts and connections is a really useful way to build a successful career in hand modelling. As they say, it’s often ‘all about who you know!’.
At this point you might be wondering, how much do hand models make? The good news is that hand modelling can be very well paid, although it’s hard to quote an exact hand model salary as models are usually paid per project.
Typically, experienced hand models are paid around £1000 a day for TV work or between £2000-£5000 a day for print campaigns. However, when you are starting out and working with smaller brands this could be a lot less.
Most hand models work part-time, but there are some who use their hands as full-time earners and can make it into a very successful career.
It’s important to note that if you are signed to a modelling agency, they will take a percentage of your fee. However, if you’re a freelancer, you’ll get to keep the whole fee. Although this means you’ll have to work harder to find jobs as well as learn negotiation skills to make sure you’re getting paid the right amount.
The industry can be unpredictable, and work can come and go so you may not have regular income from hand modelling alone. Expanding into other areas of modelling such as leg and foot modelling could be a sensible way to keep a steady workflow.
We hope we’ve been able to lend a ‘helping hand’ with our guide on how to start hand modelling and wish you the best of luck!
We hope that you enjoyed this article! Whilst you’re here, why not check out some more of our articles on our blog? We recommend The Ultimate Guide On How To Learn Lines and our Stage Fright Guide to get you started!
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