More

When Clients Attack!

If you're as obsessed with nails as I am, you probably spend hours of your life looking at photos that nail techs have posted online of their own work, or that clients post online of their own nails, or — now that I know what Pinterest is and how it works — pics that people have pinned and repinned of nails they just plain like.

 

I know I've mentioned in the past that it makes me crazy to see photos of nail art that are displayed "upside down" — with the fingertips pointing straight up to heaven. I think you should always present nail art in the manner it was created. Most of the time that means with the nails pointing downward, the way you look at them when you are doing them.

 

But here's another way to present your work: The Claw!

 

I get it. I understand that this "pose" — as it were — allows all five nails to get in the picture, thumb included.

 

But it's so not a flattering look. For starters, it rarely results in a photo where any of the five nails can be seen clearly, making the inclusion of the thumb nail a moot effort. It also looks horribly uncomfortable. It gives me hand cramps just looking at these photos. And whenever I hold my fingers like this for demonstration purposes, my poor little digits ache.

 

Also, it makes me think your client is in the process of attacking you. Possibly that your client is a zombie. That sometime during the service your client has gone through some mutative process, become a flesh-hungry zombie, and is now trying to claw your eyes out and eat your brains while you are trying to snap a photo of the nails you are so proud of. 

 

Each time one of my Facebook friends posts such a photo, I cower in terror and worry for her safety until I see a new post from her to prove that she wasn't viciously slain by her zombie client.

 

Or maybe I'm seeing posts by a growing number of zombie nail techs who just want to keep in touch?

 

Print | posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2012 2:26 PM

Comments

 re: When Clients Attack!

left by Sarah Payne at 2/1/2012 2:38 PM
lol! I lie the look but I understand its kind of a harsh look:p

 re: When Clients Attack!

Gravatar left by Hannah Lee at 2/1/2012 2:45 PM
Ha ha ha...Maggie, I used to agree with you...until I started wanting to post pics of my own nails and realized that my short, stubby fingers actually look much more presentable in this "claw" position than straight on. I could also do without the "millions of fingers" look with one hand on top of the other, showing all the fingers.

 re: When Clients Attack!

left by Ariana at 2/1/2012 2:48 PM
How funny, but oh so true!!! Watch out! I too, like to take pictures they way you said...fingers downward, I like to overlap the two hands so you can see most of the nails if not all 10.

 re: When Clients Attack!

Gravatar left by Candi at 2/1/2012 3:57 PM
Hmmmm? Out of all the nice nail design pictures I have seen online and worked on myself, I think a better picture could have been chosen for this article for instance one that actually has a nail design, and not one showing some nails polished and some that are not. That's what I see in this picture, and what stands out to me. If it were a "claw picture" with a nail design that's what I would have been focusing on....

 re: When Clients Attack!

left by Candi at 2/1/2012 4:07 PM
The actual nail design itself who would let their client walk around like this, and take pictures like this? Unless there is a before and after....lol this is bad business and looks like someone's self hand portrait :) just my thoughts

# re: When Clients Attack!

Gravatar left by Dana at 2/1/2012 5:10 PM
As a nail tech -- I hate those pics. Seems a LOT of nail bloggers use them, more than nail techs. Perhaps they need a friend or family member to take a proper photo? I have either my husband, my daughter, or one of my clients do it for my nails!

 re: When Clients Attack!

left by lay at 2/1/2012 5:13 PM
Candi, if you read the article.. maybe they were making the hand look worn/attacked/zombie-ish considering the context.

Regardless, my hand positioning clients like (regards to wrinkles, etc. not everyone can do a pretty hand fold!) is the "shell" hold hand palm up, and bend fingers to the palm. Simple. Stretches out wrinkles, everyone's hands look good in this position, and can see main nail art/work.

 re: When Clients Attack!

left by Candi at 2/1/2012 6:33 PM
If you read both of my comments, and now my 3rd The only thing that stands out here is the polish needs to be removed, and a manicure is a must!!!! This isn't hand modeling! And I did read the article. "If you're as obsessed with nails as I am, you probably spend hours of your life looking at photos that nail techs have posted online of their own work, or that clients post online of their own nails, or — now that I know what Pinterest is and how it works — pics that people have pinned and repinned of nails they just plain like. (If so many hours are spent looking at pictures I'm sure another "claw picture") could have been chosen.

 re: When Clients Attack!

Gravatar left by Brenda at 2/2/2012 6:25 AM
Maggie, I agree with you. As a newbie to Nailsmag I find that displaying artwork like the Claws is unattractive for the nailart. The slim hands look really skinny and larger hands look really fat.

 re: When Clients Attack!

Gravatar left by Elizabeth at 2/2/2012 6:54 AM
I'm not a fan of the "claw" either, and I do agree that sometimes it's a necessity-no one around to help photograph-I like using a acrylic paint bottle in my hand or one of my beautiful roses or....when I did my nails for National Diabetes Awarness month my daughter and I came up with a background og her (and my) supplies, and I held an insulin pen that she uses (with the needle exposed-wasted a needle, but anything for ary, right?) But. My pics are only posted on my Facebook page. I don't think they are good enough to post elsewhere, and yes, I do spend HOURS on Youtube looking at tutorials, and trying to copy, or tweek a lot of the designs.

# re: When Clients Attack!

Gravatar left by Maggie at 2/2/2012 11:16 AM
Sorry folks, I was hoping my editor could find a better example to use for the picture-- those are my nails, as they appeared as of Tuesday. And yes, they look like #*$&!!! but I was test driving three different gel polishes againt eachother. (BTW the only reason the middle finger is so jacked up is because I forgot I was TESTING the wear and I used it to clean out a dish with acetone-- ooops!)

I don't take zombie attack photos so I don't have any in my collection that I have permission to use. I had to come up with a photo for the blog.

 re: When Clients Attack!

left by Lizzie Ellis at 2/3/2012 5:20 PM
Oh geeze. For some reason, my first impression was that this hand was missing a digit. No idea why. Terrifying. Still... zombies are pretty popular.

 re: When Clients Attack!

left by Vanessa at 2/6/2012 11:42 AM
What happened to "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all?" Some people are just downright rude. Great post Maggie, I hate the claw as well!

Add A Comment

Title   
Name 
Email (never displayed) 
Url 
Comments   
Please add 7 and 5 and type the answer here: