Any politician will privately admit that there is an art to public speaking. It involves not only the rhythmic variation of their speech but, more importantly from a visual perspective, the active engagement at precise moments of their hands. As soon as hands move, flashbulbs simultaneously illuminate and freeze the moment. Tony Blair is probably the greatest exponent of exquisitely placed hand use at work in British politics today, and if he thinks youve missed the moment, he will give it to you again.

More than just a tool to articulate and punctuate speeches, hands can give away inner secrets as Alessia Pierdomenicos beautifully observed pictures show. Tony Blairs knotted and tangled fists are seen next to Gordon Browns serene and relaxed hands, giving away far more about the state of mind of either man than I am sure they intended.

In the case of the next two images, two recrops produced pictures that would otherwise have gone unnoticed. David Moirs picture of Scotlands manager Alex McLeish , once cropped to the hand and the badge, turns a perfectly good portrait into a very powerful and graphic image that could be used in every editorial context ad infinitum.

With Stephen Hirds excellent picture of Michael Stone being apprehended by Stormont security guards, the cropped image showing all the hands grappling around the gun is again a very strong image, with the red painted fingernails in such close proximity to the gun heightening the impact.

And finally, as Marcelo del Pozo illustrates so aptly in this picture, just hands, shot beautifully, are a picture on their own.

Kieran Doherty is a Senior Photographer working in London.