Preparing for Your Couple’s Portrait Session

If you’ve booked a photo session for you and your partner, there’s a few things you should know. Preparing for your couple’s portrait session beforehand will make your shoot go more smoothly, keep you and your beloved from getting on each other’s nerves, and, most importantly, guarantee you some intimate, romantic photos. I’m talking the kind of photos you see on pinterest or in magazines. We all want that! And we deserve to have it!

WHAT IS A COUPLE’S PORTRAIT?

First and foremost, it’s important to understand what a couple’s portrait is. A couple’s portrait takes two people–two very different people–and makes them look like they belong together. They are a twosome, a pair. And they match. They’ve “yoked” per say. The two become one for this photo. This is achieved through clothing color choices, which you can read about it my post,  Clothing Choices: Colors and Styles for Your Portraits.  It’s also achieved through posing. Posing that looks intimate, which require close proximity to your mate. Blog post about that still to come!

WHAT’S THE PURPOSE OF A COUPLE’S PORTRAIT?

In the movie Shall We Dance starring Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere, there’s a part where Jennifer says something about the purpose of the couple’s dance that I believe also applies to the couple’s portrait. She says to Richard Gere, “You are the frame. She is the picture in your frame. Everything you do is to show her off.” This is the same with couple’s portraits. Yes, the male is important in the photo, and we do want to see his face too, but the most romantic photos highlight her.

So, if you’re a female reading this, first you must accept that fact (which can be hard if you’re not used to being the center of attention), and second, you need to talk to your partner about it. The purpose of the photo is to create the look of intimacy. And that is most often achieved when he is looking lovingly at her.

PREPARING FOR YOUR COUPLE’S SESSION: 5 TIPS

1. Talk about the portrait with your partner. You have to do this. Most of us have just never thought about what goes into creating a picture of two people who are in love actually look like they’re in love!
2. Your bodies must touch. Your faces are gonna be pretty close together, your hips are gonna need to be touching if you’re facing each other. Arms will be tightly wrapped around one another–whether at the chest or the waist. You’ll be holding hands or gently caressing each other’s faces.
3. You’re gonna feel like your’re too close for comfort. Because of what I said in number two, this feeling is inevitable. You may even feel like the photographer is somehow invading your privacy by placing you so close to each other. But get over it! It is absolutely necessary to achieve the romantic portrait.
4. Be prepared to look in places other than at the camera. I know it feels weird, but you’ll be asked to look at each other, look down, and look off to the side. Glancing in these directions helps to create that magical romantic moment you’re hoping to get.
5. It’s okay to laugh and have fun! There’s no need to be so serious during your session. Some of the best photos are taken when you are genuinely laughing together!