Favorite prompts for couples photos
Gone are the days of “Say Cheese” couples photos! You are paying good money for these images and they should be as unique, natural, and emotive as you are. In order to obtain those results I use prompting instead of posing in my photoshoots. What’s the difference? Posing is telling a couple “stand just so and place your hands just here, now don’t move until I say!” Prompting on the other hand is giving a couple a task or action to perform and letting them have the freedom to interpret that and make it their own.
Here are five of my favorite couple’s prompts just in time for Valentine’s Day.
The best part? You can use these when taking your own photos or photos of your friends to jazz up those every day pics!
Kiss with your teeth
Diving right in with the prompt that couples tend to doubt me the most on. I love “kiss with your teeth.” For this prompt I ask couples to stand close together and then have them move in for a slow motion kiss. But instead of having their lips come together I ask them to “lead with” their teeth. When done correctly this results in photos where the couple looks like they were laughing or grinning just before coming together for a loving kiss.
Arms out, wrap up
This pose can be done two different ways to offer up some nice variety. The first variation is done with a couple standing face to face. I then ask them to hold hands with a staggered stance. I then have them lean away from each other so that their arms are out straight and then rock back in towards each other so that their arms are straight out to their sides (facing the camera) and their faces are close together. This is awkward at first but once the couple finds their rhythm we get some cute photos that look like they are playing with each other, dancing, or leaning in for a kiss.
The second variation is done with the couple back to chest. They again hold hands but this time the person standing in front leans forward and the person standing behind pulls them back and wraps their arms around the front person. The person behind can then either kiss the front person’s cheek, nuzzle their neck, whisper in their ear- different options to get different reactions and different emotions in the photos.
Smell their shoulder/temple
A similar prompt to the last one but without as much movement. (you can totally tell I combined the two in the pictures above). “Smell his/her shoulder or temple” can be done in a variety of different positions. Seated, standing, facing each other, facing the camera- it can work for pretty much anything. The emotion can also be different depending on the way that the smeller does the smelling. If they come in and take a great big whiff then the other person is likely to giggle or sort of scrunch up, almost as if they were being tickled. However, if the smeller comes in gently and maybe peppers in some gentle kisses the photo becomes more loving and romantic than playful. You can also do the same with having the taller person “smell” the shorter person’s hair.
Bump hips/ Drunk walk
This is the prompt that I like to open with. When couples arrive for their photoshoots they are often at least a little uncomfortable and stiff. It’s easy, not super awkward, and get’s the couple moving. For this prompt I ask the couple to stand a fair ways away from me and hold hands. I then ask them to walk towards me while bumping their hips together and swaying a little. Almost as if they were drunk. I have them do this a couple of times. The first time they are usually still a little stiff but by the third time they are giggling and grinning at each other and the photos look like a couple very much in love out for a walk.
Tuck the hair behind their ear
Last but very much not least. Tucking the hair back behind someone’s ear is such an intimate and loving act and those emotions translate easily to photos. The beauty of this prompt is that it’s an easy add-on to anything that the couple is already doing. My favorite way to capitalize on this prompt is to tell Person A to tuck the hair behind Person B’s ear. I then tell person B to reach up and rest their hand on Person A’s arm. Usually without any further prompting the couple will then either kiss, or smile, or rest their foreheads together. It gives the relationship a chance to shine in its own unique way.
I mean just LOOK at these results…. Talk about dreamy!!!!
And boom. Just like that, five super easy prompts to get you moving and showing real emotion in your pictures. Happy Valentine’s day you love birds!
