Romantic couples
Photographing a couple is a useful skill for any portrait photographer to learn. It’s a style of portraiture that’s very much in demand, from weddings and events to relaxed family get-togethers.
But capturing two people in a portrait can be twice as hard as shooting just one sitter. There are twice as many limbs to look out for, four eyes to keep in sharp focus, and double the chance of a dodgy expression or someone blinking. However, it can also be incredibly rewarding. At the risk of sounding a little sentimental, photographing couples gives you the chance to show the bond two people share and create images with real emotion.
Key to this is the art of creating a mood in the image. Like a director or a conductor, this involves controlling the situation so that the atmosphere, poses and expressions you’re after occur naturally. It might happen simply by asking them to gaze at one another or to make each other laugh. By developing the mood in your portraits, you’ll create images that go way beyond being a record of their faces and instead show something about the affection they share. To show a couple’s special connection, you need to work on composition, body language and expression. It’s always best to keep things natural, but it can help if you have a few stock poses to rely on. Before the shoot, ask the couple about the style of shots they’d like. It’ll give you a better idea of their tastes, and whether they’d prefer traditional or contemporary portraits. They’ll be more relaxed, and the photos will be better, if they feel they’re getting the shots they want. To emphasise their closeness, explore ways to bring their heads together that don’t just involve the two of them looking into the camera and smiling. You could ask one to whisper something in the other’s ear, or get them to lean their foreheads together, or even go in for a kiss. With kisses, ask them to gently touch lips rather than squashing their faces together – and no tongues! Another way to create mood is to intentionally hide things from the viewer. We don’t even necessarily need to see their faces. When it comes to shooting couples, giving them some space can often increase the sense of intimacy. Whatever the viewer can’t see, they’ll picture in their mind.
Get the couple to walk away from you, shoot them out of focus or obscure them with props and scenery. Alternatively, you can go to the other