What to Expect for your Couples Photo Session
Couple photos from a photo pop-event hosted on Valentine’s Day at Wink Wink in Bellingham, Washington.
Posing
You don’t have to be a model who appears in a fragrance commercial in order to get romantic and beautiful photos.
It’s my job to make everyone feel comfortable, and prompt you and your partner into simple poses that you have control over. When I ask you to look at each other it’ll be hard to hide you’re in love and it’ll be easy for me to capture the moment into a beautiful couple portrait.
Also, I don’t have a timer on my couple photo sessions so there isn’t a clock to fight against. Instead I come prepared with a shot list to capture and I work through that list until done. I will also ask before finishing if there are any poses that I didn’t prompt that you’d like to try. A lot of times clients have some good suggestions!
So how to pose for your photos?
Some simple prompts I give to couples are:
Hold hands shoulder to shoulder
Hold hands and face each other
Hug
Kiss
You see where I am going? Every relationship is unique and so with these simple posing prompts I will help lead you and your partner, into PDA basically, in whatever way is authentic for your relationship. Every prompt is completely optional and open to interpretation. While I do start simple, I may also offer a few more creative prompts such as, “Whisper your favorite restaurant menu options in your partners, but in a sexy voice.” That prompt gets you close to each other while also elieciting some giggling or all out LOLs. It’s so much fun!
The most specific direction I give will sound like, “Stand here and look this way” or “Face your body towards me and bring your gaze over the camera.” Sometimes I’ll model the pose myself and all you have to do is copy me.
Going with the flow
Once I have the basics setup of where everyone should stand, I give the space for personality to shine and be authenticity to lead the session. I will continue to shoot even when I haven’t asked you to do anything in particular. Sometimes those moments in between poses are pure gold.
So in conclusion, my style of posing is like asking an open-ended question. I have a set list of poses to capture, but you’ll have the ability to move and be at ease without narrow constrictions.
Session Location
When you book your session the client questionnaire form is where you make your session location choice. You can see my previous post here to get a refresher on all the options.
For In-Studio Sessions
You can expect to see a huge umbrella light but don’t let that intimidate you. I’m friendly! And the equipment I use all has a purpose in creating photos that you’ll be proud of.
For On-Location Sessions
I’ll give you the details on what the parking situation is. If it’s free, charged by the hour of if it tends to be limited.
In the case that parking is limited be sure to arrive a little early or see if you can have a friend or family member drop you off.
If Illness Gets in the Way
As disappointing as it might be, we can all get sick sometimes. If you or your partner wakes up the day of sick, please feel free to shoot me a text or email to let me know and we can find a different day and reschedule when everyone is feeling better.
Purchasing Your Photos
Currently I charge a session fee with all photo options being an additional purchase.
Once we’re finished taking photos I’ll give you the opportunity to make your photo product selection. If you need a refresher on the options you can see the pricing on this booking page.
Purchasing at the end of your session means that once you your online gallery is emailed to you, if you’ve purchased the complete digital set of photos your gallery will be download enabled.
For albums I’ll include a link for you to approve the final design before printing.
Then for wall art or the favorite four digital option, you’ll want to favorite the photo(s) in the gallery to confirm your selection.
Of course, you have the option to make your purchasing decisions once you can view your online gallery and I’ll include instructions on how to do that when your gallery is sent.
Galleries are typically sent to clients two weeks after the photo day.
Did I Miss Anything?
If thinking about booking, but want to clarify what it would be like to have a couples photo shoot with me please don’t hesitate to ask at hello@evelynmaephoto.com or in the comments below. I’d be happy to answer your questions!
