Love Is In The Air: How To Bring Out Romance In Photos

Love Is In The Air: How To Take Romantic Couple Photos

Author: ShootDotEdit

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Infographic stating love is in the air how to take romantic couple photos

Around this time, every year, the words ‘love is in the air’ can not only be read in most places, but probably felt too. Not that love needs a special day to be celebrated, but Valentine’s Day (and the days leading up to it) are all about celebrating the power and the different faces of love. And with the upcoming Valentine’s Day, here’s a quick recap on how to capture the romance between your bride and groom or to-be bride and groom authentically. When your couple’s bond is so strong and genuine, it’s your job as their photographer to figure out how you are going to have that reflected in their photos too. Yes, it’s got a lot to do with posing, but other factors like location and lighting have a role to play too. And without any further delay, let us take you through 5 ways to document your couple’s romance with inspiration (courtesy of some ShootDotEdit customers) and tips.

Romantic Photos Inspiration By ShootDotEdit Customers

1. Erin Morrison Photography

A couple running through a field smiling and holding hands — Image Credit: ShootDotEdit Customer @erinm_photography

2. Lovers of Love

A monochrome portrait under the veil of a bride and groom — Image Credit: ShootDotEdit Customer @loversoflove

3. Olson Design Photography

A couple posing in the middle of a field while holding each other — Image Credit: ShootDotEdit Customer @olsondesignphotography

4. Brandi Allyse Photography

A woman holding her partner from the back as he has lifted her up — Image Credit: ShootDotEdit Customer @brandiallysephoto

5. Diane Nicole Photography

A couple posing for a dance move in the middle of a jungle — Image Credit: ShootDotEdit Customer @dianenicolephoto

6. IQ Photo

A black and white jump shot of a bride and groom — Image Credit: ShootDotEdit Customer @iqphoto

7. Trevor Hooper Photography

A bride and groom posing for a jump shot in a desert with their dog at their side (showcasing love is in the air) — Image Credit: ShootDotEdit Customer @trevorhooperphoto

8. Looyenga Photography

A portrait of a bride and groom leaning their foreheads towards each other and smiling — Image Credit: ShootDotEdit Customer @looyengaphoto

Tips For Taking Romantic Photos Of Your Couples

1. Start With Making Your Couple Comfortable

Infographic stating focus on posing but also allow your couples to be and feel like themselves and the love in the air

Helping your couples get comfortable with you is one of the many the unsaid rules of wedding or engagement photography. Every couple you photograph is going to be different, and not all of them are going to love being in front of the camera. Therefore, to get amazing photos of them and essentially, to do your job as their photographer, there are some things you could do to help them relax. You could start with a warm up and just photograph them as they go about getting ready to pose for you or you could lighten the mood a little by telling them how exceptionally awkward it’s going to get when you tell them to look at a tree or a car and start laughing. It’s normal for couples to feel weird about being asked to show some PDA while there’s a camera right in front of them or to take a random 5-step walk, but it’s also okay for you to tell them that it’s okay if they feel totally silly doing that. It’s all a part of the process. Just laugh along with them.

2. Focus On Posing

Infographic stating your posing cues should align with your couple’s personalities

The point about helping your couples get comfortable brings us to our second point, which is about your posing cues. There are high chances that by the time you get to the wedding day or the engagement session, you probably know your couple quite well. You know what they are like and you know what they like and how they want their photographs to look. Your posing cues should more or less align with who you are photographing. If your couple feels awkward about PDA, telling them to kiss while you take a photo of them is probably not going to get you incredible results. Instead, you could take that kiss shot as a candid, when you catch them in the middle of it.

Similarly, if you know your couple feels awkward about a certain kind of pose, then try to find an alternative to it. Make them laugh genuinely, ask them to do a little dance (play a romantic song if you can), ask them to just look at each other, or look in the opposite direction or simply take a short walk toward you and then turn around and walk away from you – find cues that will keep them from freezing in front of the camera. Even if you ask the bride to whisper into the groom’s ear, they are more likely to burst out laughing, so that’s another cue for you!

3. Location Matters

Usually, couples decide on a wedding venue or engagement session or surprise proposal location because they share a personal connection with that particular spot. So while documenting that ‘love is in the air’ vibe is about taking romantic photos of your couple, that romance can also be connected with the location they have chosen. Don’t be afraid of the location overshadowing your couple’s romance. Adding architectural or natural elements to your couple’s photos is more likely to help enhance the photos. Also, while you may not have much of a say when it comes to weddings, if your couple is open to it, you could take them to some pretty epic locations that they might have never seen before. Some places just give off the most romantic vibes, and when the location is so lovely, how can the photos not be?

4. Think In Terms Of Time + Lighting

Infographic stating the golden and blue hours offer exceptional lighting for romantic photos

Just like the location, the time of day can also enhance the romance in your photos. While you can’t always take photos according to the time of the day, the golden or the blue hours can offer exceptional lighting conditions for dreamy photos. You could go the natural photography way, go with the light and airy style, or go with a dark and moody photography style for your couple. Both of these can help you take super romantic photos. While light and airy photos generally look more whimsical and are synonymous with fairy-tale romance, dark and moody photos can be equally romantic, with a hint of mystery attached to them.

5. Freeze Authentic Moments

While a shot list can help you anticipate key moments during your couple’s engagement shoot or the wedding day, sometimes, going beyond that shot list can help you capture magic. Like we said above, by the time you get to actually photographing your couple, you might already know some things about them. Little quirks or subtle habits that only someone who has really observed them will know. And while they might not realize how well you’ve studied them as a couple, seeing these little personal moments documented without asking you to do so will make them happy. Besides the poses and the locations and lighting, photos that exude that ‘love is in the air’ vibe is also about freezing authentic moments as they unfold. Moments that only you can see as their photographer. So watch out for them when your couple is in front of you!

Love Is In The Air And Your Photos Too!

Infographic stating don’t force the romance; photograph moments as they unfold to get more authentic images showcasing love is in the air

Well, there you have it! The art of capturing the love in the air is teamwork. When you get your couples to relax and be comfortable in front of the camera and actually give you a glimpse of their romance, it will automatically become easier for you to capture that in photos. Don’t force it; when you document moments as they unfold, you get to photograph a more authentic side of it. While posing is great and can help you get the most romantic pictures of your couple, just letting them be themselves and taking some candid photos could also do the trick! You know your couples best, so you know what’s going to work for them and what you have to do in order to get the perfect version of them for their photos.

Further Read: Love For All Helps You Succeed: Black History Month Feature With Flavio DeBarros

At ShootDotEdit, we are passionate about helping you succeed and grow as a wedding photographer. We also help to lighten your post-production workload with our professional photo editing services. To learn more about our services, check out our pricing plans.

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