As photographers, our clients put a lot of trust in us. The truth is that most of us are not actual models, and things like posing just don’t come comfortably. It’s your job to guide them through every move and help them learn how to feel comfortable while looking ah-mazing. If you want to figure out how to best flatter your clients, I have you covered! As a wedding photography educator, I love working with people to help them grow their business. Here’s a quick guide to couples poses! 

How a Posing Flow Can Help Your Couples Through A Session

Keep Clients Comfortable and Natural

The best way to create a comfortable posing environment for your couples is to get to know them ahead of time. You are essentially earning their trust as you tell their story. Spend some time getting to know everything about their love story so they feel like they are working with their best friend. Then, throughout the photo session, keep chatting! Rather than just telling them which poses to hit, make it a conversation. Maybe have them lean toward each other and talk about the first thing they noticed about their partner or their favorite things about them. 

Variation During the Session

Rather than working through a rigid list of poses, add some variation for the couple. While they are posing, change their hand movements or have them tilt their heads. Meanwhile, change your own position. Back up, get closer, change your angles. You want tons of variety without actually having your subjects move too much. 

Keeps the Session Moving

The best way to keep things comfortable for your session? Have them move throughout. They can walk together, share a kiss, or spin around. You can have them skip down a trail or ride bikes through the parks. Constant movement is going to help your clients feel relaxed while also giving you pictures that look completely natural. This lets you focus less on strict poses while letting them celebrate why they love each other so much! 

A Few Couples Poses I Love for Variation

When I do my sessions, there are always a few posing prompts I start out with that are designed to ditch the awkwardness while letting them warm up to the idea of a photo session. Here are my faves! 

Walking Together

This is where movement is going to be your bestie. If you are outside, scoot way back. Your couples can then walk toward you while holding hands and doing all sorts of things that don’t feel like poses. I would encourage conversation (these are where prompts are particularly helpful!). Then, have them walk away from you. You can have the bride look back or encourage them to share a kiss. From there, get some pics of them walking perpendicular with her pulling him along and looking back. 

Looking at Each Other

Of course, you will have some pics where your clients are looking straight at you, but I love having them look at each other as they walk along. Have them smile at each other or laugh at a joke. Once you get some really great lovey-dovey pics, you can switch this up by having him look toward her as she looks at you. 

You Will Love The Moments You Capture After Tackling Couples Poses

If you needed some help with couples posing, I really hope this guide helps you out! With these ideas, you are going to take your sessions to the next level. And if you are looking for more ideas for couples posing, check out my free guide: 10 Poses in 10 Minutes!

If you found this guide helpful, be sure to stick around! As a wedding photography educator, I love working with photographers to teach them how to grow their business. I would love to tell you all about my classes so you can find the one that’s right for you. Hope to chat soon! 

• How to Price Your Wedding Photography
• 4 Helpful Tips For How To Build A Wedding Photography Portfolio!
• The 6 Must-Have Lenses For Wedding Photography!