Should You Pose Your Couples For Photos?

We pose our couples during their portraits. *shocked face* 

Over and over again, I’ve heard from couples that they don’t want to be “posed” during their session. At first this made me super nervous because we pose our couples. ALL the time! Then, I realized something. Couples aren’t asking that we don’t prompt them or tell them how to stand, where to put their hands, etc. What they are actually saying is they want to be photographed in such a way that their personalities are seen in the images. They want the smiles they are showing to be genuine and real. Just like certain smells can trigger a memory, they want their photos to trigger a happy moment in their life.

I’m not speaking for all photographers, but just for ourselves when I say this. When Grant and I have our photos taken, we want the photographer to pose us as well. Because, let’s be honest, no one automatically knows where to put their hands or how to stand that looks the most flattering! We want someone to pose us not only so our real personalities can come out, but so that we look our very best on camera! No one really wants a Ricky Bobby “What do I do with my hands?” moment going on. 😉

It’s funny that when we pose our couples, their personalities come out and WE get amazing photos because THEY are having fun and trusting us! By posing our couples, we eliminate the need for them to worry about how they look (or about pulling a Ricky Bobby) and instead they have the freedom to just be themselves. Also, just because we’re posing our couples doesn’t mean we don’t get some silly photos that truly show you as a couple. We pose our couples just enough that their true side comes out and we get all the genuine smiles and interactions that make for those amazing, natural photos.

To this day, we have posed every one of our couples, and we’ve never had them say afterward, “I wished you hadn’t posed us so much.” In fact, we’ve had them say exactly the opposite; that they loved their photos because they perfectly showcased their personalities! And that is how it should be every time!

So, if you’re a bride, ask your photographer what a portrait session is like with them and how they will make you comfortable during your session. If you’re a photographer, be sure you’re making your couples comfortable and letting their personalities shine through by making the session all about them!

Joe & Nicole are my examples of how we may pose a couple and yet their personality comes out and we get some fun, cute shots! 🙂