Bluebird Chic ambassador Monisa Dobbins of Monisa J Photography shares her best tips for photographing couples and “capturing love in an authentic way.”
When I first started booking sessions, I wasn’t sure what type of photography I wanted to specialize in. Photographing families with children running wild and gorgeous mamas creating life in their belly definitely gets me excited, but those love sessions hold a special place in my heart. I love being able to meet different couples, each with a unique love story. Getting the opportunity to walk with them down memory lane gives me all the feels and I’ll never tire from it!
1. But first coffee…
Capturing those genuine connections comes with preparation! Meeting with the couple beforehand for coffee or simply shooting them a message helps me to get a feel for what type of poses they’re going to be comfortable with! For example, not all couples are comfortable with PDA, and that’s okay! Poses including hand holding or even piggyback riding still makes it fun for them.
2. It’s all about them.
“How did you guys meet?” “Tell me about your first date.” Asking open-ended questions is a good way to get your clients to loosen up! You’re sure to get some laughs when one of them ends up getting something wrong. It almost always happens and that’s the perfect moment to snap away!
3. Walk and talk.
When couples book a session, I want to make sure they leave feeling like they’ve just had an amazing date with me as the third wheel (LOL). There’s nothing more awkward than the silence when walking to your next location. Be sure to keep the conversation flowing! Talk about literally any and everything. From where they are from, to what they plan on having for dinner, any conversation topic is fair game! I kid you not, I’ve had so many clients turn into friends just from laughing and chatting it up during the session. From time to time, try walking a little in front of them, snapping as they chat.
4. The “almost kisses.”
While I adore those “kiss her like the last time” moments, I’ve found the almost kisses to be my fave! This one brings on laughs too, but more often than not I capture a deep connection between the two. I simply tell them to go in super close for a kiss, almost touching, but don’t kiss until I say. I make them stay there for a moment or two before finally letting them kiss, adding it has to be dramatic like the movies. There’s also nothing sweeter than a tender forehead kiss!
5. No work, all play!
There’s nothing I love more than being able to capture the genuine laughs from couples! If you look at some of my sessions, almost all my couples have a picture of them laughing. I think it’s so important for them to have moments like these for them to look back on. You can never go wrong with telling them to dance while hold hands or a “Twirl her” pose . Some more of my favorite prompts for those playful captures are “Whisper what your favorite food in his/her ear in your sexiest voice”, “Kiss them anywhere but the lips.”, and “Sneak up behind her, put your arms around her, and kiss her neck while making cookie monster sounds.”
That’s it! It’s that simple!
While these tips are geared towards couple sessions, a lot of these shots are actually from family sessions! It’s important to make sure the parents have updated couple photos and just a moment to connect without the kids!
Hopefully, these tips will help you to better capture the warmth and affection between your couples too!
Ciao! 🙂
Hi I’m Monisa Dobbins of Monisa J. Photography! I’m a natural light photographer specializing in capturing authentic moments of families, couples, and anyone awesome enough to book a session! Photography has always been a love of mine, but just recently I turned this hobby into a business. I was born and raised in the sooiet state of Arkansas (woo pig!). However, being an army wife, home is currently in the gorgeous country of Italy. My Nikon and Sigma lens are always with me! If it’s not clients I’m capturing, it’s adventures with my handsome husband and my sweet 4 month old! As long as I have life’s essentials (the good Lord, family, & my camera) my heart is bursting at the seams! And food. Food makes me happy, too.
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