6 Simple Tips on Getting Incredible Couple Wedding Portraits
On a wedding day, couple portraits are a must. Photography is an art that mixes countless elements. The framing tells a story. The composition. The angles. The lighting. The color. All are pieces to the puzzle that creates a moment that lasts forever. But there’s something just as important that goes into your pictures: YOU.
You may not have years of experience, but you can be a part of making your wedding day photos something to cherish forever. Posing plays a huge role in the quality of your photos. You don’t want to end up looking stiff or unnatural.
And this is especially important when you are taking photos with your partner. You are marrying the love of your life. The last thing you want is to look awkward with them in every photo and specially portraits.
Don’t worry. I have some quick tips to keep in mind as you take your couple photos on your wedding day.
1. Connect with each other
You know what they say: a picture says a thousand words. The way you and your partner pose with each other will tell its own story.
One way to create intimacy in your shots is to find ways to have contact points with each other.
In portraits, if your heads are close, or better yet touching, you will be sending the message of romance. Visually everyone can see you are in an intimate space with each other.
The more contact, the more intimacy.
For example, you may look romantic with your heads near each other in a photo. Even more so if your heads are touching. Add another layer with one of your hands on the other’s face.
Find a balance to weave a visual story of your love.
2. A good kiss
You’ve kissed countless times, why is it so hard now that your photographer is setting up the shot?
First, try and pretend it’s just you and your new spouse. It’s distracting knowing there’s a photography team looking at you the whole time. As a result, your portraits will appear more natural.
Feeling natural is the key. Your kiss should be gentle and avoid the duck-face look.
Keep your lips relaxed as you kiss. Firm lips make it feel tense in the photo and unnatural.
3. Close your space
As I said before, a picture tells a story. Your body language together will be the main characters of that story. Everything else accentuates you and your partner as the subject.
Even the space between the two of you can weave its own story.
You want to communicate a romantic connection, so keep the space between you close. When there is too much space between you and your partner, it breaks up the body language of togetherness.
Symbolism is important here. Space creates division in the visual story. Too much space can create a sense of repulsion.
4. Avoid stacking
If your arms are stacked on top of one another can create a visual distraction.
A piled-up group of arms doesn’t look natural and takes away from everything else in the picture.
5. Eye contact
Eye direction can be the key to making a photo look natural. And variety will play a role here too.
You will have plenty of shots where you and your partner are looking into the camera, but there’s more to your wedding shots than that.
To create the feel of capturing candid moments, look to the side and in different directions. One of you may be looking at the other while the other looks away. Create different looks to find what feels right.
Don’t overdo gazing into each other’s eyes. It’s hard to make that look anything other than awkward.
But that’s the great thing about the digital age. Take the shots you want and experiment with how you look.
6. Keep your arm lifted
If you have your arms right against your body, it will make them look bigger than they actually are.
This can also add awkward weight on your partner that shows up in the picture if you have your arms slung heavy on each other.
Keep them light and slightly lifted off of the body to make for a more relaxed, natural feel.
And when all else fails, remember to take a deep breath. This is your big day. Cherish it, and that joy will transfer to your photos.
The best advice that improves all of these points is to pretend it’s just you and your spouse. There’s no one else.
When you look at these photos later, you won’t remember who was watching or what was going on behind the camera.
It will just be about the two of you together.