How to get couples to relax during a photoshoot
My name is Alora Griffiths, I work for The Ontarion as the multimedia content creator. I first got into photography through my love of film. Ever since my parents first purchased a video recorder when I was five years old, I’ve loved looking through the viewfinder staring at the world. I now love photographing people. Every person is so unique and that uniqueness comes through in their photographs. Each photo seems to contain a small piece of the person photographed.
Being in front of the camera is a scary thing for many people. Being in front of a camera with your significant other and told by a photographer you just met to “be in love” can be even more intimidating. You’re already in love, you might think, so it’s unclear what they’re asking you to do, but even if the directions are clear, everyone isn’t a natural at modelling.
This year, I had the opportunity to be in both situations; behind, and in front of the camera with my significant other. I wanted to reflect on how, as a photographer, I help couples feel more relaxed in front of the camera. The best approach I’ve found is to make the couple feel as if I’m not even there.
Here are five prompts I use when I’m photographing a couple.
1. Have the couple stand side by side holding hands. Have one person whisper types of cereal in their partner’s ear in their sexiest voice.
2. With the couple cuddling, have one person grab the other’s face with both hands and tell them to kiss their favourite part of their partner’s face, besides the lips.
3. While holding each other, tell the couple to get as close as they can to each other without actually kissing. Tell them to wait for your cue to kiss.
4. Throw some music on your phone (I used Spotify to make my own playlist). Get the couple to dance, it can be slow dancing in a circle. Get one person to dip the other, and kiss at the end.
5. Have one person bear hug the other from behind and gently hum their favourite song.
I have found that all of these prompts help to relax the couple and result in laughing, smiling, and sometimes the most intense and genuinely loving moments captured on camera. As you photograph the couple, remember that you’re there to capture their love, and what that means is different from couple to couple.
Photos by Alora Griffiths/The Ontarion