Easy Ways to get Couples to Interact Authentically – Prompts and Poses

 

I get it. I’ve been there. You’re at a session. You’ve spent the last three hours perusing Pinterest for inspiration and different things to try with your couple, then they pull up and everything just leaves your brain. It’s a real problem and still happens to me on occasion.

I had to step back and assess the problem. For me, it started with my sub-consciously going into every session thinking my couple would be the same as my last couple. This is SO not the case. I began to get tired of seeing the same old thing while editing every session and when I realized where the disconnect was happening, I quickly began to think of a way to fix it. Which lead me to a prompt over posing technique with my clients.

Before I begin, let me reaffirm – EVERY COUPLE IS DIFFERENT! Everyone will respond to these prompts differently, and that’s the beauty of this method. Even if you use the same prompt every session, it will look completely different because of the personalities of your clients.

So, you ready to get this started?

 

1. (To either of them) Choose a song that describes how you feel about her/him, sing it, and dance.

This typically gets a few groans and laughs from everyone, and can range from silly and outrageous, to soft and sweet. Sometimes you get an awesome surprise by an awesome singer and it just makes the whole experience magical. For engagement clients I typically ask if they’ve chosen their first dance song yet and have them use that one. For more mature clients who have been married for a while it’s super sweet to ask them to sing their first dance song. I’ve never had anyone say no and is a good way to start out the session by loosening them up and affirming that this is not going to be an uptight, boring session.

 

2. The Drunk Walk/Pull Her In Tight

I admit it, I’m a HUGE fan of the “drunk walk.” This literally consists of asking your clients to walk towards you like they’re drunk. If they’re having a little difficulty with this (or if one of them likes to act a little TOO drunk, lol) asking them to hold hands and walk backwards is a good alternative. Tie this into a surprise kiss by telling them as they get closer to “1, 2, 3, pull her in as tight as you can – TIGHTER TIGHTER – ok give her a huge kiss!” I know, it seems complicated but always ends up being super cute.

 

3. Tell Your Story

My favorite way to get natural and fun sitting photos is to simply have them tell you a story. You can ask how they met, how he asked her to marry him, the first time she farted in front of him, etc. The options are endless and the outcome is absolutely adorable.

 SIDENOTE: When doing this take your time and make sure they’re sitting in a way that’s flattering and comfortable for them.

 

4. Surprise Cardio

I admit, if some random person asked me to run I’d tell them heck no! I generally soften this up by telling them I want them to run just a few steps towards me – 10 or 12 steps is plenty of time to get a few gorgeous photos, and doesn’t wear your couple out too much.

Be prepared for a bit of hesitation, especially when you tell them NOT to look at you. Not everyone is into cardio (me, that’s me, I’m not into cardio), but you can always persuade them by hyping it up and telling them how adorable these photos will be.

 

5. Take a Walk

This is super simple. Have them walk towards you, away from you, around you, whatever! You can move around and get different angles while they’re walking 🙂

 

6. Extreme Piggy Back Rides

This always makes me chuckle. Have one of them give the other a piggy back ride. Make it soft and sweet at first – then ask him to try and buck her off. You WILL be looked at like you’re crazy, but it’s super funny.

7. Ring Around the Rosie

I’ve never had anyone say no to a game of Ring Around the Rosie! This will get natural smiles, and childlike fun from your couple.

 

8. When in Doubt, Hug it Out!

If I ever get stuck, my standby is to tell them to hug each other as tight as they can! I usually do this a couple times during a session, depending on my backdrop, the personalities of the couple, etc. You can never ever go wrong with a good old fashioned hug.

 

So there you go! Some of my favorite, go-to prompts for couples posing! Be sure to sign up for my email list for more free educational posts like this one! And if you use any of these at your next session use #tabithacorinnephotography so I can see them!!!