Ahhh, posing. Wouldn’t it be cool if there were a way to get a genuine smile from your clients without it being forced? A way for them to interact and move without worrying about what they should do with their hands? Well, I’m here to help! Today on the blog I’m sharing some of my all-time FAVORITE photography prompts!
Ready to turn your couples sessions into more of a date night vibe? Read on my friends!
BUT FIRST!!! Are you following me on Instagram?! Because if you really should. I swear I’m pretty cool 😛 You can do that here: http://instagram.com/tabithacorinnephotography
OK BACK TO THE REAL CONTENT!
Number 1. The Bouncy Piggy Back Ride
Quite possibly my favorite “ice breaking” photography prompts, this one is pretty simple. “You’re gonna give them a piggy back ride, but I want you to make it the bounciest piggy back ride ever!” I promise, this one is tons of fun and always gets lots of laughs as they bounce over the water or land <3
Number 2. The silent slow dance
I know what you’re thinking. “Silent slow dance? That sounds like a horrible photography prompt!” Well, I have some news that may burst your bubble.
It’s actually illegal to play Spotify (or Apple music or Pandora or any number of platforms) for commercial purposes. And I know there’s no way that playing your spotify playlist during a session could be tracked, but it’s the ethics. You don’t want people using your photos for their own businesses without the proper credit and licensing – recording artists shouldn’t have to put up with that either! There are programs you can use that provide the proper commercial licensing, but one way I’ve found to get around all of this is to have one partner sing a song to the other partner!
“Look deep into his/her eyes. Think of a song that reminds you of them and sing. While you sing, go ahead and dance a little bit.”
This always turns into a super romantic and intimate moment for your couple. I’ll go with that over illegally streamed music any day!
Number 3. Ring Around the Rosie
“But Tabitha, that’s a kids game!”
Heck yeah it is! And it’s super fun for couples to play during their photo session! Here’s the trick though, you have to let them know that this isn’t your average game of Ring Around the Rosie. You remember in your elementary school days when you’d play this with all your friends, but there was always that one person that got super intense with it and yanked everyone around, nearly pulling their arms out of their sockets?
Yeah, THAT’S the vibe I’m going for.
Of course, OF COURSE, always inform them to be gentle. Injury is the last thing you want happening. But I always tell my couples to have fun with it. Go a bit faster, lean back while you’re spinning, etc. This prompt is sure to bring back some great childhood memories and get everyone laughing. Definitely one of my favorite photography prompts.
Number 4. “Kiss her everywhere but…”
This one is life you guys! And it’s always soooo incredibly sweet. This is what I instruct my couples:
“I want you guys to hold each other close, I’m talking hips to hips, chest to chest. Now, I want you (look at one of them) to kiss them in three different places, but you can NOT kiss them on their lips.”
The trick to this one if to make sure they’re standing (or sitting) as closely as possible so there’s no awkward leaning or bending. I’m not gonna lie, it’s always fun to see the kissee giggle as the kisser looks for different places to kiss. Fun and romantic for sure!
Number 5. The Lift and Spin
As a disclaimer, I always make sure the lifter has no issues with lifting their partner prior to asking them to do this. The last thing I’d want is for someone with a bad back or knee injury or something else to try and lift a person and then be in pain for days (or weeks) afterwards.
BUT assuming they are good to go, I instruct the lifter to put their arms around their partner’s butt, lift, and spin! Simple as that! They can spin as slowly or quickly as they’d like (I love it when they can get some speed) but I always make sure to ask the liftee to kick their legs up behind them a bit.
BONUS: This prompt makes for super fun gifs!
So there you have it!
Five of my personal favorite photography prompts that you can incorporate into your next session. I could talk a lot about this topic, but the main piece of advice I have is to slow down, think your next steps through, and take your time during the session. I know trying to remember prompts and poses can be difficult in the midst of a session, but keep your cool and remember that it’s totally ok to take breaks – not every second has to be spent shooting.
If you use any of these prompts I’d love to see! Tag me on Instagram (@tabithacorinnephotography) or use the hashtag #tabithacorinnephotography so I can see your awesome work!
Until next time!
Tabitha
Want more inspo? Click HERE
