Guest Post: How to avoid a cringey couple’s photo shoot

If you’re looking into having a professional photo shoot with your partner and have begun taking to the internet to look for ideas and inspiration, you’ve no doubt come across a wealth of examples that are extremely cringey, and so much so that they’re almost painful.

However, you shouldn’t let that put you off as a couple’s photo shoot is the perfect way to capture memories of you and your loved one, and is a great way to have some lovely photos of the two of you that aren’t blurry or rushed!

Therefore we’ve put together some tips for avoiding the cringey photo shoot and to help you keep it classy and sweet.

Bring you true personalities into it

You shouldn’t feel uncomfortable in your couple’s photography session, and the best way to feel at ease is to ensure that the pictures will reflect your personalities. Therefore if you don’t fancy the idea of something really serious and dramatic, don’t go for that! If you both look uncomfortable the photos will be awkward no matter how great your photographer is. Instead, get chatting to them about what you want to achieve from the snaps and think about poses, backgrounds and props you can use to illustrate who you are as a couple.

Pick your outfits carefully

Leave your ‘I heart my partner’ t-shirts at home and stick with something more timeless and simple. Think about how the colours and patterns you’ll both be wearing will look together and what impact they’ll have on backgrounds or props. If you’re unsure what to choose, a good rule to remember is to go for simple block colours and minimal patterns. Avoid branded clothing that is likely to have more of a ‘shelf-life’ so that your photos are more timeless. Rather than matching your clothing, think about coordinating and contrasting carefully instead. There’s a useful board on Pinterest to help you choose your photo shoot clothing that’s well worth checking out.

When in doubt, go abstract

You don’t have to aim to capture everything about yourselves in the photos, and in fact, keeping things a little more simple can be really effective. Speak to your professional photographer about mixing things up in terms of angles, perspectives and close-ups to see what’s possible rather than just full or half-body portraits. For example, things like close-ups of you holding hands can be really sweet without being too sickly.

Keep things simple and sweet

Likewise, keep things minimal as a whole and avoid fussy backdrops, silly props or lots of accessories. Keeping the main theme simple and the main focus on you as a couple will be great for ensuring that all eyes are on you for the right reasons and so that the photos don’t become clichéd and a little cheesy. Don’t be afraid to go for simple poses; it’s a good idea to have a practise in front of a mirror beforehand so you can both work out what you like and what you think looks good.