All those natural-looking e-shoots....

divamum

I've read loads on how to "chat" poses out of somebody for a portrait, or a model, but so far all my shoots have been solos. I maaayyyy have a couples shoot in the future so I want to get my ducks in a row, and besides that, I sit here day after day marvelling at all the wonderful interaction you wedding photogs get out of your engagement couples, and would LOVE some techniques! I've googled like crazy, but all I've found are things like "make sure your couple interacts" and "tell them to think romantic thoughts" but somehow I feel like there's more to it... what are some of the techinques for GETTING couples to interact?

By all means point me to other articles and threads - I've searched around (here and elsewhere) but, as I say, I've yet to see much that was terribly specific about HOW one goes about it. Thanks!!

heatherfeather

You sure know how to ask questions, Diva.

It is hard to put into words what to do... But here are some of my tried and true techniques. (Ha ha, that sounds like I feel like I know what I am doing! Don't be fooled! ha ha!)

-Most importantly: be relaxed and friendly yourself. Pretend that the clients are some of your very good friends and treat them more familiar than you actually are. It helps to break the ice and makes them comfortable. Make jokes and be silly. Explain what you are doing and why. They are an important member in the photography team, and if they know it then they will be way more inclined to experiment and play.

Actual pose ideas I got from here and there (who knows where!)
-Tell him to sniff her temple. You get at first a nice serene expression and then they usually dissolve into laughter.
-Have him hold her by the waist, facing each other. Tell him to kiss her and her to try to get away. Usually it ends up with huge laughs before they fall into the kiss.
-Piggy back rides are cute and for some reason is a very flattering pose for the girl with her chin forward like that.
-The lick- I almost always tell her to lick him in the face and she usually will. It is the best for making them feel playfull and brings out great expressions and laughs...

But usually the photos just come from looking at them, posing them and adjusting to taste. I guess I pose like I cook- I use the recipe as a general suggestion, and alter to fit my tastes at the moment! It usually turns out great too!

My e-sessions tend to be very posey, so others might be better at explaining other techniques.

Swartzy

Heather makes many great points. The first concept in shooting couples is relaxation with you behind the camera...the way to implement this is have them interact with one another and pay no attention to you. Repeat this several times within the first 1/2 hour and eventually, they won't pay much attention to you (meaning concerned with the camera). Be certain to lay on the ground, get up on a ladder or something above them as well for various angles and perspectives.

The more they see how easy going and fun you are (think goofy crazy) the more they relax and have a blast with the shoot...it loosens them up and they have fun with one another as well. I usually ask when they begin getting a bit stiff if I should put on my bunny suit ....that usually gets them carefree. Personality connectivity is 95% of the shoot. Leave the left brain at home

Mishka

Both Swartzy and Heather made excellent points. One thing I also do is ask them questions to get to know them better--especially, "How did you get engaged?" As soon as they start telling that story, they usually forget they are taking pictures and end up laughing and smiling as they remember their engagement.

divamum

heatherfeather wrote:

You sure know how to ask questions, Diva.

Happy to oblige. Actually, I think it's because somehow in my mind I think there's some magic bullet you all have that I haven't heard about/learned about yet - when you explain it I realise it's common sense as much as anything!!!!

-Most importantly: be relaxed and friendly yourself. Pretend that the clients are some of your very good friends and treat them more familiar than you actually are. It helps to break the ice and makes them comfortable. Make jokes and be silly. Explain what you are doing and why. They are an important member in the photography team, and if they know it then they will be way more inclined to experiment and play.

Swartzy wrote:

The more they see how easy going and fun you are (think goofy crazy) the more they relax and have a blast with the shoot...it loosens them up and they have fun with one another as well. I usually ask when they begin getting a bit stiff if I should put on my bunny suit ....that usually gets them carefree. Personality connectivity is 95% of the shoot. Leave the left brain at home

Trained performer, teacher and goofball. Making a fool of myself in front of other people comes easily!

Thanks for those specifics. When you ask them to snif/snort/tickle/kiss etc, do you tell the sniffer/snorter/tickler/kisser as an aside out of the other's earshot, or are they both in on the joke?

Love the "tell your engagement story" idea - DUH... so obvious, and just guaranteed to get them talking. Perfect!!

Thanks all - keep those sugggestions coming!!!!

Jeremy Winterberg

One thing I do is I kind of "include" them in the picture taking process. Like if they see anything that they really want to work with, aka a certain location or object, I make sure that we at least try to do something with it, so that its almost like they need to work hard to get good photos as well.

Getting to know the client(s) helps a ton. Find out their background story, it helps a lot with how you portray them in their portraits. A "custom" look tailored just for them. To do this you can either ask them questions on the fly while doing the session, or when you meet them before the session grab a cup of coffee or something. Like someone else said... ice-breakers... let them used to you as a person, then they'll be more comfortable with you behind the camera!

And yes, silly sayings work like a charm. For one of my family shoots the 3 sisters did not want to smile at all... so I said something like "Alright, now for this one I want you all to say (In a high pitched girly voice coming out of a 6'4" deep voiced man) WE'RE SISTERS!!!!" They instantly started laughing, and I got some really natural looking smiles and the session breezed by after that. AMAZING!

urbanaries

Simple. I only pick fun people to shoot.

Seriously though, Heather has some great suggestions. I do the sniff temple thing too! Also smile and kiss at the same time, laugh as loud as you can, hug like it's the last time you'll see each other.

I usually tease the guy more than I should. Like I'll set ground rules up front that says, let's make sure you understand this is all about making her look gorgeous and we know you're just a prop. (HA!) So your job is to make her LAUGH...always be touching her....and if you do those things I'll let you pinch her butt.

Keep bringing those barbs up and then when things get stiff say, geez, I guess you need to get that butt pinch out.

ETC.

This is the hardest part of photography, but I've found the more relaxed and confident I am in the shoot (and not worrying about settings or lighting or junk like that) and tell them my vision, how I'm reading the light, etc. then they have more confidence in me which causes them to loosen up.

Another thing I try to get them doing is be in motion. I HATE HATE HATE stiff static-ness. So if they're in a pose I'll tell them to sway or dance to music that isn't there. I'm a little manic myself so I'll show them what I'm looking for.

Also in another thread we discussed example shots. I've found these to be crucial. I'm a visual person, I'm terrible at describing what I'm looking for.