Getting Natural Emotions in Photos

I despise inauthenticity. Is that even a word? I’m not sure. But you know what I mean! When I work with my couples, I give them a mix of poses and cues to make sure I’m capturing natural emotions. Because there’s a big difference between smiling for the photo and smiling in the photo.

If I had to guess, I would say you & your partner aren’t natural models. That you don’t normally get professional photos taken together. And, even further, that the majority of your photos together are selfies (professional photographer here, guilty as charged!!). The emotion and the love is there, but it takes a little extra work on my end to allow it to come out in front of the camera! This is why I give my couples a mix of static poses and posing cues.

Poses

Poses are sometimes more comfortable for the couple because they’re being told exactly what to do. It eliminates any thinking or doubt. They are also great for more intimate moments. However, I always try to add a little extra twist to turn the attention away from me and my camera.

As an example, I might tell y’all to stand facing each other toe-to-toe (you’ll hear that a lot during a session with me!) and put your foreheads together. Instead of just stopping there, I’ll give y’all something to think about or I’ll give one of you a task. And that task can range from caressing their love’s chin to making the funniest face they can possibly think of in three seconds! Natural emotions, check!!

Cues

Cues are great because it not only allows for some motion to be included in the photos, but it lets the couple FORGET that I’m even there at all!!! And THAT, my friends, is when you get some ~solid~ couples photos.

For example, one of my favorite cues is telling one person to “trust me” while I talk to the other privately. I instructed them to walk up to their s/o from behind and surprise them with a massive bear hug, sway back and forth, make them laugh, kiss their cheek … whatever is needed to make the love of their life burst into a genuine smile.

Testimonials

Don’t just take my word for it! Here are some of the things my couples said about how they felt in front of my camera:

Sarah and Matt

“Her ability to capture breathtaking images blows me away – I still can’t wrap my head around how she can take two people who are camera-awkward and create a natural, effortless, beautiful, storytelling photograph.”

Megan and Jim

“She seamlessly guided us through our engagement session and made my fiancé and I feel comfortable in front of the lens … I cannot emphasize enough how comfortable Gabriella made us feel which allowed her to capture beautiful candid moments as well.”

Lesa and Max

“She guided us through the planning process, helped us pose for certain pictures (and we needed a lot of help!), secretly recorded the reading of our vows on her phone (a recording I now cherish and was able to share the day that was just the two of us with friends and family), and captured us naturally…laughing on a hike.”