How to Pose Couples?


Whether you're just starting your photographer journey, or you're a well-seasoned photographer, we have all been in the situation where halfway through your session, you're frozen trying to figure out what pose you should do next. I've created this guide to share some of my favorite couples poses and prompts to inspire you for your next photo session and keep the "what do I do next?" struggle from happening to you!


The Koala Hug


The koala hug is a cute pose where you have one partner wrap their arms around their partner's arm (like a koala bear on a tree branch). This pose is super cute and easy to do, it also is a great pose that you can build off of for fun prompts to create some diversity in your photo gallery. Here are some prompts I like to use for this pose:

  1. Smile and look at me
  2. Look at each other and share your favorite thing about each other
  3. Laugh at each other like your just heard the funniest joke (The fake laughter typically prompts real laughter and those smiles are to die for!!)
  4. Give each other some eskimo kisses
  5. Have each partner take tears whispering something sweet into the other persons ear

Push & Pull


The Push & Pull is a fun pose where I have the couple hold hands facing each other and then prompt them to push and pull each other back and forth. Nice and simple! What's nice about this pose is it will naturally make your couple smile and laugh so you can catch those authentic smiles in between their movement and it makes for great candid shots. This is also a great pose to use to transition to some slow dance poses, having one partner twirl the other, or even some dip shots.

Wrap Around Hug


Hugging from behind is a cute and easy pose that can offer some good versatility for your client's gallery. As seen above, You can use this pose as a great opportunity to get some detailed shots of your couple's hands/rings, zoom out for a nice close framed shot, or zoom out even more for the full picture. Here are some prompts that you can use for this pose to elevate your images:

  1. Look at the camera and smile
  2. Partner in the back, kiss the head/temple of your partner
  3. Partner standing behind, whisper sweet nothings into your partners ear


To add some movement to your shot you can also have your clients rock back and forth with each other, focusing on each other and this makes for some cute candid shots as well!

The Lift


This is just one of those poses that I find myself doing every chance I get for couple's sessions! It's so cute and so much. I instruct the client who will be doing the lifting to lift their partners by wrapping their arms just below their partners bottom. Then, when they are ready I instruct them to life up and encourage the other partner who is being picked up to pop their feet. In the images above you can see how one pose can curate three different variations with the feet. You can also capture this pose from different angles, or zoom in to catch those intimate face to face moments. Some prompts I have used for this pose include:

  1. Look deeply into each others eyes
  2. Give gentle eskimo kisses
  3. Give each other a big kiss and see if you can hold it as long as "insert partners name" can hold you


There You Have It!


When it comes to posing couples, think about how you can take one pose and use it for multiple shots. With the poses and prompts I shared above, you can easily take at least 20 different photographs! Remember that posing is half the battle, and it's the prompts you use to direct your couple that help curate variety for their album. You can also maximize poses by shooting the same pose at different angles. You are an artist, stepping back and looking at the couple, scenery, and understanding your couples desires for their session makes a world of a difference and will elevate your posing ten-fold.