How to Pose Couples

Beginners and pros alike, let’s talk posing! 💃 Posing can be a huge stressor when it comes to couples photography … for both the couples and the photographers. 🤪 Sometimes couples interact effortlessly, but most of the time, clients (ourselves included!) can feel timid, clueless, and clunky when it comes to public affection. Today, we want to help you—the photographer—with your role behind the lens. Whether or not your couples shoot is an engagement session, we’re sharing some of our favourite prompts on how to pose couples so they feel good and look good in front of the lens.

Right out of the gate, we want to let you in 🤫 on a little secret: keep it easy and be encouraging. Using easy and open-ended prompts gives couples room to find their own unique way of existing together. If a pose recommendation isn’t landing, move on without fanfare. Feeling natural in front of the camera 📸 is paramount to looking natural during a photo session! The idea of posing naturally seems a bit like an oxymoron, we know, but it’s also the key to stunning couples images. ✨

Here at Flytographer, we easily connect local photographers with travellers for fun photoshoots and have captured over four million memories worldwide as a community. 🌎 Our photoshoots capture the magic of the city as well as wall-worthy memories for travellers to bring home as priceless souvenirs. We have a dedicated HQ team that supports our community of 600+ photographers with marketing efforts so the photographers can focus on what they do best—be behind the lens! Are you looking for a posing guide with perfect prompts to help your clients? Read on for our favourite poses and tips on how to pose couples naturally. 👍

TLDR

• Prompt #1: Side by side
• Prompt #2: Walk toward the camera
• Prompt #3: Squeeze their arm
• Prompt #4: Twirl & catch
• Prompt #5: Big hugs
• Prompt #6: Whisper sweet somethings!
• Prompt #7: Create some space
• Prompt #8: Sit back & relax
• Prompt #9: Take it all in
• Prompt #10: Play with each other’s hands
• FAQ

Photo: Marta in Venice for Flytographer. Clarielle and partner capture memories in Venice with an engagement trip photoshoot at San Marco.

Prompt #1: Side by side

Full prompt: “Stand side by side while holding hands, and one of you (the shorter partner) will lean your head against your partner’s arm.”

Posing tips:

• This side-by-side stance is a simple pose, perfect for creating a portrait-like image while also allowing for wider shots to incorporate beautiful backgrounds—it’s not just for portrait photography! 👌
• Standing side by side is an ideal, low-key starter pose to help you, as the photographer, get your bearings and make sure your camera is set up for your specific couple as well as the current lighting and surroundings.
• If one of your clients has on a beautiful dress, a stylish skirt slit, or a great shoe, this is a great opportunity for them to show it off! 👠 Take this time to encourage your clients to be still and stand confidently.
• This pose can be a great power shot if your couple has a height difference, as it can look super dynamic and interesting.

Photo: Elizabeth in Kauai for Flytographer. Vincent and partner capture memories in Kauai with couples photoshoot at Maha’Ulepu Beach.

Prompt #2: Walk towards the camera

Full prompt: “Start 10 paces away from the camera with your face towards me and start walking casually, turning to stare deep into each other’s eyes and also looking back at me a few times!”

Posing tips:

• While eye contact is ideal, not falling down stairs or tripping is even more ideal! If possible, encourage your couple to look at one another, but they can alternate looking down, at the camera, and at each other for variety.
• Keep pics casual by prompting someone to put one hand in their pocket.
• Add some energy by telling them to gently bump hips with one another (this usually results in giggles, too! 🤭).
• Don’t be afraid to ask your couple to repeat this prompt, particularly if the speed was too fast or slow the first time.
• This type of photoshoot scenario is less of a pose and more of a prompt/idea, so generally remember that you can add motion ⏩ to level up any pose.

Photo: Murat G. in Istanbul for Flytographer. Diana and partner capture memories in Istanbul with an anniversary photoshoot at Hagia Sophia & the Blue Mosque.

Prompt #3: Squeeze their arm

Full prompt: “Stand side by side, and one person will squeeze their partner’s arm [wait for them to get into position] … and I mean tightly!” 

Posing tips:

• Squeezing an arm can be romantic or silly—usually both! This kind of closeness feels safe and comfortable for couples and is beautiful to boot. 
• If the height difference between partners feels too significant for this pose, utilize a step for your shorter client to stand on, or have your taller client lean against a wall or a landing to lower themselves casually.

Photo: Gerald in Santorini for Flytographer. Audrey and partner capture memories in Santorini with an anniversary photoshoot in Oia Village.

Prompt #4: Twirl & catch

Full prompt: “Are you ready to dance?! I want you to do a little dance—however you’d like—ending with a twirl 🌀 and a catch!” 

Posing tips:

• If you sense your cute couple is feeling stiff, get them moving! This is one of the best ways on how to pose couples. Actual dance skills are not necessary, and it’s usually more fun if they’re clueless!
• Be sure to capture not only the movement of the twirl but also the reaction after the catch/hug! 😁 These candid moments are so sweet!
• Music is optional of course, but feel free to belt out an awkward tune to loosen the mood! 🎵

Photo: Ellie in Florence for Flytographer. Sarah and partner capture memories in Florence with an anniversary photoshoot at Duomo & Ponte Vecchio.

Prompt #5: Big hugs

Full prompt: “I want you to give each other a hug 🫂 like you just dropped your bags at the airport after waaaaaay too long apart!”

Posing tips:

• Have your shorter client wrap their arms around the neck of their taller partner, or even have them grab their partner’s cheeks and pull them in for a kiss!
• Watch out for potential double chins—if you see them happening, have couples tip their heads back to look 🆙 at the sky and smile for some movement.

Photo: Marie in Maui for Flytographer. Emily and partner capture memories in Maui with a proposal photoshoot at Kapalua Ironwoods.

Prompt #6: Whisper sweet somethings!

Full prompt: “It’s time for me to back away and for you to whisper aaaanything you want, of any rating … because I can’t hear you! 🙃 The person who didn’t book your photoshoot gets to whisper first … go!” 

Posing tips:

• Don’t be afraid to use this one early when thinking about how to pose couples—it may take a moment for your couple to settle into the silliness or even the romance of this prompt.
• Encourage couples to get close by having them touch each other’s foreheads, whisper in each other’s ears, and make lots of eye contact. 🥰 

Photo: Nathalie in Tokyo for Flytographer. Vithun and partner capture memories in Tokyo with a proposal photoshoot.

Prompt #7: Create some space

Full prompt: “Hold each other’s hand and stretch out as wide ↔️ as you can! Really … take up as much space as possible!”

Posing tips:

• Creating space is a fun break from all that kissy closeness—particularly if it’s hot out—and a great way to capture the beautiful surroundings and get more full-body shots! 
• This prompt for how to pose couples can involve a little or a lot of movement—walking, running, or alternating moving closer together and then farther apart … let loose! 🙌 

Photo: Kari in New York City for Flytographer. Aileen and partner capture memories in New York City with couples photoshoot at Brooklyn Bridge & DUMBO.

Prompt #8: Sit back & relax

Full prompt: “Sit down and take a moment to rest your feet, relax, and cozy up close to one another!”

Posing tips:

• Utilize benches, walls, or even the shade under a tree 🌳 where your couple can take a breather.
• Encourage your couple to get comfortable—kick up their legs, sit cross-legged, or put an arm around each other—whatever allows their bodies to really settle.
• Various poses like this can take place in different locations where your couple is seated and relaxed, so you can repeat this prompt again and again whenever someone needs a refresher! 😅

Photo: Olga in Paris for Flytographer. Bianca and partner capture memories in Paris with an anniversary photoshoot at Trocadéro & the Eiffel Tower.

Prompt #9: Take it all in

Full prompt: “Pause for a moment and look around. It may not seem like it, but this moment of calm is really special—you’re here together and you look so beautiful! What do you love about what’s around you right in this moment?”

Posing tips:

• Let your couple look around as well as at each other. You can ask them to point out things they love about their surroundings—the clouds, buildings, or anything else about the landscape that gets them searching. 
• This is a great moment for you, as the photographer, to also take a quick break to regroup! Check your surroundings, settings, etc., and breathe. ☺️ 

Photo: Inés in Dublin for Flytographer. Mayi and partner capture memories in Dublin with couples photoshoot at Ha’penny Bridge & the Temple Bar District.

Prompt #10: Play with each other’s hands

Full prompt: “Grab your partner’s hands … and admire them! 🤲 Trace their lines, kiss them, or just tickle and play with their fingers.” If your couple is engaged or married, this is a perfect time to show off those rings!

Posing tips:

• Holding hands is intimate and feels really personal and safe. Capture not only hands and rings during this time but also your clients’ faces as they interact with one another. 
• This hack of tickling and entangling hands can create beautiful images when thinking about how to pose couples. Whether your couple is sitting, standing, or twirling around, this is your time to really tell a story about details on your own terms—a story they’ll be sure to love when they see it later. 

Photo: Darine in Banff for Flytographer. Timothy and partner capture memories in Banff with an engagement trip photoshoot at Lake Minnewanka.

FAQ

What is the most flattering way to pose couples for pictures?

• Turn or angle your clients slightly to the side, and have them pop a hip, cross their ankles, place one hand on their hip, or cross their arms over their chest. Break up the shape of stiff bodies by having clients settle into themselves and one another. Check out more photoshoot ideas that every photographer should try for more tips on how to pose couples and more!

How do you pose clients when one partner is shorter than the other?

• When the height difference between clients is significant, decrease that difference by placing the shorter client in front of their partner, having the couple sit down, leaning them against a surface, or utilizing stoops, steps, boulders, or other surfaces to better match their eyelines.

How do you help clients pose effortlessly?

• Posing effortlessly is as much about mindset as it is about body movement! Try to remain relaxed and help clients relax so they feel safe and at ease. Moving, talking, or engaging in any way that feels comfortable to your clients will help them feel and look effortless. Getting posing ideas and inspo from images, social media, and other visual sources will help keep ideas fresh.

Photo: Emmie in Anchorage for Flytographer. Allyson and partner capture memories in Anchorage with a honeymoon photoshoot at Beluga Point.

You’ve got this!

Capturing couples images—whether for a proposal shoot, engagement photos, or just a happy couple 👫 (young, old, and everything in between!)—can make for some of the most fun sessions for a photographer and a creative! 💓 We hope these photography tips and posing ideas help you behind the scenes as you build up a physical and mental “couple photography poses” repertoire! 📝 

Whether you’re a wedding, lifestyle, family, or portrait photographer, you could be a great addition to our Fly fam! 🙋‍♀️ For more information on how and why you should join our Flytographer team, check this out, and be sure to learn more about our amazing Flytographer team of professional photographers here. 👩‍💻