Photoshoot Ideas

Are you a photographer looking to build your business, portfolio, skills, and more? Capturing memories, stretching creativity, and utilizing and expanding artistic talents are elements that make being an artist and a creative exciting, challenging, and totally worthwhile. 💙

Here at Flytographer, we easily connect local photographers with travellers for fun photoshoots and have captured over 4 million memories worldwide as a community. 🌎 Our photoshoots include capturing both the magic of the city as well as wall-worthy memories for travellers to bring home as a priceless souvenir. 👍

We love our Flytographer family, including our hundreds of professional photographers all over the globe! Growing a successful, happy, talented team of creatives is part of what makes Flytographer magic. ✨ Wondering how you can hone your skills and dive deeper into your creative side as a photographer? Maybe even join our team? (Hi! 👋) Read on! 👩‍💻

TLDR

1. Family Photoshoot Ideas
2. Couples Photoshoot Ideas
3. Proposal Photoshoot Ideas
4. Friends Photoshoot Ideas
5. Headshot + Portrait Photoshoot Ideas

Photo: Emily in London for Flytographer. Angela and family capture memories in London with a family photoshoot at Tower Bridge.

1. Family Photoshoot Ideas

• Right out of the gate—nearly every participant goes into a photoshoot feeling nervous, stressed, and/or self-conscious. As the photographer, those first moments when you meet up with family members, your approach, body language, and interaction are key in setting the tone. 🙋‍♀️ Arrive prepared, early, and ready to capture whatever happens, even the moments before you think the magic will begin! Some of the most special images come from those initial snuggles, shy smiles, and awkward giggles, so be ready to roll from the very start! ☺️
• Capture the season—when it comes to seasons, think of both the weather seasons and seasons of life, too! 🎉 We all love a fall photoshoot, but remember that family photos can and should happen anytime—celebrating occasions, milestones, special places, and more. Having professional photos taken and removing the pressure from Mom, Dad, a friend or family member, etc., means less stress for them and more fun for you in capturing priceless family memories. 👩‍👩‍👧‍👦
• Try a long exposure—family photos offer a cool opportunity to experiment with wide shots, really capturing the surroundings—after all, not every family photo session is filled with constant smiles. 😅 Great photos come in many forms—try backing up, slowing down your shutter speed, and focusing on iconic backgrounds and surrounding motion for interesting photos that clients couldn’t get themselves. This trick is especially useful if family members aren’t feeling particularly thrilled or they need a break from the lens—use that time to your advantage!

Photography ideas are endless, but try focusing on things you think you would like to experiment with! 🙌 Looking for more family photoshoot clients? Apply to be a Flytographer and join our community today!

Photo: Chema in Tenerife for Flytographer. Meg and family capture memories in Tenerife with a family photoshoot in Palm Mar.

Photo: Flytographer in Savannah. Shama and family capture memories in Savannah with a family photoshoot in Forsyth Park.

2. Couples Photoshoot Ideas

• Try a different perspective—one of our biggest photography tips is to think outside the box, aka, try a different angle! 👀 This is really fun and easy to do with couples because they have each other to focus on, all while you’re busy getting creative around them.
• Focus on their love—not all couples want intense PDAs, nor are they super comfortable in front of the camera. Use all your senses to get a feel for how your couple interacts—try photos of them sitting down, standing up, walking, dancing, moving; creative ways you can adapt and adjust based on their body language will create the most successful, storytelling images. 😚
• Utilize light—it’s no secret that natural light is always a winning option, but for stunning portraits, candid moments, and priceless pics, work with different forms of light. ⛅️ Whether it’s direct sunlight, shade, golden hour, or anything else your surroundings might throw at you, work with your light source rather than against it.

Looking for more couple photoshoot clients? 👩‍❤️‍👨 Apply to be a Flytographer and join our community today!

Photo: Gerald in Santorini for Flytographer. Carly and partner capture memories in Santorini with a couples photoshoot in Oia Village.

Photo: Taggart in Kauai for Flytographer. Emilee and partner capture memories in Kauai with an anniversary photoshoot on Hanalei Bay Beach.

3. Proposal Photoshoot Ideas

• Double-check details—the more you are prepared for everything, the less your “asker” has to worry about! 😆 Make sure all logistics are covered, including contact information, location, timing, expectations, and clothing choices. Be a source of reliability for your client(s) leading up to the shoot—and during the photos, too!
• Be ready—being at the ready is always important, but never more than the moments leading up to a proposal photoshoot! People get in the way, the light shifts, nerves get the best of people, and more… so expect the unexpected! Don’t be afraid to move and adapt—after all, you’re the one there to capture the surprise… and whatever magic happens! Be agile and be ready. 😎
• Don’t be afraid to get close-up—nearly all of the time, getting shots of the ring and other details is something your clients will want. 💍 Don’t fear getting in their space or asking them for detail shots they will want photographed.

Looking for more surprise proposal photoshoot clients? ❔Apply to be a Flytographer and join our community today!

Photo: Barbara and Claudio in Positano for Flytographer. Oriana and partner capture memories in Positano with a proposal photoshoot on Positano Beach.

Photo: Julia in Madrid for Flytographer. Earl and partner capture memories in Madrid with a proposal photoshoot at Retiro Park.

4. Friends Photoshoot Ideas

• Try a holiday shoot—for fun and unique photos, friend photoshoots are typically a great way to go! Whether it’s Valentine’s Day (hey there, Galentine’s gals! ❤️), Halloween, Christmas, or anything in between, dive into a holiday theme and have a fun photoshoot! 🎄
• Birthday girls—a birthday 🎂 is a perfect event to celebrate with your girls, so why not capture your birthday girl and her besties with a birthday photoshoot!? We all know how fun it is to dress up, and every great head-to-toe look totally deserves some great photos to remember the festivities… and the great outfits. 🥳
• Your theme Era—one of the best things about girlfriends is that girls love any excuse to party together. What better reason to celebrate than with music and tons of glitter? Answer: Taylor Swift! 🎶🪩 Fellow Swifties, gather inspo from this post where we talk about the best photo spots along Taylor’s 2024 Eras tour! A girlfriend photoshoot themed with music, glitter, and besties just can’t be beat. An Era photoshoot is the perfect way to celebrate with your girls. 👯‍♀️

Looking for more fun friends photoshoot clients? 🤷‍♀️ We know how you can find them! Apply to be a Flytographer and join our community today!

Photo: Aimee in Palma de Mallorca for Flytographer. Dana and friends capture memories in Palma de Mallorca with a birthday photoshoot at the beachfront and Old Town.

Photo: Sehee in New York City for Flytographer. Grace and friends capture memories in New York City with a friends photoshoot at Brooklyn Bridge & DUMBO.

5. Headshot + Portrait Photoshoot Ideas

• Candid is best—headshot and portrait photography requests are majorly on the rise ↗️ (particularly for social media and marketing purposes), and although most people imagine that classic stare at the camera and smile image, that look is sometimes the most criticized by those. Why? It can feel harsh and stale; most of us look the best (and the most like ourselves) when we have a little movement, and emotion behind our eyes! The ideal way to let life into photos is to relax and take the focus off staring directly into the lens! Candid photos are the way to go. 😆
• Background inspo—you don’t need a fancy or popular background to make successful solo shots—oftentimes, backgrounds you wouldn’t ever think of make the best images! Walls, doorways, shady awnings, stoops, and more. As long as you have a good natural light source and some variety, you’ll be able to nail a plethora of great, flattering images. 😊
• Bringing buddies—a lot of times, it can ease stress and add comfort when a friend is alongside for solo shots. Sharing a photoshoot means both of you get equal attention, and there’s someone there to be an extra set of eyes to make sure your hair is how you like it, lipstick 💄 is poppin’, and that bag of supplies (#iykyk 👛) can be handled by a pal without worry.

Especially for professional-looking solo shots, skip the self-portraits! 🤳 Headshots and portrait shoots are a perfect opportunity to grow your business. Looking for more solo portrait clients? Apply to be a Flytographer and join our community today!

Photo: Cheryl in Miami for Flytographer. Grace and friends capture memories in Miami with a headshot photoshoot at Wynwood Walls.

Photo: Lidiya in Dubai for Flytographer. Elizabeth captures memories in Dubai with a headshot photoshoot in Old Dubai.

Capturing beautiful portraits

We encourage you to try something new and exciting 💡 for your next photoshoot as you think of new ways to grow your photography business, especially when it comes to creative photoshoot ideas. Beautiful portraits are more than Photoshop tricks; grab that camera and let your imagination run wild! Taking photos to the next level is a combination of a lot of things, but photography skills are best honed when you’re doing what you love—and, sometimes, when you’re being pushed beyond your usual niche. 😃

For more information on why our professional Flytographer photographers are super amazing —and consider applying to join our team! 🤲

If you enjoyed this post and want to learn more about how to grow your photography business, be sure to check out this post 📲 as well as How to Get Photography Clients: Ultimate Guide to Photography Marketing.

We can’t wait to hopefully see you soon! ✌️