In these unprecedented times, photography seems to have acquired new meaning and value. This year, in the brief parenthesis between lockdowns, I have had a few couples contacting me to book some photos for them. With our hectic daily lives put on a hold and micro weddings becoming the new normal, memories have become more important than ever.
Alex and Andy contacted me some time ago for a couple shoot. A bit of an untraditional couple, they were looking for some strong images to break out the news of their engagements to their families over the Christmas holidays. I loved their story, particularly that Alex was the one to propose to Andy which I thought was so beautiful and empowering.
I have been holding onto these photos for a while and I am so excited to be able to share them with you all now. I hope they will inspire some couples who are on the fence to book a photo session who looks and feels just like them, simply to celebrate who they are and being together… ‘Cause why not?
Here are my three practical tips to make sure your couple shoot will look as unique as your story.
1. Location, location, location
Alex and Andy were committed to make their session personal and include bits of their story. Therefore they choose… an airfield! Andy is studying to become a pilot, his childhood dream, so they thought it would be lovely to include that in the photos.
If you want to make sure your photos will have that extra special meaning for you even when you look back at them in a few years, picking the right location is key. The choice of location is also key if you’d like to achieve a certain look for your photos as the light conditions may vary grandly.
It’s important to mention that the venue of a shoot does not have to be fashionable or fancy, it just has to speak to you! My experience tells me there is potential in most places, but it’s key to define ahead what we wanna achieve. This brings me to my second tip.
2. Create a vision board
Ahead of our shoot, Alex had shared with me a vision board with some images for inspiration. She absolutely loves the colour blue and wanted to achieve a vintage vibe in some of the photos. Her vision board helped me to understand what she was looking for.
Far from being a series of images to reproduce step by step, a vision board is a helpful tool to bring to life your vision and share your expectations for the session visually. Unlike the common belief, a vision board does not have to include just photos you like, but you can also decide to share with me a palette or paintings and so on. The goal is not to passively imitate something you like, but to create a ”mood”, a feeling of what we would like to achieve together.
I can’t never stress enough how much a set of images, no matter how artsy, it’s always the result of a team work between you and me.
3. 'Be yourself everyone else is already taken' (O. Wilde)
In my opinion, good photography always comes from a place of authenticity. A photo is only as good as it’s believable. I don’t believe in photogenic or not so photogenic people. What I do believe is that some people are just more comfortable to have their picture taken. If the subject is uneasy, the camera will simply show it.
I take great pride in the fact that people often comment on how natural and relaxed everyone looks in my photos.
It’s an absolute priority for me to make you look as your true self no matter how beautifully dressed and made up.
So my suggestion here is simply to try and not be something else from yourself in your photos. There is plenty of beauty in everyone to capture as it is. This is by no means an invite to fly low or keep it simple. A photo session, particularly a couple one, can be a great opportunity to play together while telling a bit of your story.
