Note: Photographers’ Friday is a weekly blog series directed toward professional photographers, and in some instances, serious amateur photographers. All Photographers’ Friday blog posts will assume that readers have a basic working knowledge of digital SLR cameras, but if you’re left with questions or don’t understand any of the information, don’t hesitate to ask. We love e-mails!

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I have a story to share:

In middle school, one of my best friends and I would take “modeling pictures” of each other in the afternoons after school. We would put together our favorite outfits and strike “modeling” poses, such as  curling onto our backs, half-sitting and half-lying against the leg of my desk, feet up on the underside of the desktop — you know, things that looked completely and totally natural. I wish I could share those photos here, but 1.) they’re in a photo album in my old room at my parents’ house, and 2.) even though I’ve told you how bad they were, I still have some level of pride that won’t let me actually display those early attempts. Just believe me, they’re hilarious. I really don’t know how my mother kept a straight face when she went with me to the lab to pick up my prints.

It probably goes without saying that things have changed. I’ve grown up, I don’t ask people to contort themselves into weird poses for my camera, and I no longer spend my free time hanging out under my desk.

Okay, in all seriousness now — let’s talk about taking portraits that look natural. Natural, spontaneous moments are my favorite to capture, and they’re most couples’ favorites to have of themselves, so photographers need to know how to make their couples look and feel natural as natural as possible in front of the camera. I’ve got just a few quick tips.

• Ease your couples into each portrait session. Start with something simple and non-invasive, like letting them walk ahead of you and start exploring the area where you’re shooting. Give them a bit of time to get used to the sound of the shutter clicking and the idea of being in front of the camera before asking them to look into the camera; this will help them feel comfortable and less self-conscious.
• Let your couples give their input during the session. Ask them to show you how they like to hold hands. When you want to take a photo of them walking, let them choose whether to hold hands, link arms, or wrap their arms around each other’s waists. Ask them to do whatever they would do if a camera weren’t there.
• Praise your couple all along the way — let them know they’re doing great and looking fabulous.
• When something doesn’t work great or look fabulous, don’t tell them — just sail smoothly into the next look.
• Give your couples directions to keep them moving — “Okay, Erika, I want you to just walk up behind Jeff and give him a big squeeze and nuzzele your face up against his. Jeff, look back over your shoulder at her and clasp her hands as she wraps them around you” — rather than telling them to stand in a static pose; keeping them moving will ensure what you capture looks natural, and it will make your couples feel far less awkward than standing still for a long time.
• Keep up a conversation with your couples, and keep the mood lighthearted. Have conversation topics read for them, and choose topics that will get them laughing, smiling, and interacting, such as how they met, their first impressions of each other, the way they got engaged, and their favorite funny memories of each other.
• Remember that some couples will be freer in front of the camera than others, regardless of what you do to loosen them up, so have several easy, natural-looking poses in your back pocket, and be ready to whip them out whenever you can tell your couples are feeling unsure of themselves. Use these poses as confidence boosters for your couples.
• When you get a particularly great shot, flip your camera around to let your couples see the LCD screen. As couples realize they are looking fabulous, they’ll relax even more, and you’ll get pictures that are even more natural.

There’s one more thing that is key to making sure your couples are comfortable and natural during a portrait session: You have to be comfortable and natural during the session, too! Make sure you have a shooting plan — a specific idea of what you want the shoot as a whole to look like, and ideas for certain shots, but be ready to be flexible. Your attitude will absolutely rub off on your couples, so make sure you’re feeling confident and ready to make some magic each time you head into a session. And make that magic!

~ Laura