Read this post for fun and quirky ways to break the ice with your couple during a photoshoot, a series of new prompts to try and a tip on capturing BTS during a couples session.

I am a history buff, so I appreciate getting to shoot in historic locations such as Fort Clinch State Park in Fernandina Beach, Florida. It’s the best of all worlds, beautiful beach, lush forest, field and architecture. I am longing to go back for another session or two. Who’s coming with me?

In order to break the ice with my couples, I start by playing silly games with them. We loosen up, laugh, play and get tons of candids.

The first game is my personal favorite. I have seen it done a lot. I have the couple stand close together and put their arms around each other. I ask that each of them picks a color in their mind. I count aloud and ask them to say the color at the same time, on the count of three. I encourage them to use their connection to try and guess the color that their partner is thinking. This results in laughter and smiles/slaps. LOL!

The second game, I invented recently. It’s based on charades. I took Griffin to the side and told him that Madison is a “koala who is taking a wild ride”. I told him to use Madison’s body to act this out and have her guess who or what she is. We all laughed so hard as M first guessed backpack and then “Koala!” To which I added “And now for the second part of the charade”. Meaning of course - the wild ride! Griffin started to ride Madison around on his back and I told her to try and kiss his ear at the same time for a twist.

We went through a series of charades, which they both guessed right away. Even the one where Griffin was a dishwasher. We couldn’t believe he guessed it so easily! I am still mind blown over this. M was also cake and ice cream and you can literally scroll down and see G pretending to or possibly actually licking her. So fun! The photos come out natural and everyone has a blast. 10/10 recommend! You can also try words like “airplane”, “hammock”, “cookie batter mixer”, etc.

Another game that results in action photos is also a recent invention of mine. I have one of the partners lead the other as they spell a letter on the ground. I chose the letter “M” for Madison and had her run while leading Griffin by the hand in an “M” pattern in the sand. She made it that much more fun by adding a swash at the end of her M. Fabulous! Love running/action shots. Getting into blurry and motion photos lately and experimenting with natural/candid ways of grabbing those shots.

A quick tip for you Reels lovers out there: capture BTS at the same time as you are shooting. How? With a phone stand that sits on top of your DSLR. Amazon sells these for $15.

Quick and easy! Enjoy the photos :)

Featured