Say “cheese!”.

We all remember the days long ago posing as children and everyone yelling in unison this all too familiar phrase. The resulting images usually have a lot of strained smiles, tippy toes and down-right frowns. Fast forward a decade or two and you’re engaged, standing in front of your photographer and that chorus of “CHEEEEEEESE” rings in your mind and you don’t know what else to do besides open your eyes wide and bring out your biggest (albeit fake) smile for the camera.

Going into your engagement and wedding shoots, this feeling is pretty common. I mean, when else are you in front of the camera besides taking silly selfies and the occasional group shot during a night out on the town? Posing romantically and naturally is WEIRD. I know it. You know it. Even models on magazine covers know it. So, that’s why I like incorporating as much movement into my sessions as possible.

I always like to start out my sessions by walking with my clients. I ask them to push, play or even crack a joke with each other while walking towards me. This is the simplest way to ease into a session.

As we find our perfect light and location, I prompt my clients with different actions to create genuine moments between the two of them:

Bring her in close and squeeze her. (usually gets a big giggle or two)
Twirl her around and then dip her.
Kiss her on the cheek.
Whisper something in his ear. (It’s totally fine if this is even a tad goofy and inappropriate because the smiles you get from this one are so dang candid.)
Rest your head on his chest and give him a gentle hug.

There are endless possibilities on the actions and movements you can create in your photos by simply asking your clients to do everyday sort of actions. One of my go-to’s that I also really like is asking the bride to step forward and the groom to sneak up behind her and kiss her on the cheek. This embrace is a classic and, even if she knows it’s happening, slightly catches the bride off guard for a sweet smile full of expression.

So, there you have it! Now, go out and rock your client session with tons of fun prompts that are guaranteed to create a fun shoot for both you and them 🙂