Picture this: you, your partner, and a camera, ready to capture you and your love and all the things that make it special. But there also can be some anxiety that comes with it, which can be frustrating when you just want to celebrate you and your person with a San Diego Couple or Engagement Photo Session! I get it – posing for photos can be a bit nerve-wracking, and I feel like 90% of my clients initially say that they either don’t like having their photo taken or they are nervous about posing. But that’s what I’m here to help with as we plan your session and capture you and your person! I’m Beth, a San Diego couple, elopement, and wedding photographer, here to share how I work with you to create sessions all about comfort, authenticity, and embracing all love stories.

The Before: Inclusive & Comprehensive Couple Photo Session Prep

Before we’re at the couple or engagement photo session together, I want to know everything you want to share about you and your partner! Share your preferences, quirks, and any details that would make your session extra special. It’s not time-intensive prep I promise; it’s an opportunity for you to have the space to be heard so I can capture you both the best. I create timelines for every session, eliminating unknowns so you can step into the experience with confidence and know what to expect. Personally, I feel like eliminating unknowns can help so much with feeling comfortable and excited!

Location matters of course, and picking the right location for you is a big piece of feeling comfortable during your session! Whether you’re beach lovers, avid hikers, or city explorers, your session should reflect your natural hangouts and dynamics. Choosing the photo location is about making you feel at home (which we can literally do – in-home sessions are the sweetest) and capturing your vibe as a couple. The last thing I ever want to do with a couple is suggest a location just because it’s conventionally pretty. Anywhere meaningful is special and makes for beautiful and authentic photos!

The Couple or Engagement Photo Session: My Documentary Approach for Candid and Natural Couple Photos

Prompts for Natural and Easy Vibes:

From the moment we start photographing together, I guide you with prompts designed to make you feel comfortable, natural, and at ease. These prompts look different for every couple, but they include accessible movement and interaction between the couple. My goal is to help you and your partner feel like you’re just hanging out, and I’m there as a removed third wheel who just so happens to have a camera and will chime in and adjust as we go. I tend to prioritize prompts over posing, as they give couples an opportunity to act on their own dynamic – removing any gendered assumptions or posing. 

Prompting vs Posing:

Prompting for photos means that I give couples direction for what to do – this is things like walk together, tell a cringey joke to your partner, give a big hug! Prompts give partners their space to choose their own level of intimacy and interact. Posing is a more traditional approach and what most people think of when they plan a session and ask me what they should do with their hands for photos (I gotchu). If prompting is the “what,” posing is the “how and where.” Poses tend to be more prescriptive and are things like “look right at me and smile” as the most basic one. I enjoy mixing prompts and posing, so that the couple both has natural movement and interactions while feeling guided throughout the session.

Unique & Inclusive Guidance for Every Couple:

No two love stories are alike, and that’s why my guidance is also tailored to each couple and the vibe you’re looking to achieve for your San Diego couple or engagement photo session. Whether you’re adventurous, romantic, PDA comfortable or not, our sessions will reflect your personalities and keep the authenticity of your relationship front and center. As part of the LGBTQ+ community and an advocate for everyone’s inclusion, my photography experience is designed to be welcoming, safe, and inclusive for every love story. I celebrate all body types and create a space full of celebration and positivity. I genuinely believe that you and your love story are uniquely beautiful, and I’m very honored to document the moments that document that beauty for everything it is. 

With all of that said…

Choosing a photographer is about more than just capturing images; it’s about feeling comfortable being yourself and having the space for your relationship to shine. As someone who loves connecting with her couples, it is just the best feeling to help people see their authentic love story documented (and feel comfortable while doing so). Jump on over to my gallery page or my IG to see couple photo sessions! Looking for you couple photographer in San Diego, California or anywhere?! I’d love to connect with you and hear all about your vision!