Most couples show up to their engagement session with the same quiet fear: What if I look awkward? They've seen enough stiff, posed photos to know what they don't want, but not nearly enough examples of what's actually possible when someone guides them well.
Here's what I want you to know before we ever pick a location or choose an outfit: looking natural in photos is a skill that I bring to the session, not something you need to arrive with.
You Don't Need to Know How to Pose
I hear it all the time, "I don't know what to do with my hands", "I'm just not photogenic". And every time I hear it, I think the same thing: that's not your job. My job is to give you something to do, something to feel, and something to respond to. The camera catches those in-between moments, like the laugh after I say something ridiculous, or the way you instinctively reach for each other when I ask you to walk and just talk. Those are the frames couples print and hang on their walls.
When you're being directed, it's not to make you look like someone else. It's giving your connection something to move through.
What "A Little Direction" Actually Looks Like
Let me show you a few of my favorite poses that I always love! I work by setting things in motion rather than freezing couples in place. Here's what that looks like in practice:
Walking (or Running)
Together
Simple, underestimated, and genuinely one of the most effective things we can do. When you're moving, your body relaxes. Your arms swing, and you lean into each other naturally. I'm walking with you, shooting alongside you, and you'll forget the camera is there faster than you'd expect.
Close and Intimate
I ask couples to close their eyes, take a breath, and just be still for a second. What happens next? The exhale, the small smile, the nose bump — that's completely theirs. You just were given the space to get there.
The Spin and Dip
Not because it's dramatic (even though it can be), but because it creates movement, laughter, and genuine surprise on someone's face. Candid joy is almost impossible to fake, which is exactly why I try to create the conditions for it rather than ask you to perform it.
Creative Separation
Sometimes, the best photos come from some creativity and distance! You at the top of the stairs, while your partner is sitting a few stairs below. Both of you on either side of a door frame, looking opposite directions. This gives a more editorial edge to your photos.
The Session Is a Collaboration
One thing I always tell couples before we start is that this is supposed to feel like a really good time together, not an audition. The best engagement and couples photos don't come from people who knew exactly what they were doing. They come from people who trusted the process enough to let go of what they thought they were supposed to look like.
You won't be standing with your arms at your sides trying to figure out where to look. You'll be doing things that feel like you. Whether that is walking a trail that you love, sitting somewhere that means something, holding a coffee while you talk about your honeymoon plans. The photos build themselves around the moments. That's the whole approach!
A Note on "Not Being Photogenic"
If you've ever said this about yourself, I want to push back gently. What most people mean when they say it is that they've been photographed without direction, or in conditions that didn't flatter them, or by someone who didn't take the time to actually see... them. That experience is real, but it's not a permanent verdict on how you photograph.
Every person I've worked with who came in convinced they were the exception has walked away with images that surprised them. Not because I performed some kind of magic, but because I paid attention. To the light, to the angle, to the moment when they stopped thinking about the camera and just existed with their person.
That's the goal every time.
If you're getting ready to book your engagement session and want to talk through what the experience actually looks like, I'd love to hear from you! Reach out and let's start the conversation.