Posing Guide: 21 Sample Poses to Get You Started with Photographing Couples

This is a guest post by Kaspars Grinvalds from Posing App.

In this posing guide series, we’ve looked at posing female subjects, posing male subjects, and posing children. In those individual portraits, the main subject is a single person with a single personality. But couple photography is more about connection, interaction, and above all, feelings between two people. Generally, you’re working with very deep and passionate feelings, which is what makes couple photography so delightful and positive.

Couples are pretty easy to engage in a photoshoot. If they are initially a bit shy or feeling uncomfortable, just ask them to show you how they felt and looked when they met for the first time. You will touch them on an emotional level, providing you with natural and loving expressions in their portraits.

However, creating strong couple poses presents its own difficulties. That’s why we’re offering 21 simple, easy poses for photographing couples – so you can get started taking stunning couple photos, today.

1. Standing face to face (but looking at the camera); one partner should hold an arm on the other partner’s chest

Make sure you take both close-up and vertical shots.

Posing Guide: 21 Sample Poses for Photographing Couples

2. Standing close together and looking toward one another

Ask the couple to stand very close to one another to create intimate close-up portraits. Don’t be afraid to zoom in and crop real tight!

3. Hugging from behind

This is a very easy and cordial pose, with one partner holding the other from behind. The couple may look straight into the camera or at each other. They can even kiss for a more emotive shot.

4. Holding from behind

This is a fun and loving pose, with one partner holding onto the other partner’s back and shoulders.

Pay attention to hand positioning; it should be simple and natural.

5. Holding from behind (alternative)

This is just a variation on the previous pose, with one partner holding the other from behind.

Remember that the couple doesn’t necessarily have to look into the camera. For better results, make them interact with each other by talking, offering flirtatious looks, laughing, etc.

6. Holding and looking out

This pose creates a very romantic mood, and it works best when outdoors with some open space in the background.

Shoot only slightly from behind the couple.

And remember that you have to be far enough to the couple’s side to capture each person’s closest eye. Otherwise, you will create an impersonal, empty shot.

7. Looking up

Find some elevation and shoot your subjects from above.

A common pose shot from an unusual angle is always creative and will often reward you with surprisingly good results.

8. Intimately holding hands

This is another romantic pose. It works best outdoors with some open space in the background.

It also works very well as a silhouette against a bright background (in front of a sunset, for example).

9. The gentle, staggered pose

This is an easy-to-create pose for a full-height shot. It’ll give your photos a calm and affectionate mood.

10. The piggyback pose

This one’s a fun pose, but don’t assume that it only works with younger people. If an older couple feels fine with it, this pose will work superbly with them, as well.

Try different framings, take full-height shots, half-height shots, and close-ups.

11. Standing face to face and kissing

This is a very nice way to show the affection a couple felt when they first met each other.

It works very well in crowded places, such as a famous meeting point in a city, at a train or metro station, etc.

12. Jumping and hugging

This pose offers a little bit of fun!

The crucial part is the leg positioning of your jumping subject; each leg should be bent at different angles.

Oh, and take a close-up portrait shot, as well.

13. Walking and holding hands

Take shots of the partners walking hand in hand as they approach from a distance.

Shoot in Burst mode only, because the majority of your shots will look awkward thanks to the leg movement. Therefore, the second part of your job is to select the photos with the best leg movement and positioning afterward.

14. Walking and holding each other

This is another pose with a walking couple. This time, the couple should walk close together and hold onto each other.

As with the previous pose, take several shots and choose the ones with the most elegant leg positioning.

15. Walking away from the camera

Never forget that there are often good opportunities when shooting from behind! This is a simple pose, but one that looks amazing when done right.

16. Lying on the ground

For this one, the couple should lie close together on the ground.

Ask them to lift their upper bodies a bit and use their arms for support. One partner might embrace the other partner gently. Shoot from a very low angle.

17. Lying on the ground and looking at each other

Here’s another variant with the couple lying on the ground, but this time with a little space between the partners.

18. Cuddling on the ground

This is a nice example of an asymmetrical pose, with one person positioned slightly above the other.

19. Lying together, looking up

This is an informal and fun way to pose – with the couple lying on their backs.

20. Sitting together on a sofa

Here’s a very cordial pose; ask the couple to sit comfortably on their favorite sofa.

21. The classic maternity pose

Shooting a couple may mean maternity photography.

Some poses from this couples series work pretty well for such an occasion. Simply adjust the pose accordingly to show the couple’s feelings about the baby!

This one here is a classic, and looks nice for pretty much any couple:

Grab our printable posing guide for photographing couples

Here’s 16 of our favorite couple poses for you to print and take with you on your next couple shoot:

Also, make sure you look at these couple poses as a starting point only.

That’s the reason why they are rough sketches instead of real photos. You cannot, and should not, repeat the poses exactly; instead, adjust the poses creatively according to your shooting environment and scenario.