When I first became interested in photography, it was those super natural moments that drew me in & made me fall in love. Whether it be the intimate moment, the fun quirky moment, or even the tearful one. When you look at two images, you can typically tell which image was specifically ‘posed’ and which image the person/family/couple was given a prompt or an action. Making these authentic moments happen can be one of the toughest parts about being a photographer & this blog post is going to talk all about how to capture natural moments!

I remember in the beginning, showing up to sessions being so nervous that I was going to be having to direct the couples for an ENTIRE hour or so. I would rehearse over & over in my mind what the session might look like, & that was good practice & something that calmed me down. I am here to tell you that after time, you will settle into a sort of ‘routine’ where you will find the prompts that you become most comfortable with, & you will be able to tell which prompts different types of couples feel most comfortable with! This is really important to remember – ALL couples have completely unique personalities & ways that they interact with each other. You need to keep this in mind when choosing prompts so that you make the couple feel as comfortable as possible so that you can capture natural moments! Check out this blog posts for how to help clients become comfortable even before their session starts!

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When first getting to a session, I like to start out with the fun prompts as they are a great way to loosen everyone up!

• Tell one partner to cover their ears while telling the other partner, on your go, to sneak up behind & tickle them or lift them up & spin them in a circle
• Get one partner to kiss the other partner as many times as they can
• Whisper into each others ears what their fave fast food order is in their sexiest voices
• Run towards each other and embrace like you haven’t seen each other in 5 years
• While cuddled up together, get each partner to tell the other partner their most embarrassing story
• Get one partner to give the other a raspberry on their neck (if you don’t know what that is you have never had a laugh attack as a child hahah)
• Scoop your partner up & rock them like a baby
• Jump on your partners back & then have the one partner try & buck off the other
• Pop a bottle of champagne
• Pick your partner up over your shoulder & pretend like you are having to carry them out of their favourite store
• Take your partners hand & kiss all of their fingers one by one

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As the couple starts to become more comfortable, you can progress onto these romantic prompts if it suits their personality!

• Whisper into each others ears what you love the most about them
• Caress your partners jaw while looking into each others eyes
• Sit on the ground facing each other with your legs around while each other while resting your foreheads together & get as close as you possibly can
• Hug each other like you’re saying goodbye & won’t see each other for a long time
• Wrap your arms around your partner from behind & sway back & forth while humming your favourite song
• Stand face to face and slowly tickle your partners back as if you were giving them a massage
• Stand face to face and rest your forehead on each others & take a long deep breath in & a long exhale out (this is a good one to do at the beginning of a session as well because it helps to calm couples)
• Cuddle up together as if you were going to go to sleep

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If directing clients is something that you struggle with, don’t be afraid to write some prompts into your phone notes, or create yourself some cards to have in your camera bag in those times of need! Another great thing is to have an ‘inspo’ board in your phone so that if you are stuck, you can quickly scroll through that & it will help you with some ideas – just remember, focus on a prompt & not a ‘pose’. Like I said earlier, as you practice more & gain more experience these ‘prompts’ or directing clients will become easier & you will totally get into your own kind of flow & capture natural moments!