Working towards the sunlight or using just one Lupolux 1000 LED Fresnel spotlight.
I usually work towards the sunlight or use just one Lupolux 1000 LED Fresnel spotlight to emulate sunlight.

When I set out my product offerings to my wedding clients back in 1998 a pre wedding shoot was a novel idea. It became the ‘walk in a park’ photo shoot for many photographers with shots couples walking towards the camera holding hands or leaning against a tree kissing. This serves most customers well but I’ve always favoured a city or urban shoot location like the one in this post because I can shoot whatever the weather with plenty of underpasses or covered areas to shoot in. However the upsurge of boudoir and dudeoir photography a couple of years ago gave me an idea for couples boudoir.

The shot on the left has done the rounds on Tumblr. The tension in Chris' hands adds to the perception of intent.
The shot on the left has done the rounds on Tumblr and Pinterest. The tension in Chris’ hands adds to the perception of intent.
There doesn't need to be any nudity on display. I explain how I'd like the couple to lye. I leave the room so that they can sort themselves out and I pop back in to take the shots.
There doesn’t need to be any nudity on display. I explain how I’d like the couple to lay. I leave the room so that they can sort themselves out and I pop back in to take the shots. It’s quite a straightforward process but the images are taken to another level.

Take one fit sports star or gym enthusiast and his or her partner and you are good to go. I choose to promote my work to clients like professional footballers because they have the budget for a shoot and they can afford a set of signed prints on art paper presented in a leather portfolio.

I change my viewpoint and always shoot a few details.
I change my viewpoint and always shoot a few details.

I hope this gives you food for thought.That concludes my trilogy on photographing couples. In my next feature I will explore two point lighting for street portraits. You can connect with me by leaving a comment below or message me on or my site. Damien Lovegrove

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