Most photographers have a hard time posing multiple people, especially couples. But once you develop a set of different poses, it’s not that hard. Here’s how to create a romantic pose by simply having one person kiss the other’s forehead.
Communicate and a little silliness
Communication plus a little silliness will help when posing a couple. In this example, I will refer to the couple as he and she, but this pose will also work for same-sex couples. Have the couple follow these steps.
1. Help remove any awkwardness
Have the couple position themselves very close to each other. This sets the initial mood. Some couples can feel uncomfortable doing this in front of others. Use a calm voice, talk to them and assure them this will look great.
2. A silly Eskimo kiss
Let’s face it — unless you have very young children, you haven’t given out too many Eskimo kisses. Have the couple rub noses. This one gesture gets the couple feeling a little silly and will get them to relax and smile.
3. Create a romantic mood
Using a soft voice, instruct the couple to slowly pull away just a little and have the female close their eyes and look down. This sets a romantic mood.
4. The forehead kiss
Have the man position his face close to his partner’s forehead so he can softly kiss it. Stay in that position, take a few shots then have him smell her hair. This doesn’t distort his face and it usually provokes a smile from the her.
Depending on the couple and how comfortable they feel, final results may vary. The goal of explaining any pose is to make it really simple and easy to follow. If the instructions are complicated, the subject struggles to follow directions and is thinking too much on the action and not enough on the mood. Make it simple.
Having the female subject extend her forehead will reduce or get rid of any apparent double chins as illustrated in photo #1 with the female, and every photo except #1 with the male. Shooting slightly higher up, instead of low to high, also greatly helps. Males don’t really mind, but for females, a double chin, real or exaggerated from a pose, is a major deal for them.