15 Inspiring couple photoshoot ideas

Whether it’s a special holiday, an anniversary, or simply to say I love you, couples might wish to capture their love for each other in a couple's photo shoot. These are moments that can be treasured forever. But with the rising popularity of couple shoots, so comes the difficulty of finding the right couple shoot ideas to help them get the perfect photos. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend your time wondering whether or not you can take couples on as clients. 

There are so many fun couple photoshoot ideas and creative couple shoot ideas that you’ll never truly run out of ways to show how much two people love each other. But which couple photo studio poses are the best? Which ideas in a portable studio should you employ to get the perfect photo every time? No matter what time of the year it may be or where you may be located, let’s dive into some inspiring couple photoshoot ideas that are sure to give you some ideas. 

In this guide, we’ll cover: 

1. Live Date Night Shoots
2. Playful Couple Photoshoots
3. Holding Hands Shoots
4. Silhouettes in the Sunset
5. Momentous Occasion Shoots
6. Candid Event Photography
7. Capturing Those Moments of True Affection
8. Costumed Shoots
9. Fun at Home
10. Dancing Together
11. Being Silly
12. Spending Time in the Rain
13. Close Ups on the Important Things
14. Taking a Drive
15. Engaging in Favourite Shared Activities

1. Live date night shoots

Taking photos of couples as they engage in their regular date nights can be an excellent way to capture them in their best moments together. There are plenty of couple shoot ideas that you can draw from for your couple clients. One excellent idea is to photograph a couple while they’re on a ride like a merry-go-round, or maybe photograph them while they’re walking down a city street lit by the signs of businesses behind them. 

There are so many amazing scenes at night to capture couples, so explore various photoshoot locations near you and see what draws your eye, maybe somewhere local to you could act as the perfect photography backdrop for some nighttime couple photos. 

2. Playful couple photoshoots

Serious couple photos are excellent for special occasions, but sometimes you want to capture something a little more natural. This is where play comes in. Play can come in a wide variety of forms. Maybe a couple decides that they want to shoot at a park, and you come up with the idea that they should start swinging on the swingset to introduce a little fun to the mix that will help them get more authentic pictures. Perhaps they’ve decided on the beach and you suggest to them that they should race each other along the shore and capture them as they’re laughing and engaging with each other. 

Even though your portfolio might show off some of the traditional couple photos that people are looking for, don’t forget to throw a few fun ones in there to shake things up and show potential photography clients you can think outside the box. 

3. Holding hands

If you’re looking for suggestions for poses that you can use as you shoot couples in the studio or on location, you can never go wrong with shots of couples holding hands. Some of the most popular photos are those in which one person is leading their partner to some destination in the background. However, you might also want to consider other poses like couples sitting on the dock and holding hands while leaning on each other, holding hands on bikes, or some other idea that you come up with. 

Holding hands is only one sign of affection, so make sure to supplement this idea with some of the other ideas provided on this list. 

4. Silhouettes in the sunset

As long as you have a clear view of the horizon, you can do this absolutely anywhere. Some great places where you can capture a couple’s silhouettes as they hold hands, kiss, or walk across the background include mountains or hills with a clear view of the sun, beaches, and fields. These can be a bit trickier to capture, so it’s important to make sure you properly plan everything before you shoot with the couple. 

5. Momentous occasions

You can’t mention couple shoots without discussing the importance of getting all of the major milestones in a couple’s lifetime. Is there a special anniversary coming up? Capturing them at the place where they first met can be a great way to celebrate that first anniversary and many successful ones ahead. Are the couple engaged? Traditional engagement photos help capture the moment and give them plenty of materials that they can use for future wedding invitations once they set the date. Finally, when the wedding does roll around, you’ll be there to capture the couple on their special day. 

No matter the occasion, couples are always going to need a photographer who knows how to capture those special moments, get the shots that will last a lifetime, and shoot those moments that are fun and that couples can look fondly back on for years to come.  

6. Candid event photography

Some couples really like to do certain activities together. Let’s imagine that you’re working with a couple who really loves to do mud runs. There’s no reason why you can’t go with them to get candid shots of them doing their favourite thing together. While there may be a little more work involved as you work with event coordinators, you should be able to get all the best shots of them working together and sharing silly moments. 

Of course, this is just one example. You could always work with couples who have non-official-event-based activities, whether they’re a little more wild, like surfing, or something a bit tamer, like gardening together. No matter what it is they love doing, see if you can capture them having fun together without having to pose for it. 

7. Capturing those moments of true affection

As we discussed above, holding hands is a popular pose for couple photography. However, it’s by no means the only idea that you might wish to look further into. There are so many displays of affection that make for perfect couple shots today’s couples are sure to love. Just a few ideas include capturing a couple as they embrace (whether they’re standing up and against a beautiful naturally lit background or they’re sitting together or lying together somewhere), shooting them as they share a tender kiss, getting a photo where one of them is giving the other a peck on the forehead, and so on. Of course, it’s always best to ask the couple what’s most romantic for them.

Once they’ve given you a few ideas, you can then translate these special moments into equally memorable photographs. 

8. Costumed shoots

Most couples may only want to wear costumes on certain holidays. Halloween and Christmas are excellent examples. Getting dressed up on these days of the year and having some fun photo shoots can be a great way to celebrate your love for one another. But that doesn’t mean that costumes are restricted to just those holidays. If you’re working with a couple who likes getting dressed up, suggest a fun-themed shoot instead of something more traditional. Your shoot could be themed like the Wild West, be nautical, or end up being something else entirely. 

You might also run into couples who like cosplaying. Cosplaying is essentially donning the costumes of various characters in popular media. If this is the case, it will be very easy to shoot them as they have fun in their favourite costumes. This might not be an idea that all couples love, but it’s certainly one that you should keep on the back burner for when the right couples come to you for your services. 

9. Fun at home

Being a couple isn’t all about going on dates. Sometimes, it’s just about staying in and enjoying each other’s company. What better way to celebrate these moments through photography than to shoot couples in the comfort of their own home? The best part about these types of shoots is that you’re not limited to any one kind of activity. Some couples may want something fun and mundane like enjoying a quiet night on the couch together. Others might want photos of them in the middle of a family meal. Meanwhile, there might be some couples looking for boudoir photo ideas instead (check out our list of the best boudoir photographers in London for some inspiration).

Sure, you can definitely find a studio or a special location where you can shoot couples being in love. But if they want something laid-back yet intimate, why not capture their love for each other and their daily lives right inside their own homes? 

10. Dancing together

Is there anything more romantic than dancing? Dancing is about two people coming together and seeing how compatible they truly are. Of course, dancing comes in so many different forms that you’ll never run out of ideas on how to shoot couple photos with this type of theme. If you’re going for something more intimate, ballroom dancing is always a great place to start. If you want something simple, fun, and maybe silly, just have couples dance around their environment and snap pictures as you go. If you’re looking for something more eye-popping, another great idea is to have a couple dance in the club or somewhere else where the lighting and background are quite colourful. 

While you may take more traditional photos like couples ballroom dancing or dancing during a special occasion, it’s a great idea to keep your options open so that you can suggest some great couple photo shoot ideas to those who might need a bit of inspiration!

11. Being silly

Silliness is so much fun to capture as a photographer. When couples are silly, they’re relaxed and truly in the moment. This can help you capture some amazing shots that really display a couple’s love for each other. Of course, the level of silliness really depends on what the couple might want to do. If you want something cute and silly, a few ideas to help you get started include having the couple cook together and having them put whip cream or flour on each other’s noses, having them clean together and spray water at each other, or act playful and silly in some other manner while they’re engaged in basic everyday activities. Just make sure that you bring plenty of cleaning materials in case their favourite silly photo shoot ideas get out of hand!

12. Spending time in the rain

The rain is a unique setting. Rain can be peaceful, isolating, dramatic, and encompass so many more emotions. For couple photo shoots, rain can represent the intensity of their love for each other (and help you get some pretty amazing shots in the process). For the most part, couple photo shoots in the rain will include them embracing as it pours down on them. However, you might also wish to capture them as they hold hands under an umbrella, embrace under a canopy or in your outdoor photo studio, or even get them near a street light as the glow lights up both them and the rain. These are just a few ideas to get you started. 

13. Close-ups on the important things

Are couples always the main focus of photography? Not necessarily? In fact, one could argue that some of the most important elements of couples' photography don’t have to be the couple, but some of the key things that represent them. Let’s say, for example, that someone has enlisted your help to snap engagement pictures. You can always start by getting them together to capture some amazing photos of them together. However, you can also go a more creative route, One great example of this is taking a close-up photo of them holding hands so as to get a clear photo of their engagement rings. While making sure that you get couples showing affection for each other is important, taking close-up photos like these can make just as much of an impact and help them celebrate their love for each other as well. 

14. Taking a drive

The open road is full of potential, and this is especially true when it comes to photography. A couple on the open road is enjoying every moment of the journey. As such, taking the time to photograph couples behind the wheel of the car and in the passenger seat can produce some great results. Sit in the backseat and take some candid photos of them as they hold hands and look at each other or their surroundings. If you come across some amazing attractions or areas along the way, don’t be afraid to hop out with them and take some photos that they can cherish for years to come. 

Whether you start in the morning and shoot into the afternoon or capture their love in the mystery of the night, shooting couples in the car is a bit more creative than some of the other ideas you might come across. 

15. Engaging in favourite shared activities

Now, this is going to be a bit different from candid event photography in that many couple activities will be much easier to shoot. Let’s imagine that a couple looking to work with you are voracious readers. You might wish to capture them reading together in their book nook so that they can get some stunning pictures of them enjoying their favourite pastime. Are they a couple that loves to play music? You can always capture them making music or even focus on intimate ideas like their hands intertwining on piano keys. When it comes to capturing them doing their favourite things, the only limit is your imagination. 

Shoot couples with Tutti

Now that you have plenty of couple photo shoot ideas to leverage with your clients, it’s time to gather your photo equipment and put these ideas to work! Don't forget to invest in a good photo editing software to touch up your photos in post production, and learn how to effectively market yourself as a photographer so that you can draw in clientele, and post to your photography website.

Tutti helps you connect with owners of studios and other spaces near you that you can use to pursue couples photography, engagement pictures, wedding pictures, and other major milestones in your clients’ lives. Ready to get the hassle-free experience you deserve so you can advance your photography career? Book your next photo shoot space with ease here with the support of Tutti!