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With Valentine’s Day coming up soon, one of the questions on everyone’s mind – besides the question of what to give our girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband – is how to take the perfect romantic couple’s photo.
Whether you’re wanting to share the love in a quick Instagram post, or create a portrait worthy of being hung on your wall, there are a few easy things you can do to up the romance factor in any picture of you and your sweetheart.
1. Before you do anything else, relax
There’s nothing romantic about tension or discomfort. Make sure that it stays out of your photos by ensuring that both of you are in a happy, relaxed mood and that you’re somewhere you feel comfortable.
It’s hard to hide anything from the camera, and you’ll be able to tell in your photos if you were upset or tense.
2. Opt for lower lighting
There’s a reason that upscale restaurants use candles instead of overhead lighting. Soft, low lights are more romantic – and more flattering.
When you’re going to take a romantic photo, set your lighting lower than you usually would. Candles work well for indoors, while the light of sunset or sunrise will work for outdoor photos. Backlighting is a good tactic to use, as it will cast your subjects in a flattering light.
3. Think of the photo (or photos) as a snapshot of your love story
There are plenty of conventional poses you and your sweetie can choose – arms around each other, a gentle kiss, walking hand-in-hand. These can all make for beautiful photographs, but they shouldn’t be the only ones you take.
These shots, nice as they are, don’t always capture a couple’s personality. So in addition to these standard images, try to get shots of you and your significant other doing something special together, laughing together, or just being your regular, everyday selves.
Location will be an important element in showcasing your personality here, too. Using a restaurant or park where you shared one of your first dates, a scenic outdoor location, or a place where you spend a lot of time – a coffee shop, a library, or a movie theater, for example – can make for some more unique, interesting shots.
4. Use props
Props can be cheesy, sure, but they can also add an element of fun and romance to your images.
And they don’t all have to be flowers and candy. Almost anything can become romantic if it’s incorporated into your photos well.
A shot of you both reading the same book can convey that you’re “on the same page.”
An image of you and your love about to dig into a meal together can show how at ease with each other you are – especially if it’s something not particularly dainty, like pizza or a cheesesteak.
Used wisely, props can add creativity and warmth to your couples’ photos.
5. Get creative with framing and positioning
You and your significant other don’t always have to be front and center. Romance can be conveyed in other ways, too.
For example, you could place a red rose in the foreground and focus the camera on that, while the two of you embrace in the background.
You could also choose something like a silhouetted image of you walking along a beach, heading out of the frame.
Letting something other than you two take center stage can add atmosphere and meaning to a photos.
Once you’ve captured that perfect couples’ photo, make sure you share it with your family and friends! Sending it to a loved one’s Nixplay WiFi Cloud Digital Frame is just one way you can share the love this Valentine’s Day.
Want more ideas for taking great couple’s photographs? Read our post “How to Take Great Couples’ Selfies.”
Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.
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