Taking pictures as a couple is such an amazing way to keep your memories forever, you’ll remember the whole day from just looking at one picture and that really is special. It can be difficult to take pictures of yourselves when you’re alone and don’t have anyone to give you tips and use the best angles, yet sometimes taking your own pictures can be the best thing as long as you know what to do.
Have you ever asked a stranger on holiday to take your picture and they only take 1 or they’re all blurry, aimed at the floor, and are the worst photos you’ve ever seen and you have to awkwardly smile and say thank you? Yeah, me too! Learning ways to take your own pictures makes such a difference, you will never have a reason that you can’t capture an amazing moment to keep forever.
1. Use a Tripod
The hardest part about taking your pictures by yourselves is that you have no one to hold the camera, this solves that problem.
You don’t need a super expensive tripod either, investing in a good tripod is a great option if you plan on traveling and using it a lot but if you’re just looking for a one trip wonder then opt for one of the cheaper options (Make sure to check the reviews!).
Set the tripod up on a flat surface wherever you are and once you've connected your camera or phone to it you’ll be able to set the frame for your picture. Make sure you give your photo a good amount of background space above and on the sides of you and your partner for a more aesthetic photo.
Here's a YouTube video to show you how to take your couple pictures with a Tripod on vacay!
2. Remote Shutter Release
Now This is a Game Changer.
A remote shutter release has made taking my couple and solo pictures so easy and stress free.
A remote shutter release is a wireless little remote that connects to your phone through bluetooth, you connect to it through your phone's bluetooth and then open your camera and any time you click the button on your remote it will take a picture! (Make sure to try and hide the remote in your hand or behind the other person though).
I take this everywhere with me, even when i don't have a tripod i prop my phone up somewhere and this is always in my handbag for me to connect and take some quick pics.
The best part is you don’t have to keep running back to press your phone and then run back for your 10 second timer, the stress of only having a few seconds to pose once you've gotten back and fix your hair etc makes every picture the worst or at most bang average. If you take anything from this article it should be to get one of these, trust me.
This is the one I have from amazon and it's only $5!
3. Natural Lighting
The Best Lighting is Always Natural Lighting.
Try and take your photos in a bright open space with the best lighting you can see so that you don't get unwanted shadows and bad lighting on your skin. The lighting of a photo will affect the quality and overall mood of the image, try getting your moody romantic looking photos during golden hour, one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset. Try and get your clear and adventurous photos while the sun is shining and there are no big shadows or dim lighting around. This will make sure you have the best looking pictures possible and it will get you the best picture of your location.
4. Photography Inspiration
Try getting inspiration for different couples poses, angles and different looks photos have from Instagram, Pinterest and Google. Search lots of different couples photo ideas to get some inspiration for your photoshoots, this can be a really great way to feel more comfortable in front of the camera and look less stiff in your photos as when you're copying a pose it feels a lot easier than thinking of one yourself.
I always search the location I'm at on Instagram to get some inspiration as I'm a very visual person so seeing the exact background I’m taking pictures in front of in other peoples pictures helps me see what poses I like and which angles I think would suit the location best. Or I'll just type in the Instagram search ‘Couples Holiday’ and scroll through to get inspo.
5. Act Natural
Now I know that is way easier to say than to do, taking pictures in public can be super intimidating and I feel that too every time I take them. Taking pictures in public can make you freeze up and start to stress about: if you look natural, if you look like you’re having fun, Why do you look so stiff?
Just try to have fun with it. Once you’ve picked your spot and set everything up, step back with your partner, move around, talk in between photos, laugh, kiss, anything that makes you more comfortable, do it! You will see the difference in your photos once you both try to relax and act natural.
6. Get The Focus Right
It is really hard to get a great photo without the right Focus, research which focus setting is best for your phone/camera. Look into the type of focus settings to use for moving around during the photo taking, this will make sure that the camera is constantly re focusing to your new positions and the photos will always be clear.
You want to avoid taking lots of pictures to then go through them and the best ones are blurry. Having the right focus setting will make taking natural photos way easier.
7. Don't Worry About Anyone Else
Taking photos in public can be intimidating but it is a lot easier with your partner than doing it alone. Try and forget that there are other people around and pretend it’s just the two of you, go into your own little bubble and soon enough you’ll forget there are people that may be looking at you.
I know that it's uncomfortable when strangers are looking at you when you’re taking pictures of yourselves, but who cares! You will never see those people again, just keep remembering that they’ve all probably just finished taking their own photos and are just looking because they’re nosy.
Don’t be discouraged by strangers being around, if you want your photo then you get your photo. Having your partner by your side will make forgetting about all those worries a lot easier, trust me just give it a go.
8. Angles, Angles, Angles
Angles Are Everything!
The lighting and background could be perfect but if your angle is bad then the photo will be bad, or you will both look bad in a beautifully lit and lovely location. Know the angles that suit you and your scene best, practice is a great way to find out your best angles. You and your partner can do a mini shoot at home or in public if you want, move to different sides for each photo, angle the camera higher, angle it lower, raise the height of your tripod and repeat, lower the height etc.
In general you want your camera to be on your level either straight on or slightly tilted down, or you want your tripod higher and tilted slightly to get the most flattering angles of you both!
The most common angle to use is, more or less waist height and you are in the middle of the shot, this ensures no distortion to the photo as you don’t have to tilt the camera at all.
9. Dress For The Occasion
The Outfits do Make a Difference
Even though your pics are meant to showcase the vacation and your partner, it’s a nice idea to dress up for your pictures or try and take pictures together when you love your outfits. You don’t want to look back at your pictures from your favorite vacay and all you see is that neon yellow top that you hate now or those jeans that aren't your best bum jeans!
Try coordinating your outfits, nothing crazy and don’t match just coordinate! Try similar tones, both wearing earthy tones or each wearing a linen piece. This can create a nice vibe for the photo and create a perfectly fit together photo instead of one person sticking out due to a crazy patterned t-shirt or two completely different styles next to each other clashing.
10. Editing
Editing your photos to make the lighting better or make them darker when they’re just a bit too bright is a great idea. Try using Apps like Lightroom, Colourtone, Afterlight, VSCO and more for editing the lighting and putting filters on your pics to enhance them!
If you need to edit your pictures to remove unwanted things in your pic like people walking past, garbage on the floor or unaesthetic things in general then try Facetune, TouchRetouch, Snapseed, PhotoDirector etc. This will take away those unwanted objects and make your pictures look cleaner and more pretty.
11. Have Fun!
Just Have Fun Taking Pictures With Your Partner.
Remember what it's all about, you’re capturing your memories so you can look back and remember how much fun you were having and how in love you are. It’s a fun activity to take pictures together, you can try fun silly poses, romantic kissing and hugging poses, joking and laughing photos and so on.
Enjoy your time together and have fun capturing those special moments that you can now keep and look at whenever you want.
It’s such an enjoyable experience to take pictures of your adventures and of your partner, in a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Diehl and her colleagues found that in almost every case in the experiment, people who took photographs during an experience reported higher levels of enjoyment than those who didn't take any pictures.
This study shows how taking pictures of experiences can give you higher levels of enjoyment as you have captured the moment and can share it as well as keep it forever.
About the Author
Tegan Confield is a Content Coordinator for the Couply app. Couply was created to help couples improve their relationships. Couply has over 300,000 words of relationship quizzes, questions, couples games and date ideas and helps over 400,000 people.
Tegan Confield is also a Psychology Student, and studying at the University of Stirling.
You can connect with Tegan Confield on LinkedIn here and on Instagram here.
