Regardless of how long you plan to take photos for
Always Prep for Your Photoshoot
It's better to at least have an idea of what you want to accomplish for a quick couples shoot; even if it's just a few pics you found on Pinterest that you want to recreate. Consider the location you'd like to take photos at and at what time of day it's least crowded, outfits (casual, relaxed or dressy/fancy), weather conditions, etc. All of these are crucial for a successful photoshoot!
Consider the Weather Conditions
This is super important!
Check several days in advance, the day before, as well as the morning of! If the weather changes, you can either work around it, or embrace it (if you're not afraid of a little rain hehe).
Try to plan your oufits according to the weather/time of year! The last thing anyone wants is to sweat in the middle of a July heatwave!
Find Inspiration Online
MAKE IT FUN!
Consider your partner's comfort level, when looking for posing ideas. My husband gets too much in his head, when we try more tradition poses. We enjoy more relaxed, fun ideas like him chasing and catching me, lifting me in the air, or telling each other jokes to get a real smile out of the other person. This also gives you the opportunity to capture how you truly are around each other.
Keep It Short & Sweet
Don't Spend too long taking photos
It can become very tedious for the other person to wait around in front of a camera and take tons of photos. I've noticed that the longer Dalton is in front of the camera, regardless of how much fun he's having, he tends to get uncomfortable. So, I don't usually take photos longer than 30 minutes.
If you're at an amazing location full of photo ops, try having stuff to do in between photos to keep things light & fun (i.e. at a botanical garden, bring a picnic blanket to just lay down & relax for a bit)
MOOD BOARDS
This is probably my favorite part of planning a photoshoot! Mood boards are a great way to organize all of your ideas into one place. What kind of mood do you want to create in your shoot? What poses do you absolutely love and want to attempt? Is there a specific location you'd like to find? Like a parking garage, a mountain/beach view, a park? What attire would fit the mood and location for this couples session?
When I'm using my laptop to create a Mood Board, I like to use Adobe's XD Software. You can add photos as well as text boxes to the collage. For when I'm trying to create a quick collage on my phone for a shoot, I use an app called PicCollage.
{All of the photos in this example Mood Board were taken off Pinterest for a previous shoot as inspiration; they were not taken by me}
Don't Worry Too Much About the Results!
Patience
From my personal experience, the more you're worrying about how the photos are turning out, the more it shows in your photos how stressed out you are during the photoshoot. Just focus on enjoying yourselves! If it feels like you're not getting a particular pose right and it's starting to upset you, just move on from it! You could always come back to it later on, if you really want to nail that shot, or you can save it for another time.
After Your Photoshoot
Do something fun afterwards!
If your partner really hates taking photos, it helps to plan something afterwards that they'll enjoy. Whether that's going out to lunch, grabbing some coffee, going to their favorite store, or maybe something more active like going for a short hike at a park nearby.
