Being in front of the lens can be daunting. Photographers talk Nicole Conner through their unusual tricks to get the most relaxed images of couples on their wedding
Thistle and Stone Photography
“To get this shot of Lydia and Ewan, I told them to hold hands, look at each other and then give me their best ‘Pamela Anderson from Baywatch’ run. The bouncier the better! It always gets great giggles and awesome dynamic shots,” suggests photographer Sarah.
For Love and Thistle Photography (below left)
“My tip for getting couples to relax is asking them to whisper what they had for breakfast in their sexiest voices! It immediately makes them laugh, they can be themselves, and I can capture those really natural shots,” photographer Holly notes. “It’s also great because it can be used at any point where I need to distract a couple from what’s going on around them. I used this trick to achieve Louisa and Jamie’s photo at the entrance of the Kibble Palace in Glasgow. We had a fully packed audience stood behind the camera, so it definitely wasn’t the most comfortable of situations to be in, but the couple handled it like pros and were totally lost in each other.”
Faodail Photography (above right)
“One of my favourite little tricks that will always get the best photo is ‘kiss with your teeth’. It’s very strange, but you’ll always get the most amazing outcome, like this image of Lauren and Declan at Dalduff Farm,” photographer Rebecca reveals.
Gail Photography (below left)
“I asked Emma and Struan to say something nice to each other, hoping to get a relaxed, smiling shot, but they both called each other a bad name and burst out laughing. It was one of my favourite pictures from their day at The Cow Shed Crail and it just captured their personalities perfectly,” said Gail.
Jason Kenneway Photography (above right)
“No couple wants to spend all their time with the photographer when there’s fun things to do! I like to hunt down the smokers or stragglers that you find wandering about and employ them to be photographic guinea pigs! Ten minutes before this lovely shot, I took a picture of two middle-aged men hugging in a doorway as I dialled in my setup and settings. It meant that when I grabbed the couple, everything was already in place and we took the shot quickly, allowing them to get back to the celebrations,” he said.
Together Tomorrow
“Nicola and Sian’s wedding at Falside Mill was stunning. During the couple’s photoshoot, Nicola held her bouquet while Sian held a horn filled with beer. To make things more amusing, I asked the couple to switch things up and pose with each other’s items. The resulting photos were hilarious and the couple became more chilled,” notes photographer Kinga.
Andy Hamilton Photography
“To get the best photos that you can out of the bridal party, one thing that I always do with the guys is get them to hold hands and skip. These always make for great, fun images and it’s something a bit different and unexpected on your wedding day and well – who doesn’t love skipping?” laughs Andy. “It especially works when the guys are wearing kilts, like Benjamin and his groomsmen at Edinburgh Zoo, but definitely works in suits too.”
Rachel Spence Photography
“This nighttime shot at Fiona and Bruce’s wedding at Pratis Barns was a brainchild of mine. I spotted this red wall-climbing plant earlier in the day and purposely parked my car in front of it so I would be able to use it later,” said Rachel. “I reversed a bit, whacked on my headlamps full beam and asked the couple to stand there. The situation may have looked absolutely mad (Fiona and Bruce certainly thought it was hilarious, as I was sitting on my bonnet taking the photo). The image turned out really well though!”
Dougi McMillan Photography
“During couple shoots, I suggest one or two funny lines to make them laugh and get a different reaction, these include the classic ‘whisper something dirty or sexy in your partner’s ear’. This bride, Sue, decided to take things into her own hands, literally, which caused a surprised reaction from her new husband Kevin. It was such a funny moment.”
Biggar Picture Photography
“The sunset at Cornhill Castle was gorgeous on Janet and Terry’s big day, so I convinced them to head back out to get a few more photos,” Allan said. “To make it different from the rest of the shots and to keep them from flagging, I introduced a wee game where they had to keep their hands on each other’s hips and take it in turn to try and kiss the other whilst they tried to escape their attempts. I have used this trick loads, but they were so competitive and such a good laugh with it, they definitely got the best from it.”
Lynsey Melville Photography
“I love to see my couples just having fun – my favourite images are of my couples just being a bit daft! This is one of Nicola and Richy outside the stunning McManus Art Gallery in Dundee spinning around and having a giggle at themselves! So, spinning is my tip to get some relaxed and fun images – although those ‘true Scots’ in kilts can often lead to some interesting (non-publicly shareable) shots,” laughs Lynsey.
Viola Front Photography
“As a photographer, I always look for different perspectives to capture couples from, and on this occasion I climbed some slippery rocks to get the shot from above. Once I was there I shouted from the top, “now you can propose again!” I always knew this was going to be a highly stylised image and it turned out well,” says Viola.
NC Photography
“The prompt for this image was for newlyweds Amanda and James to run towards me and to ‘hip bump’ one another,” says Nicola. “This caused much hilarity, as the groom kept forgetting the strength of his hip bump and consequently nearly knocking his new wife on her behind. They both laughed lots during this, as did I.”
Edge Photography
“While we were preparing for some posed couple shots, Coral, the bride, spotted a recently shed snake skin on the ground,” photographer Ewan tells us. “It’s not everyday you see one of these in the wild, especially on such a special day for the married couple, so she insisted we grab a shot of it. I like to think of it as a symbol of the couple starting their new chapter together, and it made things more relaxed.”
SCA Photography
“I had my camera sitting on the wooden railing of the ship as we were sailing through the Caribbean and I asked the couple to look at each other. Previously, they weren’t able to keep a straight face and burst out laughing. But this time, they just smiled at one another so lovingly. It’s one of my favourite photos,” said SCA’s Shannon.
