Okay so it’s no secret here that I love awkwardness. Don’t ask me why – I couldn’t tell you. It likely has something to do with the authentic nature of awkwardness. It just reminds me that we are alive and maybe we shouldn’t take life so seriously. Also “awkward” often translates to giddy, joyful, and fun in photos. We found this by a happy accident in taking photos of our own love story.

Every session starts off a little bumpy, which is to be expected because most of us don’t love a camera pointed at our faces. What happens when you push through that awkwardness though….now that is pure MAGIC. We are suckers for romance and with any romantic relationship there’s going to be some sensuality and passion, but mostly it’s going to be hanging out with your best friend, giggling, and enjoying life together. I’m a firm believer that as long as love exists in your relationship, we will capture it in images.

And you want to know what else – it will look fantastic! Why???

BECAUSE LOVE LOOKS GOOD ON EVERYONE!

So no matter how awkward or uncomfortable you are, if you can be authentic and connect with your partner you’re going to get amazing photos. It helps when you have someone to coach you through it so here are my top 5 tips for capturing love in a photograph.

1. Focus on being candid with your partner

Most of the time the best photos are the ones people least expect. They are the ones that really look and feel like YOU – that’s because you’re being real and candid. They are not overly posed – they are pictures of you doing what you would normally do to show each other affection. Is there a certain way you hug your partner when they are washing dishes and you come up behind them? Do that in a photo session and it’ll feel as comfortable as you are when you’re at home. Is there something you two always giggle about no matter the situation – talk about it during your session there’s bound to be smiles. Its hard not to get frustrated when you see a pose online and it doesn’t exactly work for you – but remember that those photos are likely curated. Your authentic connection will look just as magical

2. Connect with your partner and not the camera/photographer

Yes there will another person there, which is awkward. Yes there is a camera pointed at your faces, also awkward. But if you can breathe through that and focus on your partner then your images will reflect that. There’s a distinct moment when awkwardly looking into each other’s eye turns into a spark (even if it’s brief). The moment you forget about it being an awkward session and let yourself connect is the moment you will start capturing that true magic.

3. Don’t worry about people watching

Whether you’re doing it yourself or having photos taken of you in a public place, there will inevitably be wandering eyes. Most likely people are looking at you because you are laughing and having a good time. Its like a romantic comedy – you just can’t look away. These people are likely in their own heads with a million other thoughts running through their mind and the brief moment their eyes catch yours are fleeting memories while they carry on doing whatever is is they were there to do. You likely don’t know that person and you’ll never see them again. The less you worry about your surroundings and focus more on your partner, the more that will reflect in your photos.

** Quick side note: your photographer should never ask you to do something you feel extremely uncomfortable with, especially in public. It’s okay to tell them that’s NOT the vibe**

4. Understand that not every photo from your session will be spectacular

Whether you’re taking your own photos with a tripod or getting photos taken by a photographer – be okay with the fact that not every photo is going to look good. Not every pose is going to be flattering for you or your body. Not every face you make is going to be one that you love. That’s okay! The photos you see online, even the ones posted on our website, are the best of the best from our sessions. Every time we take photos of ourselves, we weed through several hundred and maybe settle on 15-20 images that we absolutely love. It’s okay to delete the ones that don’t make you feel great and focus on the ones that do.

5. Be present with your partner

I think this may be the most important rule. I know there’s a lot of pressure and things going on around you. There’s probably a list of a hundred things that you need to be doing at home or for work. But if you could just take an hour to be truly present with your partner, it will show in your photos. If you have a hard time being in the moment try thinking about the way the breeze feels on your skin, the way their hair or shirt smells, the sound of the birds singing or the cars wizzing by. We cannot experience any other time in the current moment. We cannot change the past, we cannot control the future, we can just be here together for now. Maybe even give this a try when you’re not taking photos, but just in every day life. Make a habit of taking a few moments to be present with your partner and see how much your life changes.

I hope you were able to get something helpful from this post. It was the very process of capturing our own love story that turned this business into a reality. I used all photos from our own journey to show you that even two clumsy, wobbly folks can take beautiful photos. What’s great about these images has nothing to do with us or how we look- and everything to do with the feelings they evoke. This is what love looks like in photographs.

Cirrus Gold Creative Company is a wedding photography business based in Columbus Georgia and Phenix City Alabama area. We also do couples, engagements, business branding, and some family portraits. We are about to launch an entire drone video service so stay tuned for more information!