Photographing Couples

Couple photography is a theme which has been used by greeting card publishers for many years.

Their images have also been adapted to many calendar themes, posters and many magazines articles which have been written with them in mind.

Do you know what constitutes a couple as defined by most major articles of definition and most people?

"Usage Note: When used to refer to two people who function socially as a unit, as in a married couple, the word couple may take either a singular or a plural verb, depending on whether the members are considered individually or collectively:" http://www.thefreedictionary.com/couple

Couples are also one of the best selling themes sought after by most major photographic stock houses. If you are going to undertake this project keep in mind that there are many variations to the theme and depending on your approach so will it will determine what you can do with the images afterwards.

Another point to remember is that when we talk about couples we usually think of adults, usually a man and a woman. But there are many approaches that can be included in the theme such as kids, same sex couples, romantic scenes, erotic scenes, friendly scenes and casual encounters and don't forget those found in the animal kingdom.

Regardless of which approach you choose to form the basis of the project, you must keep your audience in mind and also consider the needs of any potential clients for the images.

This is a theme which has been covered photographically since the invention of the modern camera and your images must be top notch and special in some way or another if they are to catch the eye of an audience and awaken the interest of a possible editor.

It is not wise to do such a project with very different approaches at the same time, however including similar thematic scenes may work if they are complementary to each other.

For example images of romantic couples go well with images of couples embracing as in a tender moment but photographs of heterosexual couples do not go well together with images of same sex couples unless of course the images are to be used in an article or similar endeavor which compares or contrast lifestyles, relationships and so on.

Everything is very dependent on the applications for your images and the character of their use as well as the intended audience of such photographs.

By the same token images of kid's ouples do not go well with images of adults; one is tender while the other may be something else.

But with that said carefully considering all aspects and possible outcomes may open the door for other alternatives which can combine different perspectives all in one preservation.

The beauty of couple photography is that it works very well when done in color as when done in black and white.

This theme is quite adaptable when using it for events and weddings are prime examples that lend themselves very well to the theme.

Keep in mind that not all of your photographs need to show the couple in their entirety.

A good approach is to sometimes show sufficient detail to let your audience know that the images is that of a couple.

Of importance is to always get the consent of those being photographed and be upfront with your intentions like what will the images be used for and so on unless you are using professional models or volunteers who are fully aware that their photographs may be published thus becoming public.

But even when using models and volunteers you will still need a model's release for those involved as this is customarily expected by all professional publications and their editors.

Some technical tips include using a photographic softening filter to smooth out the edges and hide any rough elements within the scene, especially discolorations or blemishes in the skin.

This works very well for romantic images and even for the more sensual ones too.

Also useful is to enlist the aid of a good digital editing software program to smooth out fix or alter anything not to your liking which may not been noticed during the initial shoot.

Silhouettes lends themselves well too when used with this approach as often the notion or semblance of a couple in an embrace is enough.

Although this particular theme is geared towards recording images during the best photographic times like dusk and dawn or under overcast skies, other approaches could focus on different situations and the state of the relationship much like a study of emotions.