Whether it’s an engagement session with your wedding photography package, or you’ve booked a romantic couple photo session to celebrate an anniversary, here are some photo session ideas for couples to help you maximise the best from your shoot.

Get the Best Light

This is probably the first bit to consider – when do you want your couple photo session? During the summer, most people automatically opt for the middle of the day, when the sun is at its brightest. It makes sense, but it’s not actually the best time of day for photographs. Getting good light isn’t about how strong it is, but how soft it is. Strong direct light tends to make people squint a lot more, and it casts a lot of shadows. The best time of day is the fabled golden hour – usually, a few of hours before sunset when the sun is at its lowest, the light is softer and more flattering. It smoothes out the skin, there’s a warmth to it that flatters skin tones, and you’ll avoid squinting. It usually results in lovely skyscapes behind you too.

The other benefit of evenings is that a lot of locations are generally quieter. That means no waiting for other people to walk past. It’s also great if you feel a bit awkward about P.D.A. with an audience. You may also find that visiting locations outside peak hours results in easier parking.

Dress For A Date

I often have couples ask me what they should wear to their couple photos session in Scotland. I prefer not to be overly prescriptive, but some simple ideas I would suggest:

• Avoid logos or branding – it dates the images instantly, as logos drift in and out of fashion. It also diverts attention away from everything else and straight onto the logo.
• Find a similar palette – If you’re coming together it makes sense to dress in colours that work well together, so look out for things that you both like. Mix colours and shades and try and avoid dressing in a single colour, eg. black.
• Dress for a date – depending on what you’re doing together for your couple photo session, dressing in clothes that you feel good in will make a massive difference! So dig out those jeans you love, put on those boots that make you walk a little taller, pop on your favourite hat or scarf. How you feel inside will translate quickly into how you appear on the outside.

But also dress for the weather!

I’m also a big advocate of dressing appropriately for the weather and location. If you’re going somewhere that’s likely to be muddy or damp underfoot, then it’s fine to wear wellies or trail boots. There’s a Norwegian saying, “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes”. As much as most of us want early spring to be similar in temperature to late spring, when it’s cold, wrap up warm! If you feel uncomfortable because your feet are wet or you’re cold, it will show in your the photographs. Wrap up with mittens and hats, cosy jackets, and winter boots to add a bit of “baby it’s cold outside” snuggles. Winter couple photo sessions in Scotland really look beautiful and stand out. Thermals are great for layering up too. Trust me, once you’ve gone to the thermal vest side in winter, you never want to go back!

Find the Location

Local parks are often a popular destination for a couple photo session in Scotland. But if you’re looking for something slightly different, there are lots of exciting and interesting places you can explore. For example, how about a forest by a loch? Maybe a waterfall? A quiet secluded beach? a picturesque coastal town? A hillside with stunning scenery? These are some of the gorgeous locations all within an hour of Glasgow that I’ve visited before, and can happily recommend some great locations for couple photography sessions near me if you’re interested.

Get in touch if you’d like some more ideas for couple photo sessions! I’ve got a couple of hidden gems up my sleeve too!

Photo locations featured for Couple Photo Sessions

Dukes Pass, near Aberfoyle
Luss
Bellahouston Park, Glasgow

Thinking of having a couple session? I do these either as part of one of my wedding photography packages, or as a stand alone package if you want to celebrate where your relationship is at right now.

You can find out more about my alternative wedding photography approach. To arrange a chat and find out my availability get in touch. Can’t wait to hear from you!