Portrait or Couple Shoot? How to Find the Right Package for You

Short answer: if you're both genuinely up for stepping in front of the camera together, a couple shoot is the loveliest option. If only one of you feels like it, or your partner would rather avoid it, a solo portrait shoot is at least as good an alternative — and often the more relaxed one. Both paths lead to photos you'll be proud of, just in different ways.

"I'm just not photogenic" — the sentence I hear most

Almost everyone who books a portrait shoot tells me beforehand that photos of themselves really aren't their thing. And almost all of them write to me afterwards about how surprised they were by the results. The reason is simple: in a guided shoot you get direction on where to look, what to do with your hands, how to hold yourself — exactly what's missing from a casual snapshot, which is what makes those feel awkward.

Feeling "unphotogenic" usually has less to do with your actual face than with not being guided at the right moment. That's exactly the gap I fill during a shoot — with small cues that barely show in the photo but make all the difference.

When your partner isn't quite on board

This happens more often than you'd think: one person in a couple would love a shoot, the other finds the idea uncomfortable. Instead of dropping the idea entirely, a solo portrait shoot is the obvious solution — you don't have to talk anyone into it, and you still get photos that show who you really are.

Often something shifts later, too: once the hesitant partner sees the finished photos and realises how relaxed the whole thing actually was, the hurdle for a shoot together next time is usually a lot smaller.

What makes a couple shoot worth it

If you're both genuinely keen, a shoot together is a lovely way to spend an afternoon intentionally as a couple — almost like a date, except you get photos of it afterwards. Especially for a special occasion (an anniversary, a new home, or simply "we're happy right now"), it's a beautiful thing to have on the wall.

A couple shoot also captures more than how each of you looks individually — it shows how you actually are together: the small gestures, the glances, the things that make you the two of you. That's something a solo portrait simply can't capture.

How to decide

Ask yourselves honestly: would we both step in front of the camera relaxed, or is one of us only going along with it? If the answer is genuinely yes to the first: book a couple shoot. If not: no problem at all — a portrait shoot for whoever wants one is just as valid, and the other might come around on their own later.

And if you're still unsure: just message me briefly about your situation. From many similar conversations, I can usually tell fairly quickly which format would suit you.

There's no "wrong" package

One more thing that matters to me: there's no right or wrong here, only whatever fits your situation right now. Some couples book a portrait shoot one year and a couple shoot a few years later, depending on what's going on in their lives at the time. You don't have to commit to one format forever.

– Hannah