As we are starting to come out of restrictions, I’m seeing some photographers worrying about posing couples again. They feel rusty right now and that perhaps they have forgotten the techniques.
One photographer that has extraordinary skills when it comes to posing is Seán Bell. He is so great at getting his couples to be present and participate in the process and then he creates these tiny nuances that take their connection to a higher level. It’s incredible to watch him work and I’d say it’s more directing than posing them.
You can see it at work in this shot. The landscape is obviously a dominating factor here and many photographers would let it shine in a shot and keep it simple with the couple. Perhaps just get them to hug, kiss or walk. But Seán sits them down, which frames them with the river and then he has this dynamic where they are pulling into each other. Seán is a master with hands, so pay attention to them here. That hand on his knee is so warm but it’s his hand on her neck that speaks volumes. That micro caress of the thumb, it’s like visual poetry. There are layers to this image that make it a masterpiece. Let’s see what Seán had to say about this shot below.
WHAT Seán SAID…
“Jess and Isaac eloped to Scotland from New Zealand to marry on the shores of Loch Chon in the Trossachs national park. As It was bright and sunny day in May and their chosen ceremony time 2pm we decided to go find some woodland and shade for this part of the day. They had always planned to hike to the summit of Ben A’an but we thought this best to do at a later point in the afternoon/early evening so we would stand the best chance of some good and possibly ‘Golden Hour’ light, so after the ceremony and a short portrait session in the woods we (myself, my ace second shooter Justyna and top videographers Cinemate) headed back to their Air B+B for some lunch and chill time before hitting up the trail. The midges (small, infuriating, Scottish mosquito-like bitey things) were super bad so we had to keep moving or risk being eaten alive.
At the summit we met some random hillwalkers, one guy took a team shot of us and was invited to join in on some cake and Champagne so not a bad day out on the hill for him! After the cake-cut and a few drinks the light was improving by the second. The Loch here (Katrine) was made famous by Scottish writer Walter Scott and I always find this place to be a gentle, poetic, subtle area. Although it is definitely in the Scottish Highlands there is a less rugged vibe to the place than say Glencoe or Skye and I wanted to show that. The couple were so chilled to work with so I kept direction really loose, the moon was parked behind me at this point and the sun behind a veil of thin cloud was giving of some muted haze which was super nice so I didn’t push for anything other than a simple, subtle but carefully framed portrait of a couple, chatting together and holding close on their wedding day as the hour waltzed from Golden into Blue.”