Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate love in all its forms, whether it’s love between two partners, or love between a parent and child. A photoshoot has the power to document and commemorate love as it is in this moment. Whether you want to treat your Valentine’s Day photoshoot like an art project for your own enjoyment or you’re creating a themed shoot for clients, here are some ideas to create something unique.
Consider the Light and Location
You don’t have to have a studio space to create a beautiful environment for your Valentine’s Day photoshoot. Light is the most important factor for compelling photographs. If you’ll be using natural light, you will want to look for a room with big enough windows. In a pinch, you can turn an open garage or backyard into a mock studio with a few C-stands and a roll of seamless paper. Because of weather, indoor locations will likely be most conducive to a Valentine’s Day shoot. Although, try to make the most of what you have. I prefer south facing windows as they get bright light all day. Also, I love bright indoor backlight to lend a romantic glow to the images. Decide for yourself what kind of light will lend the desired mood.
Find Creative Ways to Incorporate Red and Pink
In the photoshoot above, we made a dynamic backdrop by including rolls of both red and pink paper. Using color in your shoot from floor to ceiling will create the biggest visual impact — opt for these colors in bigger doses rather than smaller details. Need more ideas for including red and pink in your Valentine’s Day shoot? Try red and pink clothing, makeup, accessories (like jewelry and shoes), furniture and bedding, or even a rug hung as a backdrop.
Try a Unique Flower Arrangement
What’s more romantic than flowers? Make it Wes Anderson as Miesh Clothing and I did in this photo shoot by placing faux flowers around a vintage frame. We then hung it with fishing wire from the ceiling and dressed our subjects in vintage clothing. Add a floral headdress and some loose flowers for extra impact. Experiment with various compositions by getting in closer to the hanging frame so the flowers fill the edge of the image and frame your subjects, or pulling back for a more fantastical feel.
Include the Kids
Valentine’s Day is traditionally centered around romantic love between partners. Although, family can be romantic in its own way. It deserves just as much attention on a holiday devoted to love. Family life with kids is full of messes, unexpected tantrums, and little ones who don’t always want to listen. Although, it’s also laced with spontaneous kisses, small kids clinging to a parent’s leg for comfort, and scribbled crayon love notes. Shine a light on small moments and details like these and you’ll create images that will bring the feeling of love to life long after the holiday is over.
Nothing can compete with the imagination and vitality children bring to a photoshoot. Bring them into the frame to show off a beautifully messy drawing, attack dad with a hug around the neck, or to start a tickle fight. If you still aren’t convinced, check out this article about how family photoshoots aren’t just about the kids.
Treat Your Photo Shoot Like a Set
When you’ve made a creative background, kids will be able to be themselves and utilize the set to give you more compelling images. When they see mom sitting on a chair, for example, they’ll likely want to crawl into her lap. If kids will be involved in your Valentine’s Day photoshoot, consider the materials they will be drawn to. Are there attractive toys you could include or curtains they’ll want to hide behind? Consider adding levels and layers with furniture like chairs, tables, or a bed. Whether you’ll be doing your shoot in a studio or in a home, orchestrate the environment — from floor to ceiling — to your advantage and kids will be delighted by the wonder-filled world you’ve created.
Observe Subtleties
Once you’ve orchestrated the environment, instead of posing the shoot from start to finish, spend time observing your subjects. Turn on some music and invite them to move and interact as if you’re not there. I tell my subjects that the only rule is to keep it moving — even little movements count. They’ll likely feel awkward at first. Although, after a few minutes, the masks will dissolve and their real selves will shine through in their subtleties.
How do they interact? How do they touch each other? The nuances of a graze of the arm or the exact way they interlace their fingers while holding hands speak volumes. As you observe, you might make all the photos you want without directing your subjects at all, or you might get ideas for new poses or small tweaks.
Photographers often rely on their subjects to “give” them what they’re looking for in a photograph. But when you believe it’s your job as the photographer to provide an environment where subjects can reveal themselves, you can curate the details to tell a compelling visual story about love in all settings — between two partners, a mother and baby, or a big family.
Creating a Valentine’s Day photoshoot can be a powerful way to express your creativity and give your subjects a representation of what their love looks like. Because photography is a selective story, be awake to the stories you tell and use your Valentine’s Day photoshoot to celebrate the subtleties of love.
For more ideas, check out how Lindsay Adler used color gels for her playful Valentine’s Day photoshoot:
