48 Natural Couple Poses for Weddings, Instagram, Selfies & More

One of the most difficult parts of portrait photography – especially couple portrait photography – is the posing.

In our parents’ day, more traditional poses were the order of the hour.

These days, however, many photographers and couples are looking for a more natural look. 

In this article, we’ll cover how to put couples at ease, direct them in a way that creates natural-looking poses, and gets you well on your way to making your couples photography the best it can be.

(See also our guides to female poses, male poses and selfie poses.)

What are some Couple Poses for Pictures?

Immortalising the best moments spent with your partner is one of the best things about photography.

Here are some couple poses ideas for some amazing portraits and selfies. 

Romantic Couple Poses

A classic pose for a romantic couple photoshoot is to face each other.

Then, one of the partners places their hands on the other one’s cheeks.

This way, they hold their face and gets close as if they were going to kiss. 

An umbrella is a cute prop for a couple photoshoot. One of the many poses you can do with it is to kiss under an open umbrella. 

Some photographers will use a see-through umbrella, or even backlight it with a flash at nighttime for a really dynamic photo (especially as the rain droplets will be lit up).

One of the most popular couple photography poses is to hold your partner’s back and waist, then help her dip while lifting a leg.

This pose gives a fantastic Hollywood vibe and works even better if there’s a breeze in the air – see the photo above for an example.

Alternatively, ask an assistant to throw the bottom of the girl’s dress, then step out of frame.

• In bed, facing each other

A very intimate and romantic pose is to lay in bed facing each other.

One of you puts the hand on the other’s neck or cheek. The other place the hand on the waist or hip. 

You may recall the famous photo of John Lennon with Yoko Ono that was similar to this.

An easy pose you can try for a romantic shot is to exchange gifts – for example, giving her flowers.

When the present is a ring, it can become a popular engagement shoot pose.

Nothing says romance like a beautiful sunset. One of the natural couple poses you can try in this setting is to hold hands and walk looking at each other.

Simple Couple Poses

If you’re looking for cute couple poses that are easy to do and fit every situation, this is one of them.

Sit down on a chair or a bench, and have your partner sit on your lap.

The one sitting on top can pass the arm on the other’s shoulder. This shows more connection, and it gives you more stability.

Then, you can be looking toward the camera or facing each other, doing a nose kiss (aka ‘Eskimo kiss’). 

Forehead kisses make for a cute and romantic couple pose. You can be sitting down or standing – it works both ways.

This pose works for great shots during engagement and wedding sessions too.  

This is a couples pose that you can do standing up, sitting on a couch, or on the ground.

Whichever you choose, one partner should hug the other one’s arm and lean their head on the shoulder.

The other partner can give them a forehead kiss for a more affectionate variation. 

One pose that never fails in couples photography is to lie down with one partner on top of the other. 

This will usually bring out some laughter, which can add to the mood of the scene and make your photos look more natural and candid.

• Holding hands with arms extended

A simple pose for a couple is to stand in front of the camera holding hands. This is a must-have for a couples photoshoot.

If you want more visual interest, ask the couple to stand apart, extending their arms. Then, change the angle of view (try a worm’s eye view like the one above), or use a wide-angle lens.

Couple Poses at Home

When you have a couple photoshoot at home, the window is a great setting.

One of you sits on the window sill, and the other leans on top.

Both of you look out the window admiring the view.

The bathtub is a great place to try different poses. Start by lying together in the tub. The person on the bottom hugs the one on top.

This is a simple pose that can have many variations, or you can include some props. It can also be a nice one to try when taking some DIY boudoir photos.

Note that in the image above, you can still wear a swimsuit to cover your modesty or even add lots of bubbles to the bath for effect too.

When you hold your session at home, many photoshoot ideas happen around the kitchen. For example, for the two of you cooking together.

This activity will lead to many spontaneous moments instead of doing stiff couple poses.

• On the couch hugging – kiss on the head

You can do many cute pictures if you interact naturally on the couch. For example, one of you puts the arm over the partner’s shoulder.

This person will then lean into your chest, and you can give them a kiss on the head or forehead.

• Intimate couple portraits

One of the good things about having a couple photoshoot at home is that you can shoot more intimate couple poses.

You can be undressing each other, for example. In the photo above, the girl is facing away from the camera, which adds another layer of intrigue to the image.

Couple Poses for Instagram

• In front of a famous landmark

Find an Instagram-worthy background on a romantic destination. Stand in front of it, holding hands and looking into each other’s eyes. 

These are cute couple poses you can try when traveling, where you’re likely to come across famous landmarks or sights.

As an added tip, get up early so you can catch sunrise, as well as beat the crowds to the popular spots.

A fun pose to post on your Instagram feed is for you to do a hand heart.

Simply stand next to each other, facing in the same direction. Hug your partner with one hand, and extend the other one to form a heart with your hands in the air.

See our article here for some more hand poses.

A very romantic couple’s pose for your Instagram is to carry your partner in your arms.

For a more intimate portrait, you can put your foreheads together, or you can kiss.

If you want to turn it into a funny couple pose, why not try lifting the bigger partner?! This will always result in fits of giggles.

Stand in front of each other, holding hands. Then, both of you lean back without letting go.

This is a casual couples pose that looks great as a silhouette like in the example photo above.

Just make sure the background is bright and set the exposure to those values, or put your camera on one of the Auto modes.

This way, you’ll remain dark, while the camera will expose for the background of the shot.

Find a house, store, or hotel with an Instagrammable facade and pop your head out the window.

You can be looking at each other or holding hands if the windows are close together. 

Looking into the distance (rather than at the camera), is also a nice touch for a more natural couple pose.

Wedding Couple Poses

A beautiful and scenographic pose for a wedding photoshoot is for you to kiss under the bride’s veil.

This is also a very good pose to shoot some close-ups – even if you misfocus on the veil and the couples’ heads are blurred, it can look really great, stylistically.

A cute couple pose on a wedding photo shoot is for the husband and wife to kiss under a tunnel created by the wedding party or the guests holding sparkles or ribbons. 

Be sure to set your ISO up as high as it can go, in order to capture all the light from the scene.

Sometimes a high ISO will result in a lot of image noise or murky colours, but switching the image to black and white, like the example photo above can still look great.

One of the most romantic pose ideas for a husband and bride is the whisper.

One of you should get close to the other person’s ear and whisper how much you love them.

The photo will capture the natural reactions of them hearing your love declaration. 

• Showing the wedding rings

One of the most classic posing ideas at a wedding is to showcase the rings. That’s because they symbolize your union.

A good pose to do this is to face each other and extend your hands toward the camera.

You can also do some close-up shots, or for a wide shot, blur the background to keep the focus on the hands.

Another pose for a wedding photo shoot is to stand sideways to the camera and hold hands. Then, turn and look at the camera.

This is perfect for brides with long trail wedding dresses and veils. 

See some natural wedding poses here.

Power Couple Poses

You can get inspiration from one of the most famous power couples in history.

A fun pose that you can recreate is to pretend that you’re boxing, like Barack Obama here. The other partner can flex with dumbbells. 

Power couples posing isn’t always easy. If you want a classic pose, have the couple sitting next to each other on a couch.

This way, they are both at the same height and the same distance from the camera – there’s no visual hierarchy.

One partner can put the arm around the shoulder while the other places their hand on the other one’s leg. 

Another power couple pose you can use is to have the power couple standing and facing the camera.

One can pass one arm around the other one’s neck and put the other hand on top of the forearm. 

• Standing next to each other

Not all couple poses involve complicated postures. Sometimes is just about the facial expressions.

This is especially true for power couples because they feel confident in front of the camera.

So, simply have them stand next to each other for some great couple photos. To convey unity, you can ask them to stand next to each other in a slight ‘V’ formation, like the image above.

Couple Poses for Selfies

A classic selfie couple pose is as simple as kissing. The tricky part is to nail the framing because you’re not looking at the camera. 

A cute couple pose for selfiies to have one partner kiss the other on the cheek. Meanwhile, the receiver of the kiss is looking at the camera.

When you’re shooting outdoors, take a selfie when you’re piggybacking. This is a fun idea that captures candid moments.

If you want to take a couple photos because you’re celebrating something. You can take a selfie posing as if you’re toasting to the camera. 

Doing hand gestures can make a huge difference in changing the mood in couples’ photos. If you want to make a fun and casual selfie, make the peace sign with your hands. 

If you’re looking for cute couple poses that show intimacy, this is the one for you. Simply lie down next to each other.

Make sure your face is touching, and one of you hugs the arm of the other. 

This couple pose is perfect for a selfie. One of you is sitting on the floor with your legs crossed. The other lies down, putting the head on your lap.

The sitting partner can put the hand on the laying person’s shoulder or chest to show more connection.

A classic selfie couple pose is to simply stand in front of each other and hug. One of you extends the arm and takes the selfie without taking your eyes off your partner. 

Standing Poses

One of the best posing ideas for couples with a big height difference is this one.

Have the tallest partner rest the chin on top of the shorter partner’s head.

Then close your eyes, and you’ll have a romantic and intimate photo. 

Standing next to each other, one of you folds your arm. The other one should pass the hand on the space created by the flexed elbow.

It’s a cute couple pose that communicates support. 

• Kissing, holding both hands

This is a great pose for a couple photoshoot. It shows the total connection between partners.

While kissing, hold both hands, interlacing your fingers.

If you’re looking for a variation of the typical standing couple poses, this can be the one.

One partner leans against a wall, and the other is standing in front with a hand on their shoulder or chest. 

• Kiss with arms around the neck

This is one of the most classic poses in a couple’s photoshoot. One partner to throws their arms around the other partner’s neck and gives them a passionate kiss.

If you pair this with a beautiful sunset in the background, you’ll have your hero shot. 

Casual Couple Poses

For some great outdoor shots, you can have the couple lying on the grass belly-down.

This is also a great pose to do in bed if you’re doing a home couple’s session.

• Contemplating the horizon

A couple pose that’s always a success is to simply ask the couple to sit down facing the landscape.

Instead of directing the exact pose, you can use photo prompts.

Ask them to think about the future or remember a special moment that happened there. They will naturally hug or lean on each other. 

The best couple poses come from casual interactions recreating everyday moments.

One of these moments is to pretend it’s cold or it started to rain. So, one partner opens the jacket to protect the other one.

Couples photography is not all about following a posing guide. It’s about relationships and interaction.

A great way to capture that spontaneity is to do fun activities.

For example, get on a lake or a pool and splash each other. Make sure you set the camera to burst mode so you don’t miss the best moments. 

One of the best ideas for a couple’s photo is for one partner to kiss the other one’s hand. This pose is great for close-ups. 

Final words on Couple Photography Poses

I hope you enjoyed our couples posing guide as well as the tips and tricks to achieve them. Let us know which one is your favourite and which one you plan to use on your next photoshoot. 

What about you? Do you have a must-have couples pose that we didn’t include on the list?

Share it with us in the comments, and feel free to share any other photography tips you have for a successful couples photoshoot.