FOR BRIDES

Beautiful Photos Aren’t Enough If They Don’t Feel Like You

Hot take: “getting to know your photographer” doesn’t guarantee you’ll love your photos.

The last thing you want is to look back through a gallery of beautifully crafted images that still don’t feel like you.

Maybe you’re already worried about looking awkward on camera. Neither of you feels naturally great in front of a camera, and when you picture your wedding photos, your biggest goal isn’t to suddenly look like professional models. You want your photos to showcase your actual relationship: the friendship between the two of you, the way you make each other laugh, the way you naturally interact and all of the little things that made you choose each other forever.

So you’ve done what most couples do: You’ve researched photographers, scrolled through Instagram, saved Pinterest poses, read Google reviews for photographers and asked friends for referrals. Trying to figure out who will make you feel comfortable enough to get photos that actually feel like you.

By the end of this blog, you’ll understand why some of the most common advice for finding that photographer can still fall short, and what I believe actually makes the difference when you want photos that truly feel like you.

WHY “POSING GUIDANCE” DOESN’T REALLY MEAN ANYTHING

You’ve probably seen photographers use phrases like “posing guidance,” “natural posing,” “authentic moments” or “I’ll help you feel comfortable in front of the camera.”

But what does that actually mean?

Most photographers develop a set of poses and prompts that they know photograph beautifully. They may be incredibly good at guiding you into those poses, but that doesn’t necessarily mean those poses will feel like you.

This is why “posing guidance” alone doesn’t cut it if you truly want to feel like yourself in your photos. And it’s also why getting to know your photographer is a great step, but doesn’t guarantee you’ll end up with photographs that feel like you.

You could absolutely love your photographer as a person. You could have an amazing connection with them. And they could still guide you through the same posing process they use with every other couple.

You can end up with a gallery full of gorgeously lit, beautifully composed images that still don’t truly showcase your personalities. You may love the beauty of them, but when you look back, something doesn’t quite feel right. You scroll through them excitedly at first, but find yourself ignoring certain images as time goes on because they feel more like a moment where you were “pretending” rather than truly being yourselves.

Because the real goal isn’t simply looking natural, the real goal is showcasing the parts of your relationship that you love, the things that made you choose each other forever. It’s how you can’t help but laugh when you look at him. It’s how you get a little nervous in front of photos, but he always brings out your playful side. It’s the history of ups and downs you’ve faced together that you wouldn’t trade for anything.

PERSONALIZED POSING EXPERIENCES DO EXIST

This is exactly why I created The Posing Roadmap Method to utilize for every one of my photography clients —a unique-to-you roadmap designed to help you get engagement and wedding photos that truly showcase your relationship.

Before deciding how I’m going to photograph you, we’re going to dive into how you both feel about photos, what your fears are, what you love most about your relationship, and what your biggest goals are for your photos and your overall wedding day.

We’ll figure out your Point A—where you are right now—and your Point B—how you want to feel and what you want to see when you look through your photographs.

Now, I’m under no delusion that you two want to be thinking about your wedding photography process the entire time you’re engaged or throughout your wedding day. This method doesn’t include a bunch of work for you, it includes a very simple, almost invisible process I take you through as I piece together your Posing Roadmap to make sure we reach that goal. You simply answer questions, show up to our calls, come to your engagement session and I will handle this entire process for you!

Because of this, on your wedding day, your photo time feels more like hanging out than a rigid event you have to get through.

I don’t simply want you to open your gallery and think:

“These are beautiful!”

I want you to think:

“That’s us.”

The Posing Roadmap Method is part of the wedding photography experience exclusively for Michele Houston Photography couples. I’m based in Athens, Georgia and photograph weddings throughout the Southeast, including some of my favorite places like Charleston, Savannah, Dahlonega, St. Simons and Hilton Head. Inquire to learn more here.

“I’M NOT EVEN SURE HOW TO DESCRIBE WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE?”

This is where I want to address some of the things you may already be thinking—because the entire point of creating a unique roadmap is that you don’t need to arrive already knowing how to do this.

“I’m not even sure what about our relationship I’d want to highlight. Can you help me?”

Yes! Through my Posing Roadmap Method, we’ll find this together. You don’t need to know anything except, “I know I want photos that feel like us.”

I’ll ask the questions that help us uncover what that actually means for the two of you.

Maybe it’s the way he can make you laugh when no one else can. Maybe you’re incredibly playful together. Maybe he’s the person who makes you feel calm. Maybe your relationship is quieter and more affectionate. Maybe you’ve never even stopped to think about it before.

That’s okay. You don’t have to know your Point B before we start figuring it out together.

“WHAT IF MY FIANCE HATES PHOTOS?”

This is my specialty.

Honestly, grooms are one of the biggest reasons this became so important to me.

I hated the idea of making them feel overlooked or forced into poses that may feel completely natural for a bride, but make her fiancé feel kind of silly or embarrassed.

If your relationship is playful, let’s showcase that. If he’s quieter, I’m not going to spend your session trying to manufacture a huge personality that isn’t there. If physical affection isn’t naturally your thing, your entire gallery doesn’t need to be built around prompts that require it.

No matter how he feels about photos when we start, my goal is to create an experience that feels fun and natural to both of you.

“OUR PROPOSAL PHOTOS WERE SO AWKWARD. IS IT US?”

I can’t tell you how many times I hear some version of this from couples who end up LOVING their photos with me.

And there could be a few reasons your proposal photos felt awkward.

Sometimes, it’s simply because of the photographer choice, and I say that with absolutely no judgment. Many newer photographers photograph proposals, which is completely fine, but proposals are incredibly emotionally heightened moments that can require experience to guide well.

You also likely have so many nerves immediately afterward. There may be shock, adrenaline, excitement, tears and the sudden realization that someone has a camera pointed at you. That plays a role regardless of your photographer.

And because the photographer has usually only been communicating with the person planning the proposal, they often haven’t had the opportunity to get to know both of you beforehand. Going immediately from “WE’RE ENGAGED!” to being directed for portraits can understandably feel a little forced or rushed.

So if that was your experience, it doesn’t automatically mean:

“We’re just awkward in photos.”

Your starting point simply tells me more about the kind of experience we need to create to get you where you want to go.

SUCCESS STORIES OF COUPLES JUST LIKE YOU

So you might be wondering, what does this actually look like for a real couple?

Alyse + Aston: Nervous about looking overly posed or not being able to showcase how in love they truly are with each other. Alyse is a JOY BOMB and I really wanted to showcase that in their photos.

How Alyse described her starting point and goals:

“More than anything, we wanted to feel like ourselves. We didn’t want our wedding to feel staged or like we were putting on a performance—we wanted to be present. One of my biggest fears was ending up with photos that felt stiff or overly posed. I wanted someone who knew when to step in and guide us but also knew when to simply let us be ourselves.”

How she described her experience:

“From the very beginning, Michele made us feel completely at ease. She took the time to get to know us and genuinely cared about what was important to us instead of trying to fit us into a certain style. Nothing ever felt like it was “too much” or “not enough.” She listened, encouraged us, and somehow managed to capture every little moment we didn’t even realize was happening.”

CONCLUSION

The Posing Roadmap isn’t simply a method, it’s how I serve and care for my couple’s and their stories. It isn’t just about being strategic to me, it’s about them getting to look back on their photos and feel truly seen. I love the moments when tears come to their eyes as I show them previews because they think “THAT’S US!” If you would say your main focus for your entire wedding day is your marriage, the last thing you want is a gallery full of photos that feel like they could be anybody, not truly you.

Inquire to learn more about this process.