When planning a prompted shoot with a couple, it’s important to consider the sequencing of prompts. You don’t have to plan every second of the shoot down to a tight schedule, but you need to have tools in your mental kit to help your clients transition within the shoot between different moods. You don’t want to bark disparate commands one after the other: “Look happy! Now dance! Now get intimate! Now flail about wildly!” All this will achieve is confusion and inauthentic, awkward-looking photos.
Imagination land: prompts to get couples acting out different scenarios
Instead, have ready a transition prompt, like this week’s prompt. It helps you to get your couples from “flail about wildly” to “get intimate” in a natural, relaxed and comfortable way.
How to use this photo pose prompt
Imagination Land is an emotive prompt to shift gears from high energy to an intimate mood, or vice versa. Use this prompt by calling out the first scenario, then call out the second, third, etc, until you’ve transitioned to the mood you’re looking for.
You might use this to go from a high energy mood in Pump Up The Energy, to a reflective mood with Let Out the Intimate. Use in the opposite direction to shift from intimate to energetic!
Prompt: Imagination Land
- Ok, imagine that you’ve just won the lottery! You will never have to work again!
- You’re in your living room at home, relaxing with some Netflix, and (Bride) tells you she’s pregnant!
- Re-enact your proposal—but swap places! (I.e. whoever was proposed to, pretends to propose now.)
- You’ve arrived in Hawaii for day one of your honeymoon. It’s warm, a sultry breeze is blowing over the island and you have a Piña Colada in your hand. Let’s see that relaxation.
- You’ve just bought a new house together and you’re carrying (Partner) over the threshold: pick them up and spin around, then end with a kiss.
- It’s your ten-year wedding anniversary: you’re cuddled together on your couch before an open fire, steaming hot chocolate in hands, and an album of all your favourite memories together open on your laps. Feel that cosiness and warmth.
- You’re having your first dance: have a practice now, while no one is watching.
Creative extension
- If your couple are enthusiastic actors, have them act out scenes from a famous movie (e.g. “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.”), historical moment (“Happy birthday, Mr President…”), or song (e.g. “My heart will go on…”).
Tag me @promptographerguide and use the hashtag #promptographerguide to share your favorite imagination prompts.
Want this prompt in your Field Cards set?
All the info in this prompt post is summarized onto a single card in the Promptographer Guide Field Cards, with the details given in the accompanying Guidebook. All the ideas are given on the one card so you have a rich, comprehensive tool for sparking ideas. I’ve designed it this way so you only need five to ten cards to build a whole photoshoot.
If you want this prompt in your set, make sure you include Set 3: Intimate Moments in your Field Cards.
