Pride Month is a special time for wedding and engagement photographers who celebrate diversity and inclusiveness. It is a reminder that, at the end of the day, love is love. That every couple’s story is unique, special and worth telling. And that nothing should come between two people who want to spend their lives together. With this in mind, it is always a pleasure for us to create LGBT engagement portraits in June. As we did for this gay couple a few weeks ago. Thanks to the beauty of their relationship, these two men’s destination same sex engagement photos were ridiculously sweet and intimate. And thanks to the setting – the fields of Northern Germany in the summer – the images were also stunningly beautiful!
Gay Engagement Photoshoot in Hannover Germany
We didn’t set out to do a gay engagement photoshoot during Pride Month, of course. The timing of this photography session was entirely a happy coincidence. We spend a portion of every year in Hannover, Germany – where this particular gay couple lives. And we happened to be in the town when they were looking for portraits. Just before we arrived, they mentioned to a mutual friend that they were looking for someone to take couples portraits for them. That friend knew we were coming and put them in touch with us. Soon enough, we had their engagement photoshoot on the calendar.
Outdoor Destination LGBT Engagement Photos
Choosing a location to do their LGBT engagement photos could not have been easier. The German countryside in the summer is one of the most gorgeous spots for couples portraits imaginable. That is a testament to both nature’s cultural importance to the German people and to their efforts to protect it. For engagement photographers, it means every summer couple’s photoshoot there MUST be outdoors!
Fortunately, the area where we stay in Germany is not far from plenty of rural spots that are perfect for summer engagement photos. Just down the road from our house are a series of beautiful wheat fields. (Or perhaps barley or rye? We admit that we don’t know a lot about agriculture!) Either way, the amber waves of grain glow gorgeously on a sunny summer day. As you can imagine, it is hard to find a better backdrop for stunning outdoor engagement photos!
Summer Gay Couple Photos in a Gorgeous Field
Those fields were the obvious choice for the beginning of the photoshoot. We like to start every couple’s session – whether for engagement portraits or wedding-day pictures – with simple, straightforward poses and compositions. That gives us a little time to scope out the scene, figure out lighting and get ideas for more creative shots. More importantly, it helps our couples warm up and lose a bit of self-consciousness. Doing this against a gorgeous backdrop ensures that those images are unforgettable, even if the posing and composition are relatively “safe.”
Of course, it doesn’t hurt when the couple has a natural ease in one another’s arms like this same sex couple does! Even with the gorgeous green and golden fields adding spectacular color to the frame, we find that we cannot take our eyes off of the subjects. There is (as we mention above) a sweetness and intimacy in their body language and interactions that captivates you. And that is what makes these summer gay couples photos the stuff of dreams. Not the setting (though it is gorgeous), but the love story being written before our eyes.
Creative Same Sex Engagement Photos
With the “warmup” out of the way (and some lovely couples portraits on our memory cards), we decided to create some shots with more pop and sizzle. That meant a change of location. As beautiful as the fields were, they didn’t offer any shade. One of the keys to creative portraits is a dramatic difference between light and dark. An open field in the summer sun simply doesn’t offer that possibility.
What we needed was a forest. And fortunately, there was one a short drive away! Along a dirt path through the German countryside was a wooded area that provided all the shade we needed. Using off-camera lighting, we experimented with different compositions designed to capture the eye. For example, we had the couple hold hands in the middle of the lane and silhouetted them. That created same sex engagement photos with an eerie and otherworldly feel. We also had them pose by the edge of the forest and lit the trees with a green filter. This led to images with the kind of really bold colors we love!
A special thanks to this wonderful couple for allowing us to be a part of their love story! We value your trust in us!
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