14 Valentines Day Photoshoot Ideas For All

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photo shoot ideas for valentines

Valentine’s day doesn’t only have to be about long romantic dinners and expensive gifts. It can also be about making and capturing moments that will last a lifetime. This list of valentines day photoshoot ideas is here to help you do exactly that.

Whether you are looking to take a photo for yourselves or something to pass on to your children in generations to come, a Valentines day shoot is a great way to celebrate all kinds of love.

Go Pro or DIY?

You may want to hire a professional for your photo shoot to avoid the challenge of self-timers and badly taken photos by a friend. This way, you can safely hand over your trust to a professional to capture the most romantic and photogenic Valentine’s day photos for you.

Alternatively, if you are a pro photographer, we have a wide range of shoot ideas you can pitch to clients this February.

Flat lay of text to celebrate valentines day.

Cool and Cute Photo Shoot Ideas For Valentine’s Day

If you’re looking for romantic Valentine’s day photoshoot ideas, we’ve got you covered with a bit of inspiration for everyone.

1- Recapture Your First Date With Cute Photos

There’s a good chance that you weren’t feeling brave or comfortable enough to take photos on your first meeting like most couples. This is why we love the cute idea of being able to photograph and recreate your first date.

Take a photographer to the spot of your first date and take photos of yourselves in it years later. You may wish to dress in similar clothes from your date or take a more modern approach and perhaps even involve your children.

What better way to step back in time and get a special shot that reminds you of the day you first met? Possibly the most romantic way to spend your valentine’s day!

First date photos with flowers.
Recreating your first date is a cute way to celebrate.

2- Recreate Your First Photos

A popular trend with families on the internet right now is recreating old family photos 10, 20, or even 40 years later.

In this manner, people retake their favorite photos, copying the poses, background location, and even clothing if you can!

A cute valentines day photoshoot idea is to do this with old photos from when you first started dating. Or perhaps when you first had kids. These photos will show that although many years may have gone by, your love for each other has not changed!

If you have children, this can also be a fun way to get them involved in your shots, especially as grown-up kids.

Older couple hug on  balcony for a photo shoot.
Recreate the photos and poses you love.

3- Try An Indoor, At-Home Photoshoot

With so many Valentines day photo ideas to choose from, sometimes the simplest is the best. If you’re unable to get out and about this Valentine’s day, consider doing a photography session at home.

Focus on the sweet details of life that you so often miss day-to-day, like making coffee for each other, cooking, or snuggling. Or purchase and set up a fun backdrop and make your own at-home studio photos.

You can do this yourself with a timer or remote shutter release for your camera. Or hire a professional to help bring your ideas to life.

Couple share breakfast together at home on the floor.
Little moments can mean a lot.

4- Do A Steamy Boudoir Photoshoot

Boudoir shoots are becoming more and more popular for couples looking to spice up their photo albums. Essentially a boudoir shoot involves a photo shoot in the bedroom.

This can be as clothed or as unclothed as you are comfortable with. However, most couples like to use this as a chance to wear that beautiful lingerie that never gets to be seen.

A couples boudoir photo shoot can be a brave thing to do. But the results are always worth the effort. For this, you will need to find a photographer that you are very comfortable with who specializes in boudoir photography.

Do some research into exactly what kind of gorgeous photos you will be looking to create. And your photographer will be able to work with your ideas to get you the perfect shot.

Couple kissing at home in bedroom for boudoir valentine's day photo session.
Boudoir photography is becoming more and more popular with couples.

5- Do A Best Friend’s Valentine’s Photoshoot

Valentine’s day doesn’t have to only be for couples! In fact, Valentine’s day should be about celebrating all different kinds of love.

A great idea for singles and best friends is to book a cute Valentine’s day photoshoot for friends. Grab some fun balloons or other props. Set up an indoor studio or head outdoors to your favorite location.

We love the super cute idea of taking cute portrait photos of each other and celebrating your uniqueness this Valentine’s day. This is also a great DIY photography project if you’re not able to get a pro photographer on board.

Friends doing a cute studio photography session with fun props.
Friends can celebrate Valentine’s day too!

6- Document Your Day With Photography

Often the beauty can be found in the everyday details of a relationship. Coffee in the morning, lounging around, watching Netflix, cooking together at night, or walking in the park with your children.Celebrate and commemorate those special little life moments by immortalizing them with a photo shoot.

For this photography shoot, you will certainly need to hire a documentary-style photographer who is able to capture your day from different angles.

This is a great idea to capture those cute moments that normally go unseen throughout your day.

Documentary style valentine's day photoshoot for couples.
Documentary-style portrait photos are a sweet way to capture your love.

7- Book A Valentine’s Day Golden Hour Photo Shoot

Golden hour is the perfect time for the romantic photo shoot of your dreams! Golden hour is the hour around sunset when your skin tone looks beautiful, and the light is filled with a warm glow.

This is one of the best Valentine’s day photoshoot ideas that is bound to be a favorite, as the golden hour is generally a photographer’s preferred time of day to take photos.

Take a look at our latest article about golden hour photography.

Golden hour photoshoot of couple with lens flare facing away.
Golden hour is the perfect time for soft romantic photos.

8- Play With Silhouette Photography

A favorite of our Valentine’s day photo ideas is to play with silhouettes during your shoot.

Think of fun poses that will create cute silhouettes like blowing kisses or being ‘taken away’ by balloons. You can take these photos at home by using a bright light to cast shadows on the wall. Or you may also be able to take these photos during the sunset photoshoot by lowering the exposure on your camera.

This is a great photography idea to get kids involved as children will love getting to play with shadows.

Silhouette of couple with sun behind them for romantic photos.
Silhouette adds romance and mystery to your images.

9- Pick A Theme And Go With It

A great valentines day photo shoot idea is to take inspiration from your favorite movie or subculture and run with it.

For example, think of your favorite rom-com film and recreate the cover for a fun and creative shot.

But, it doesn’t have to be romantic or even related to Valentines’ day. You could go with any genre to recreate your pictures with style and uniqueness.

Change your theme every year to reflect your interest and hobbies. You will undoubtedly have some of the most interesting and fun Valentine’s day photos out there!

Cinematic photography couples session.
Go for a cinematic look with your photos.

10- Do A Retro Tacky Glamour Photo Shoot For Fun

These silly retro-style glamour shots have come back into fashion in recent years, with people looking to have a bit more fun with their pictures. Grab your most terrible 80s inspired outfit and create a tacky backdrop for some cringe-worthy pictures.

Emulating the American mall glamour photos of the 80s. Think of some cheesy angles and poses and be as silly as you can. Blow kisses to the camera and get the children involved to make this Valentines day shoot extra special.

This is a great Valentines day photoshoot idea if you are looking to send fun pictures to all of your friends.

Awkward couples photos for interesting photoshoot ideas.
Don’t forget your turtleneck for this shoot!

11- Get Creative With Cute Props

Flowers, balloons, champagne, and cheesy valentine’s day signs should all be considered useful for your Valentine’s day photoshoot! Portrait Props are a great way to add a bit of life to your photo session.

Props allow you to get creative and move around. Having something in your hands instantly relaxes most people who get a little nervous in front of the camera and takes away that uncomfortable “I don’t know what to do with my hands” feeling.

Grab a bunch of beautiful roses. Flowers will instantly up the romance factor of your photos with beautiful colorful blooms. Alternatively, pop a bottle of champagne or hide behind a sign while kissing.

Your romantic photoshoot will instantly be more fun with some creative inspiration in your hand.

Couple framed by red heart shaped balloons for valentines day photo.
Colourful Balloons make a great frame in this image.

12- Focus On The Little Details

Sometimes the most romantic valentines day photos can be found in the details. Try to capture the little things that tell a lot in an image, like the details of wrinkled hands or a close-up image of the couple’s eyes.

Use a macro lens to capture images and cute details of the couple’s world. And use unique angles to tell a story.

You could even create cute flat lays with details that are important to your family. Think about props like wedding rings, old images, and other life trinkets that can be used in your photo.

close up of couples hands and low angle photo for creative photo shoot ideas.
Details and interesting angles make for great portraits.

13- Pay Attention To Your Environment

Environmental portraiture is a great way of getting interesting images of the couple’s world.

An environmental portrait involves using a wide-angle lens to show the couple in a beautiful location. This helps the viewer get a better idea of their surroundings and can often give us clues to the personalities of the people being photographed.

If you’re somewhere where it snows in February, you could create a romantic Valentines day photo surrounded by snowfall. Or you may want to snap your models exchanging kisses with an extravagant background that is meaningful to them.

Environmental portraits for valentine's day photo session with props.
The environment can say a lot about an image.

14- Focus On The Kids This Valentine’s Day

Let’s face it. Children are adorable, especially when they are your own. So why not get your cute kids involved in your Valentines day photo ideas?

Give your children a bunch of red heart-shaped balloons or some confetti and see how they play to create a sweet and innocent Valentines day photo.

Children holding heart shaped prop for cute photo shoot.
Get the kids involved for more cute!

Tips For Editing Valentines Day Photos

You have taken cute photos and used up all your Valentines day photo ideas. Now, what do you do with them? Here are a few ideas and tips for editing your Valentine’s day photo shoot.

Don’t be afraid to play!

Editing photos should first and foremost be a fun task. It is a chance for you to improve your images and get creative at the same time. Don’t be afraid to try something new, like lowering highlights a little more than usual or increasing the temperature to get a warmer tone in your image.

Playful couple holding hands during valentine's day photo shoot.
Get playful with your edits.

Go Monochrome

B&W portraits are timeless, which is exactly how we all want love to be! Editing your photos in monochrome instantly creates a romantic, classy look that will be a perfect fit for Valentine’s day.

Black and white image of couple holding hands in winter city. Romantic Valentines day ideas.
Monochrome is always in style.

Use A Preset For Your Valentines Day Photos

Creating photos to last a lifetime can be easily done with presets. Presets make editing photos a dream as you can quickly apply a certain feel or look to your photograph in just one click. We have a wide range of presets that would suit your Valentine’s day photos right here.

Couple holding hands with ring. Presets for Valentines day.
Presets are a quick and easy way to edit your photos.

Conclusion – These Valentine’s Day Photoshoot Ideas Are For Everyone

A Valentine’s day photoshoot is a great way to spend time together and create magical moments that you won’t easily forget. Whether that’s with friends, your children, or your date of 30 years. We encourage you to use this holiday as a chance to broaden your photography skills.

We hope these tips have given you loads of creative inspiration for Valentine’s day photoshoot ideas. If you like them, check out our latest articles for more creative photography ideas!

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Ainsley DS is a photographer and writer based in between Auckland, NZ and Paris France. She specializes in travel, portrait and documentary photography and has a passion for all creative pursuits. With an addiction to travel, she has lived on three continents and photographed over 40 countries along the way. You can purchase travel prints directly from her website or follow along on the journey!
Ainsley DS is a photographer and writer based in between Auckland, NZ and Paris France. She specializes in travel, portrait and documentary photography and has a passion for all creative pursuits. With an addiction to travel, she has lived on three continents and photographed over 40 countries along the way. You can purchase travel prints directly from her website or follow along on the journey!
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