How to Create a Hygge Shoot
In this life, there are two things that set my soul on fire: love and the concept of Hygge! When you combine the two and create a Hygge Shoot? MAGIC IS MADE, and it’s my favorite thing!
UNDERSTANDING HYGGE: What is it?
The term” hygge” might be new to you, but I know you’ve felt it.
According to Google (my best friend!), hygge is “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being [regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture].”
Combining the story of a couple’s love, paired with the feeling of coziness, makes for a more peaceful shoot, a relaxed couple, and natural expressions in your photos.
3 THINGS TO CONSIDER AS YOU
CREATE A HYGGE SHOOT
Here are some ways to add more hygge, story-telling, and cohesiveness to your shoot in a simple way! Trust me, it is worth the read!
ONE | A Hygge Color Palette
In hygge design, lighter colors are used to create more light and glow in a home. This is true of your photos, too! Now with that in mind, you can use a hygge color palette in choosing a location and clothing.
When choosing a location, try to find one that has a cozy feeling and a peaceful color palette–one that will not take away from the true art, which is the love that your couple shares!
This shoot was done at the Lightroom Studio in Midvale, Utah. It’s got large windows for natural lighting, a few different sets with whites, beiges, tans, and a forest green couch, creating the perfect backdrops for your couple!
With a couple's clothing options, try to keep the color palette simple as well! Try selecting neutrals, whites, tans, or muted colors that will tie the whole feeling of hygge in your shoot.
TWO | DITCH THE SHOES
Ditching the shoes sounds like a wild concept, but try thinking of it this way: When do you feel most comfortable with your partner?
For me, it is being in comfy clothes at home!
This is where we spend a large part of our lives together, cuddling up together, dancing in our living room, and loving on our animals.
It can feel awkward showing your true love in front of a third party (your photographer or whoever). So to combat this, ditch your shoes, have a pillow fight, or tickle each other! You’re trying to create the essence of home in your photoshoot.
TIP: Buy a fresh pair of white socks without the logo. In my opinion, a logo on a clean backdrop can ruin the feeling of a shoot (and I think you can figure out why I say buy a fresh pair). Personally, I will edit out the logo on socks to keep the clean, comfy, and fresh feel.
THREE | Open Options for Hygge
Thinking again about when you both feel the most comfortable, how do you both naturally sit/pose? Have multiple options in your shoot that will allow for that natural movement and posing.
In this shoot, we used a blowup bed that the couple could lay on. We also had a couch that the couple could sit down on. Sometimes having options for more natural posing, other than just standing, will eliminate stiffness and allow comfort in your couple’s presence.
Remember, keep your options open!
As photographers, we are storytellers. We try to create the most authentic feelings and document this on camera.
I personally believe that by eliminating distractions; providing your couple with coziness and comfort; and choosing poses that are more authentic, we can better tell one of the greatest stories of all time–a couple’s love for one another.
What are you still doing here? Go get cozy in love with Hygge!
INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH TANA METCALF PHOTO?
