How to Create a Romantic Effect by Shooting Through

With this week’s Favorite Friday, we talk about how to create a romantic effect by shooting through an element. You can see in this photos of an engaged couple on the beach, that I got down low and put tall dune grass between the camera and my subject. It creates a soft dreamy feel, almost like you are peeking in on a private moment.

I really love this technique. It opens up all kinds of possibilities. After you have taken the straightforward photos, take a moment to look around and see what you have to work with. Over the years, I’ve shot through grass, leaves, tree limbs, windows, doorframes, people, and the list goes on and on.

One reason I love it is because it adds a creative element. It works best when you have a low aperture number set on your camera. Your focus will be on your subject which is presumably several feet away from the camera. Meanwhile, the element you are shooting through should be just in front of your camera. The resulting effect is a soft out of focus element that adds depth.

The other reason I love shooting through elements in my images is because it help tells the story of your photo. The tall beach grass give you more information about the location. It also creates additional ambiance. And an engagement photos needs ambiance.

So the next time you have shot a few photos and want to try something else, look around and see if there is something you put between your camera and your subject. See what magic happens! Check out another example of shooting through here.