Directing Two Grooms With Warmth, Not a Borrowed Script
Most posing habits in wedding photography were built, quietly and by default, around one groom and one bride — a certain angle for "the groom's side," a certain framing for "the bride's entrance." None of it was ever written down as a rule, but it shows up anyway, and it simply doesn't map cleanly onto two grooms standing side by side. The couples who feel most at ease in their portraits tend to have a photographer who noticed that early and worked from scratch rather than trying to slot two men into a template built for someone else.
Start by asking, not assuming
Every couple has their own dynamic — one partner might naturally lead and the other might prefer to follow, or the two might move as near equals with neither one directing the other. A photographer who asks a few easy questions early on, rather than guessing from habit, tends to land on poses that actually reflect the relationship instead of an inherited convention. There's no default "groom pose" that applies twice just because both people happen to be grooms.
Match energy instead of assigning roles
Traditional portraits often unconsciously split couples into an "active" partner and a "supportive" one. With two grooms, that split has to be a genuine choice rather than an assumption based on who's standing on which side. Mirrored poses — both partners doing the same gesture, both walking at the same pace, both looking at each other rather than one looking at the other — tend to photograph as more natural precisely because they don't force an artificial hierarchy onto two equal partners.
Formalwear is part of the story, not a problem to solve
Two grooms might choose matching suits, deliberately contrasting ones, or something in between — and each choice changes how a photographer frames them together. Matching tailoring can call for compositions that play with symmetry; contrasting looks often benefit from framing that lets both outfits read clearly rather than blending into one dark mass. Either way, it helps to talk through the look in advance rather than discovering it cold on the day.
Family and guests may need a cue, not a lecture
Every family brings its own comfort level, and it's not a photographer's place to assume what that is. A quiet check-in beforehand — who's expected, whether anyone needs a gentle heads-up, whether the couple wants candid coverage of certain family moments or would rather that be kept light — tends to save awkwardness later. Ask, never assume, and let the couple set the tone for how visible their story is to the wider group.
The goal is the same as it's always been
Strip away the specifics and the underlying job doesn't change: notice how two people actually stand together, catch the glance that happens between poses, and stay out of the way when something real is unfolding in front of the lens. Two grooms deserve portraits that look like them, not a heteronormative template with the names swapped out. Photographers who start from that premise usually end up with images the couple recognises as unmistakably their own relationship, rather than a borrowed shape it never quite fit.
