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Two people sit inside a glass bus shelter at dusk, with bare trees and a stop sign in the background on a quiet roadside.

Meet Cute Series: Bus Stop Photoshoot

October 14, 2025

Two people sit inside a glass bus shelter at dusk, with bare trees and a stop sign in the background on a quiet roadside.

What even is a meet cute?

When I say I’m so excited to share this bus stop photoshoot with you, I truly mean it. It’s been bubbling around in my brain for far too long and watching it come to life was so fun. If you’re a rom-com lover, like myself, then you’re no stranger to a good old fashioned ‘meet cute’ moment. Even if you’re not, I feel like we’re all familiar with that moment in a story when two characters lock eyes for the first time? Whether there’s instant spark or it’s enemies to lover vibes, there is always a starting point, a ‘meet cute’. You may also recognize the term from ‘The Holiday’ that Jude Law movie we all know and love. And, if you weren’t previously familiar with the term, well, you’re welcome for the free rundown 😉

A man walks past an empty bus shelter on a cloudy day, with bare trees and a road in the background.
A person sits alone on a bench at a bus stop, looking at their phone. The shelter is glass with graffiti, and trees without leaves are visible in the background.
Two people wait at a bus stop shelter; one stands while the other sits looking at a phone. The shelter is surrounded by bare trees and has graffiti on the glass.

The Bus Stop Photoshoot Inspiration

The inspiration for this cinematic bus stop photoshoot was sparked by my daily commute and love of making the mundane feel magical. Romanticizing the heck out of day-to-day life is my specialty and it’s not hard when love is involved. When my husband and I moved back in 2021 we had a new stretch of road for our commutes which meant lots of new places and things for my eyes to explore on my drives. One day during winter of 2021-2022 I was driving after dark and noticed a dimly bus stop amidst the snow and headlights. It’s kinda baffling and fun how a lonely, grungy bus stop can feel kinda magical in a moment like that. I started immediately wondering how I could make this into a photoshoot scene.

Romanticizing City Life

As someone who’s always grown up in small towns, I’ve always romanticized the city life with it’s towering buildings, lights for miles, the hustle and bust and also the mundane parts day-to-day life for city dwellers and the culture of it all. Something as simple as a bus stop provides me with endless inspiration; who are these people? where are they going? what lives do they lead?

There’s a mystery and also likely a familiarity to the faces once you’ve fallen into the same routine. I would imagine it’s kind of like when you’re going to the gym and you get to know your ‘gym buddies’; the older couple that comes in at 6:30am sharp to walk on the tread mill and then do some light yoga in the corner. The young woman who comes in at 10am and crushes the stairmaster and then goes and lifts. The college student who comes in to move their body after sitting in classes all day. You get the idea.

Two people sit apart on a bench at a bus stop; one looks at a phone, and the other looks down, tying a shoe. The setting is outdoors with leafless trees in the background.
Two people sit on a bench at a bus stop. One person adjusts headphones, and the other looks at a phone. Both are dressed casually and the shelter has a schedule posted behind them.

The Art of the Meet Cute

There is something so whimsical and magical about the idea of meeting your person in the most unexpected way. I’ve always loved the storylines of romance books and movies and the way love just falls into day-to-day life. Because isn’t that how it typically happens anyway?! It’s one thing to document a moment like that in written word or act it out on a screen, and something entirely different to capture it in a photograph. This photo series is a way for me to cinematically create and document these meet cute moments that feel straight out of a love story. I don’t want them to feel overly posed or perfected (although I love sprinkling in a few more stylized shots), I want them to feel very in the moment, like stills from a movie.

Bumping into each other at a bus stop for example. A bus stop is not really a place where you show up dressed your best and ready to impress. Sometimes you’re just waiting for your ride home listening to an audiobook while working on a knitting project. Maybe they’re texting their friends that they’re on their way how from work and passing time on instagram. Maybe, just maybe, you catch each other’s gazes and give a shy half smile and the rest is history.

A person with headphones sits on a bench at a transit stop, looking at their phone. A schedule is posted behind them, and a backpack rests on the ground nearby.
A man wearing headphones sits on a bench at a bus stop, looking at his phone. A folded newspaper is on the bench beside him. The glass behind him is marked with graffiti.
Two people wearing headphones sit apart on a bench at a bus stop, each holding a phone, with a schedule visible behind them.
A person with red hair wearing headphones sits on a bench at a bus stop, reaching into a black backpack on the ground beside them.
Two people wearing headphones sit on a bench at a bus stop. The woman looks at her phone, while the man looks at her and holds his phone. A stack of newspapers is beside them.
Two people sit on a bench at a bus stop; both are wearing headphones. The woman on the left is knitting, and the man on the right is looking at his phone.
Two people sit on a bench at a bus stop; one woman looks ahead while a man with headphones looks at his phone.

The Making of the Bus Stop Meet Cute

When I started getting back into reading more and more the last few years, rom-coms have been my go-to. They’re fun, they’re flirty and they just make you feel good. The topic of ‘meet cutes’ is obviously pretty popular and the wheels started turning. Early this year it clicked and I combined that concept with the bus stop scene and it felt perfect. I was immediately thrilled and channeled my inner director to start storyboarding and envisioning the specific shots I’d need to set the scene and story.

When I first laid eyes on the bus stop along my commute, I thought for sure it would be ‘the one’. Sadly, after some location scouting I realized it was not quite what I was hoping(door on the side, motion sensor light that turns off quickly, weird bench). My husband and I ended up driving around to several bus stops around town until I found one that worked. It was enclosed on three sides with the front open, had a bench, minimal trash and graffiti, and a good light. It wasn’t 100% perfect, but it worked! My goal was to shoot right after sunset to get that blue hour vibe and then as it got darker get more streetlights.

Two people sit apart on a bench at a bus stop shelter, both looking at their phones. The shelter is surrounded by bare trees and overcast skies.
Two people sit on a bench at a covered bus stop, facing each other, with leafless trees and a road in the background.
Two people sit on benches at a bus stop shelter, talking. It is cloudy and the surrounding trees are bare. One person has a backpack on the ground.
Two people sit on a bench at a bus stop; one is listening to headphones and looking down, while the other looks over at them. A transit schedule is posted behind them.
A woman with headphones sits on a bench at a bus stop, looking at her phone, while a man sits a few feet away, looking at her and smiling.
Two people sit on a bench at a bus stop, wearing headphones and facing each other. A backpack and a notebook are on the ground and bench between them.

The couple I found to model didn’t meet at a bus stop, but they perfectly nailed the vibe I had in mind! When I was giving directions on what to wear I gave ‘casual city grunge-ish’ as a guideline. Then I asked them to bring headphones, their phones, maybe a book or project or something that they would typically use to pass the time in public. Wins all around with their choices of clothing and ‘distractions’ to include.

Two people sit on a bench at a bus stop, wearing headphones and facing each other. A backpack and a notebook are on the ground and bench between them.
Two people sit on a bench, legs crossed, wearing casual clothes and Converse sneakers. Only their lower bodies are visible. A black bag sits on the ground beside them.
A person with long red hair sitting indoors holds white headphones while looking at another person who is mostly out of focus.
Two people sit on a bench inside a glass bus shelter, facing each other and talking. There is a backpack on the ground and trees in the background.
A person sits on a bench, knitting with teal yarn. They wear a denim jacket, dark jeans, and have tattoos on their fingers. A phone rests on the bench beside them.
A woman sits on a bench at a bus stop, looking down, while a man stands nearby leaning towards her. It is evening and the bus stop is partially covered with glass panels.
Two people sit and talk on a bench inside a mostly empty bus shelter, with a backpack on the ground and transit schedule posted behind them. It appears to be late afternoon or early evening.
Two people sit on a bench; one is bending over to reach into a black bag, while the other sits with hands clasped, both wearing casual clothes and sneakers.
Two people sit closely together on a bench at a bus stop, looking at a smartphone and smiling. It is evening, and a backpack rests on the ground nearby.
Two people sit side by side, one with blue nail polish and finger tattoos reading "SELF MADE," their hands resting on their laps and touching.
A woman with red hair, tattoos, and facial piercings smiles at a person sitting next to her indoors by a window.
A man with headphones around his neck smiles at a woman with red hair while sitting indoors near a window with posters.

    Bust Stop Photoshoot Scene Two:

    In addition to the ‘Meet Cute’ moment, I also wanted to showcase the couple returning to the same bus top. To show that weeks, months, maybe even years down the line, they’re just going about their day-to-day, but together this time. It started snowing during this part of the session and I almost cried happy tears at how BEAUTIFUL it was. We absolutely had to sprinkle in some artsy shots in with their truck headlights (even if it didn’t quite fit the plot haha).

    A man and woman walk together on a sidewalk by a bus stop sign on a cloudy day, with a house and trees in the background.
    Two people stand side by side under a bus shelter, looking at a posted schedule; one has an arm around the other. The shelter is empty except for a bench and some graffiti.
    Two people sit closely on a bench at a bus stop, laughing together. It's evening, and the shelter is lit by an overhead light with a schedule posted behind them.
    Two people sit together on a bench inside a glass bus shelter at dusk, surrounded by leafless trees and a stop sign nearby.
    Two people sit closely together on a bench, one with an arm around the other. They wear casual clothing and sneakers. A backpack rests on the ground near their feet.
    A man gently holds a woman's face as they sit close together on a bench, looking into each other's eyes with a schedule posted on the wall behind them.
    A man kisses a woman on the cheek while they sit close together on a bench. The woman smiles and looks ahead.
    Two people stand back to back holding hands near a bus stop sign on a cloudy day, with trees and dry grass in the background.
    Two people kiss while standing in front of a bus stop sign and shelter on an overcast day, with barren trees and dry grass in the background.
    A man embraces a smiling woman from behind outdoors, both dressed in casual clothing, with snowflakes visible in the air.
    Two people wearing dark clothing are holding hands while walking outdoors. Only their torsos, arms, and hands are visible.
    Two people dance together in front of a bus shelter on a cloudy day, with trees and a light in the background.
    A person lifts and spins another person in front of a bus stop at dusk, both smiling and dressed in casual clothing. Trees and a lit bus shelter are in the background.
    A couple stands and kisses under a lit bus shelter at dusk; leafless trees and a road are visible in the background.
    A man gives a woman a piggyback ride outside under a covered shelter; both are smiling and dressed in casual clothing.
    A couple hugs closely at night, illuminated by soft streetlights and distant blurry lights, creating a dark, intimate atmosphere.
    Two people stand hand in hand on a sidewalk at dusk, illuminated by a car’s headlights with falling snow and bare trees in the background.
    A couple stands close together at night in front of a car with headlights on, with one person leaning back and the other supporting them. A streetlight is visible in the background.
    A couple kisses in front of a vehicle with headlights on at night, silhouetted by the lights with raindrops visible in the foreground.
    Two people stand back-to-back in front of a car with headlights on at night, illuminated by the car lights, with bokeh effects visible in the foreground.
    Two people sit close together on the ground at night in front of a vehicle with its headlights on, with light flares and particles visible in the air.
    Two people standing close together on a paved surface, their legs and shoes visible, casting a shadow in the warm outdoor light.

    Let’s Tell Your Story

    If you love this kind of storytelling cinematic photography with some classic and fun photos sprinkled in, we should work together! I want to create more cinematic scenes and tailor them to fit YOUR unique love story. Whether we’re retelling a piece of your shared history, or making entirely new memories with a date idea we’ve dreamt up, I would love to get creative with you. Reach out here! <3

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    What even is a meet cute? When I say I’m so excited to share this bus stop photoshoot with you, I truly mean it. It’s been bubbling around in my brain for far too long and watching it come to life was so fun. If you’re a rom-com lover, like myself, then you’re no stranger […]

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