Ah-hmmm, excuse me? Although a fart always gets a juvenile giggle out of my husband and kids, we're NOT discussing bodily functions today. On a related note, I want to share a few tried-and-true tips for capturing a genuine smile on camera.
I'm not sure who came up with the idea of saying "cheese" to elicit a smile, and I have found that while it can get your kiddo to show us her pearly whites, this cue often leads to a forced, unnatural smile.
Here are my top 3 methods to capture a REAL smile!
Strike a pose! If your kids are anything like mine, the last thing they want to do is what you tell them to do. (Am I right?) With toddlers and younger kids, I try to get the posed photos that mom and dad are expecting, but usually they end up looking like the image on the left. Dead eyes, stiff arms/legs, and a forced smile. After we get those "traditional" shots, I tell the kid to strike a pose. I let them be themselves, and I almost always get a good smile when the kid is playing, twirling, or running toward me because they are happy and a little less nervous. The image on the right is my Carrigan, doing what she does best, being sassy. Her body is more relaxed and she has that sparkle in her eye that shows a true smile, not a fake one.
2. Get Silly! It's hard to muster up a natural smile when you're bored, and let's be honest, kids get bored really quickly, even at a photo session. Moms show up to the session already flustered and tired from getting everyone picture perfect, Dads are either completely disinterested or already irritated because the kids aren't listening, and the kids are full of fidgets, wiggles, and goofy faces. The parents just want everyone to listen, stand in their posed spot and, you guessed it, say "cheese". Before they get too irritated, I reassure everyone that being silly is okay (and often just the trick)!
At this adorable Christmas session, this little guy was forcing his best "cheese" smile until I moved in really close and said, "Quick, while mom's not looking, give me some silly faces!" These photos were taken in succession. After the silly faces were out of his system, I got this third shot...a genuine, sparkly-eyed, sweet smile that captured his personality and made his mama happy!
If the kid is a little more shy or doesn't feel like loosening up and making silly faces with me, I'll ask them if they have a boyfriend/girlfriend. This question usually gets a sweet, rosy-cheeked smile that I love so much!
3. Talk Flirty to Me: Sometimes I get stiff or unnatural smiles at the very beginning of my couple's sessions, and naturally so. Most people aren't that comfortable showing affection to each other, much less knowing that someone is watching you...with a camera! So, I usually capture a few posed shots of the couple to get them a little less awkward, then I like to prompt them to "look into each others' eyes" or "get closer...hug her like you still like her".
One of my favorite prompts is to tell a husband to stand behind his wife and put his arms around her neck with his arms resting on her shoulders.
The man's first instinct is to pretend like he has her in a headlock or choke hold. This usually gets a good laugh and a great smile.
And there you have it...my 3 top go-to moves to elicit a natural smile out of my clients. Try them yourself and let me know how it goes!