{What I Learned…} How to Get Natural Smiles

When I started doing client sessions, one of my biggest challenges was getting natural smiles from my subjects, especially from the adults.  You see I’m not very funny by nature.  And if you’ve met me in person, you can attest that my personality tends to run  a little on the “dry side”, so getting my clients to laugh and relax with my humor is not one of my strengths. But I love capturing natural smiles, so I started tricking them into it with my “fake out” approach.  Most people I encounter feel a little awkward in front of the camera at first, so I rely on this sly methodology to not only get those natural smiles, but to have some fun in the process as well.  First I start by setting up the shot: moving my subject to a location with the best light, demonstrating the pose I want them to take and getting my camera settings in order. When everything is set, I take the shot….and then I take another one. With experience, I’ve learned that my subject’s face and overall posture immediately relaxes after the first click of the shutter. It’s like an injection: it only pinches for a second.  And since they are not expecting the next shot, it’s always fun catching them off guard.  9 times out of 10, I prefer these shots to the initial ones because they look less “posey” and the emotions and expressions are genuine. And after a few “fake-outs”, the smiles and laughs come easily and without any trickery. Here are a few examples:

•When I ask to take pictures of my family or friends,  I often get over-the-top facial expression because they’re secretly thinking “not another one”!  I get it, so this technique is perfect for those occasions!  I find that the shot immediately after – the one they’re not expecting – is much more natural and relaxed.•Most couples I encounter feel a bit bashful kissing in public…so of course I make them do it! But I don’t just do it for kicks, it leads to some cute “post-kissing” reactions (like this one of fellow blogger Chavonne and her hubby), which I enjoy capturing!

•Sometimes the only way to get your subject to smile naturally is to make them do something silly and out of the ordinary. In this case, getting my brother (who like most 13 year old boys hates being in front of the camera) to take a picture with a silly hat.  The “embarrassed laugh” is always fun to capture.So what are you waiting for?!  Dust off your camera and start surprising people for those gorgeous smiles!