Smile for the camera, hon!!!
Yep. We've all done it. We're trying to be helpful.
It's... not.
As much as I appreciate the effort (really, I do!), asking a kiddo to smile or "say cheese" can actually make my job harder. And here's why.
As a photographer, my job is to capture genuine moments and expressions. I do all sorts of bizarre things to get the photo I want, but asking a child to "smile for the camera" frequently accomplishes the dreaded camera smile.
You know the one.
This sweet little girl is doing her very best to follow instructions.
She is doing nothing wrong. She clearly was instructed to smile. It's not her fault that she doesn't know how. Lots of kids--and even some adults-- don't know how to do this!
But BE HONEST. Would you, as a parent, want this photo? Does this look like your child when they see a water slide on a hot day, or their grandma at the airport? Nope. I don't think so.
By the way, this is the image you would get with a traditional school portrait. Just sayin'.
I don't know about you, but I much prefer this one.
I can't remember what I had to do to get her to loosen up, but it definitely wasn't asking her to smile! My trick is to ACTUALLY be goofy or talk about something they love and THEN kids smile.
Sometimes all I have to say is, "Did your mommy get you dressed today? You look BEAUTIFUL." And the thought of their mom lights them up. Isn't that sweet?
Wouldn't you rather have that?
Here's a little guy who came in with a camera smile, and to get him to relax and I asked him for his grumpy face.
Hah! How's THAT for reverse psychology?!
It wasn't long before he cracked.
Until soon, I got what I wanted.
(And mom did, too)
A real smile.
His mom told me later that they had NEVER gotten a school portrait of him with a true smile.
Hmm, I wonder why?!
This all takes patience and a LOT of intentionality. And when you only have a few minutes to spend on each child (as with school photography), it can be hard to coax it out of them. Especially if they're frozen with their camera smile because they think that's what they're SUPPOSED to do.
So the moral of the story is this...
If you practice with your child at home (which I totally think you should do), don't ask them to smile for the camera.
Instead, talk about how silly Naomi is and then be silly yourself.
Make a fart noise or talk about boogers.
You know, stuff kids laugh at.
😉
Have fun with it and your photos will thank you.
Do YOU want a beautiful portrait of your child that only takes 5 minutes?
Because I would love to give that to you.
👇👇👇
Naomi Boyer
Naomi has been a mom for 15 years and a professional photographer since 2019. She combines her love of all things joyful, beautiful, and artistic in her eye for photography.
She's here for the real moments but she also understands we need a little help getting there sometimes. She will never leave you hanging but promises to assist you every step of the way.
