No Cheese Please: Fake smile just don’t cut it. I’d rather have a non smiling serious family portrait of a child than a fake smiling one.
I work hard to make sure that children I’m photographing are relaxed and having fun at my sessions. Relaxed kids will smile and laugh. Two words that are not allowed during my sessions are No! and Smile or say Cheeeeeze {okay that’s three}!
When you ask a child to smile it is forced and what they end up doing is contorting their face, showing lots of gum line and exposing all their teeth. They are actually using a completely different set of facial muscles when they smile for real. In my book, natural expression and a child’s laughter trumps a fake made up smile every time. Think about it. We actually laugh with our bodies. The face lights up with energy, heads tilt back a bit, cheek muscles contract even your tummy gets involved in a good laugh.