“Cheese,” “pickles,” “pony,” and “pizza;” those are just some of the many words my dad used to force my brothers and I to say in order to get us to smile before snapping a photo. Personally, I don’t find any of the words to be particularly funny, though one’s mouth does contort into a forced grin of sorts when exaggerating the syllables.
If you are a parent, then you know the lengths you’ll go to trying to get your kid to smile for the camera. Unfortunately, a forced smile never looks as good as a natural one. I know this all too well as my 7-year-old refuses to smile on demand. Consequently, I constantly have to come up with new approaches to get her to flash her pearly whites. If I really need her to turn it on, I’ll dig through a joke book before aiming the camera in her direction. Other times I employ the help of family members or friends. Typically, I can get one of them to do something silly while I snap portraits of my daughter. The rest of the time I simply resort to candid shots whereby I capture her smiling naturally in a variety of different scenarios.
Snapping shots of kids doesn’t have to be a chore if you infuse the photo session with fun. Children will smile brightly if you surround them with items they love. Knowing this you can plan ahead when taking pictures of young kids. Have a bunch of toys or amusing props on hand during your shoot. Another idea is to display photos of other kids smiling and having a good time. This will give your pint-sized subjects an idea of what you are looking to capture during your session. I would also suggest having some snacks and drinks available. After all, a few bribes can go a long way when taking pictures of squirmy kids.
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