{"id":720,"date":"2010-10-15T17:49:37","date_gmt":"2010-10-15T22:49:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bumblejax.com\/content\/digital-photography-tips\/how-to-get-those-natural-smiling-photos\/"},"modified":"2018-08-02T10:45:34","modified_gmt":"2018-08-02T15:45:34","slug":"how-to-get-those-natural-smiling-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bumblejax.com\/content\/how-to-get-those-natural-smiling-photos\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Get Those Natural Smiling Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"

Make \u2018Em Smile!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"smiling<\/a> You\u2019ve seen them\u2026 screaming, unhappy children being forced to sit on Santa Claus\u2019 or the Easter Bunny\u2019s lap, the parents convinced that even the look of unrelenting horror on their kids\u2019 faces will make for a fun holiday memory. Luckily, kids don\u2019t often react like that when we\u2019re taking pictures of them elsewhere, when there\u2019s not a big, scary creature in a fuzzy suit looming over them. That\u2019s why getting kids, and adults, to smile in pictures is easier than you may think!<\/p>\n

Many people automatically freeze into a \u201csmile\u201d pose when they see a camera come out, making the picture look artificial and uncomfortable. Kids may get that wide, gum-showing grimace that looks like someone just may be poking them in the back with a stick. Believe it or not, the best pictures don\u2019t happen when you say, \u201cSmile!\u201d<\/p>\n

The easiest way to get a loose, natural smile on your subject is to make them comfortable. This can include telling them a joke you know they\u2019ll appreciate or even having them do something goofy before you take the shot. Some photographers like to have the entire crowd say something silly or take an \u201cangry\u201d picture first. When they drop the pose, they\u2019re more likely to start laughing. Give them a few seconds to simmer down a tiny bit, and shoot the picture while they still have those signs of happiness in their face, cheeks, and eyes.<\/p>\n

The toughest nut to crack can be an angry child who doesn\u2019t want to have his or her picture taken. I have danced. That\u2019s right, I have shaken my booty in front of kids to make them laugh, and it\u2019s worked every time. Sometimes, photographers have no shame if it means they\u2019re going to get a great shot.<\/p>\n

When all else fails, engage your subject in a conversation that will bring them to their happy place. If your subject is a teenager, ask them if they saw the latest viral video. If it\u2019s an adult, talk to them about where they\u2019re going on vacation last year. For older subjects, ask about grandchildren and what they\u2019re doing during retirement. Remember, people are always more comfortable having a conversation than being told to yell, \u201cCheese!\u201d<\/p>\n

Once you get a really great shot, everyone is smiling, their eyes are open, there are no bunny ears being given in the background, consider doing something really unique with the picture. Whether it\u2019s your own family or friends, or a client you\u2019re shooting for, consider getting it BumbleJaxed! These little touches will make your pictures stand out from the rest.<\/p>\n

Everyone say, \u201cFromage!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Make \u2018Em Smile! You\u2019ve seen them\u2026 screaming, unhappy children being forced to sit on Santa Claus\u2019 or the Easter Bunny\u2019s lap, the parents convinced that even the look of unrelenting horror on their kids\u2019 faces will make for a fun holiday memory. Luckily, kids don\u2019t often react like that when we\u2019re taking pictures of them […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-digital-photography-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumblejax.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumblejax.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumblejax.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumblejax.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumblejax.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumblejax.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/720\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumblejax.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumblejax.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumblejax.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}