DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Seven tricks to help you smile naturally and look great in photos

Oct 18, 2017 by Dunja Djudjic 16 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

If you’re a portrait photographer, it’s useful to know how to make your models smile naturally. And when you are the person in front of the lens, you’ll see how difficult it is to make your smile look unforced. Mathieu Stern shares seven tips that will help the models smile. And of course, they’re also great for photographers when capturing self-portraits.

1. Close your eyes

If you’re feeling nervous, take a few seconds to relax. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and then open your eyes. You’ll feel calmer and smile more naturally.

2. Don’t say “cheese”

To be honest, I believe “cheese” should be used only to capture snapshots at kids’ birthday parties. If you’re posing for the shot, use a Hollywood trick and say “money” instead. This movement of the lips makes the smile look more natural. And, well, sometimes the thought of money can bring a smile to your face, too.

3. Relax your face and jaw muscles

When you’re nervous, it’s obvious on your face. Focus on your face and jaw muscles, and take a second or two to consciously relax them. The natural smile will come on its own.

4. Think about something that makes you happy

This is one of the oldest tricks to smile naturally. While posing for the shot, think about people or things that make you happy. Mathieu’s model thinks about ice cream and dogs, I’d totally go with that, too.

5. Get goofy

Another great technique to get relaxed is to get a little crazy. Mathieu suggests making “motorboat sounds” with your lips or shaking your head. You can also do your favorite silly dance, sing something… Whatever makes you feel happy. This way, you’ll relax and stop focusing on the camera.

6. Imagine someone you like behind the lens

Similar to thinking about something that makes you happy, you can also imagine someone who does it. Imagine this person taking a photo of you. In Mathieu’s model’s case, this imaginary “person” is Sponge Bob Squarepants. If you ask me, I’d definitely smile if I imagined my favorite cartoon character taking a photo of me.

7. Ask the photographer to tell a joke

If you need a “smile boost” (let’s call it that way), you can ask a photographer to tell a joke. Or, what I think could be even better – you can take a short break to tell a joke yourself. This will loosen you up, and encourage the photographer to also tell a joke – which will make you laugh or smile.

When I’m taking self-portraits, they’re usually moody, so there’s no need for making myself smile. But, sometimes I need the smile for the shot. In such rare cases, I remember some funny situation or listen to the songs that never fail to make me laugh (such as this one or this one). Are there any tricks you use to smile naturally in photos? Feel free to share them in the comments below.

[7 TIPS that Will Make You SMILE Naturally on every PHOTOS | Mathieu Stern]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

10 tips for getting kids to smile naturally in photos – secrets from a children’s photographer Five ways to get people to smile naturally in photos 7 tricks that will make anyone smile and give you more natural portraits These tips will help get great landscape photos at any time of day

Filed Under: Tutorials Tagged With: Mathieu Stern, portrait photography, Smile

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.net

About Dunja Djudjic

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

« “I’m Back” is a digital back for old 35mm film cameras
Microsoft’s new Surface Book 2 is a monster for creatives on-the-go with up to 17 hours battery life »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Here’s a bullet time video booth you can build yourself
  • Ricoh has discontinued the HD PENTAX-DA 21mm F3.2AL Limited silver lens
  • This “stellar flower” unravels the twilight’s evolution in 360 degrees
  • Strobes vs Continuous LEDs – Which is right for you?
  • Wave goodbye to Apple’s My Photo Stream next month

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy