1) Never say cheese
The most difficult child for me to photograph is the one who has been trained to say cheese at the first sight of a camera. Saying cheese does not produce a natural smile, usually it results in a grimace that will not show your child at his or her best. Try giving your subject something to look happy about. Tell a joke or do something silly and you will probably get a lovely warm smile, maybe even a very natural laugh. You will find that not only will you get better results but your children will enjoy being photographed and won’t groan every time you get out the camera.
On our family shoots, parents sometimes get obsessed with having their children smile but when they come to view the pictures they often prefer the serious ones, where the child is looking deep in thought and not aware of the camera. Don’t underestimate the power of a serious or even a sad portrait. Try to capture all the moods of your child, much as you want them to look happy, they don’t go around all the time wearing a huge grin and certainly not saying cheese.
You don't always need a smile for a stiking image.
What is the best word to say?
By David Wallace at 5:41 am on Aug 22, 2008
I try to just say amusing things and depending on the age of the subject will even pull the occasional funny face. If I am really stuck, I will sometimes ask them to do the smallest smile in the world. This usually results in them bursting out laughing! My lovely assistant (wife Lesley) also has a range of tricks for the younger children.
By Ken at 4:58 pm on Aug 22, 2008