The Power of a Smile!
The Power of a Smile in Portraits
How to capture a genuine, confident smile in your next portrait session.
Your smile is one of your most powerful assets. The right smile makes you look warm, confident, trustworthy, and approachable in any portrait. However, a forced or fake smile can have the opposite effect, appearing staged and off-putting.
Authentic smiles involve certain facial muscles that are hard to fake. Learning how to properly smile for portraits takes some practice but makes a tremendous impact. Follow these 10 tips to help capture a genuine, dazzling smile in your next photo shoot:
1. Relax Facial Muscles Beforehand
It’s hard to smile naturally if your face feels tense. Take a few minutes prior to your session to do some deep breathing exercises and relax your facial muscles. Smile easily when your face is relaxed. Gently massage your cheeks, lips, and temples to loosen up.
2. Think of Something Funny
Recall a hilarious movie scene, joke, or funny memory in your mind right before the photographer takes the shot. When something sparks that natural laughter, your smile will be genuine. Having an arsenal of humor stored up helps you smile on cue.
3. Lick Your Lips
Wet your lips by running your tongue along them right before smiling. This prevents a tight-lipped smile and loosens them up to show a relaxed, open-mouthed smile. Keep lip balm or gloss on hand to avoid chapped or sticking lips.
4. Show Some Teeth
Part your lips slightly to reveal your teeth when you smile. Many cultures find exposed teeth to signify honesty and openness. But avoid going overboard with a forced, toothy grin. Keep an air of mystique.
5. Squint Your Eyes a Bit
Allow your eyes to narrow and crow's feet to crease around them as you smile. This makes the smile more believable. If you open your eyes wide, it can look artificial. Keep your eyes relaxed.
6. Maintain Your Smile Between Shots
Once you have your perfect smile, hold it between shots! It takes more effort to restart a smile from a neutral expression versus holding it. Stay animated and think about what made you smile to begin with.
7. Take Candid Shots
The best smiles often happen when you aren’t paying attention. We will allow some time in your session for relaxed, candid shots alongside the posed ones. This allows natural laughter and real emotion to come out.
8. Show It in Your Eyes
Genuine “Duchenne” smiles go all the way up into your eyes - they involve the muscles around the eyes, like the orbicularis oculi. In research studies, Duchenne smiles were perceived by viewers as more trustworthy. Practice smiling with your whole face, not just your mouth. When your eyes light up, your joy is contagious.
9. Have Fun with It
Remember that smiling should be fun! Don’t take it too seriously during your session. Smile often and move around. The more smiles you take, the more likely you are to capture natural ones.
10. Trust an Expert to Help
With over twenty years of experience working with thousands of clients, we are ready to help your portrait session be the best ever. Relaxed, happy smiles and great experiences are what we deliver time and time again!
With practice, you can train your facial muscles to smile brightly, genuinely, and on cue. Your best smile communicates the real, confident you. Follow these tips to turn on the charm for any portrait session!