Not all of us can whip out a natural smile on demand, especially when one is under the unwavering gaze of a camera lens. Also frustrating is trying to tempt decent grins from family or mates when taking a shot yourself. Fortunately, there are a few tips you can carry along in your mental camera bag for such occasions.
Pleated Jeans’ Jeff Wysaski provides us with the above video, which contains a number of steps to ensure your smile does not inadvertently stray into the Uncanny Valley. Tidbits include avoiding the word “cheese”, thinking of something funny and relaxing your face, with each tip interspersed with gags.
Not mentioned in the video, though useful nonetheless, is keeping your eyes open while the shutter is doing its thing. Wysaski has you covered here as well, sharing the following piece of advice in the video’s comments:
Close your eyes and have the photographer count to three before taking the photo. Open them on three. Better tip: pull back eyelids with packing tape.
While you might want to stay away from the tape, the first part is actually an excellent idea, unless you’re incredibly narcoleptic.
[YouTube, via Laughing Squid]