I think forcing kids to smile in photos is weird. amirite?

If the kids aren't in the mood for hugs, do a hand hug! It has really made holiday goodbyes so much easier. Just put your hand up to their like you're giving a high five then wrap your thumb around theirs. Its good to give options "do you want a hug or a hand hug?" And if they hesitate, move to "or we could do a high five or a fist bump."

by Severe-County 1 day ago

It's better if the photographer has a natural patter that gets kids to smile naturally, but that's a gift

by Anonymous 1 day ago

LOL. This reminds me of when I was told to smile for a school photograph in elementary school, and I wasn't really paying attention, so I didn't smile right away. Then the photographer's assistant said, "Oh, she has BRACES! So she's self-conscious about them. That's why she's not showing her teeth." And I remember thinking, "Wait, that's a reason to be self-conscious? Ok, I guess I'm self-conscious about them now..."

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I hate toothy smiles. Animals show teeth when they threaten, not when they are happy

by New-Education-4196 1 day ago

have you never naturally smiled with teeth? its a natural human reaction to happiness lol

by No_Cat 1 day ago

I show teeth when laughing but for photos I don't hold teethy grimace, i just look neutral. Taking photos takes time. Teeth flashing smile is spontainous. It looks unnatural when multiple people are flashing teeth in photos. It's a grimace not smile

by New-Education-4196 1 day ago

nah, just thinking of people i love right now is making me smile with teeth.

by Anonymous 1 day ago

I smile mostly with my eyes.

by New-Education-4196 1 day ago

I hated smiling in photos when I was a kid and still do now

by domenickdaniel 1 day ago

Never been able to do it, and when I do it always looks so artificial. Best photos I've had were where someone says something actually funny while taking the photo. Then I can laugh and smile naturally and the photo looks great. Otherwise, I've been told, "show your teeth!" While smiling for a photo, but it just ends up looking odd, because there's no glow, or happiness you get on your whole face when you genuinely smile or laugh.

by wolffemely 23 hours ago

I completely agree! This doesn't even necessarily mean to take the pic if the kid looks grumpy. But, if they want to superman pose or pull a silly face, or just smile neutrally that should be fine. If they're grumpy, you probably shouldn't take the picture since it's no longer a happy memory, anyways. I really do think if you have to force a kid to smile the way you want them to it'll always look awkward and the picture will still look bad. The amount of times i just wanted to mouth closed, neutral smile but was forced to give an awkward cheesy grin since i "didn't look happy enough" is way too many times. Things like that would take me out of the moment and keep me from actually enjoying the activity. I can't imagine how much worse it is nowadays with parents wanting to film and picture every little thing.

by Due-Mouse 23 hours ago

If you're just taking photos without "setting them up", then I agree: telling someone to smile is creating an artificial aspect to the scene. But if it's a photo where people are posing, then smiling is a typical cultural expression that conveys confidence, attractiveness, and/or approachability - so it's a default preliminary expression for most socially aware individuals.

by Anonymous 23 hours ago

We tell our kids to "show us their tiger teeth" and so now our home is filled with pictures of adorable snarling toddlers. Sometimes we even get lucky and get "the claws" for pictures.

by Impressive-Turn-4855 23 hours ago

You seem resentful of your friends who have kids. Do you think they have their kids smile in photos just to "show off" to you?

by schummobie 22 hours ago

Just wow. Who the hell wants photos of grumpy looking children?

by christophe75 22 hours ago

Major false equivalence. When you get told to smile for a picture, do you feel that you're being treated as a "toy" to be "re-arranged at will?" Or do you feel like it's because it'll make a nicer picture?

by Alvenakerluke 22 hours ago

Pictures are memories, especially of kids. They will only be that age for so long, so bet your sweet ass I'm gonna do whatever I can to get a good, happy picture to match the tone of a happy memory.

by Alvenakerluke 21 hours ago

Is it a happy memory though, if you need to force a smile? I think natural photos are better than posed ones.

by Typical-Scientist 21 hours ago

Yup. Like if you catch the person laughing/smiling... cool. Multiple people grimacing? That ain't it. Especially since kids tend to overdo it and just look weird

by New-Education-4196 21 hours ago

Yeah, except instead of a happy memory you just have a memory of how you are forced to display an emotion you were not feeling.

by Treutelpaula 21 hours ago

i think candid photos are the only acceptable kind

by Anonymous 21 hours ago

I've never been able to smile naturally for a photo. It's been a big struggle and it's something I'm still insecure about. I prefer to smile without teeth as I think it looks more natural.

by jude76 21 hours ago

One of my nephews hates when we tell him to smile, so we let him have a serious face. He's a twin, so for some reason that makes everything funnier. My niece will gladly fake smile all day, so it makes a lot of the photos of events we take mismatched and it cracks me up. My sister and mom sometimes are slightly annoyed, but it's not that serious, so we let him be him. Plus we have like a million candid photos of him smiling and they're great anyway lol.

by Anonymous 20 hours ago

In all my photos from the 70s (when I was a child who was told to smile) you can tell it was the result of someone saying "smile!" before they clicked.

by ivy37 20 hours ago

Also unless your kid has 4 legs and fur, nobody wants to see them that isn't related to you. That's the bigger travesty.

by Anonymous 20 hours ago

Why do you think this only applies to kids? Don't you think adults shouldn't be told to smile in photos either?

by Anonymous 19 hours ago