You may have found it’s really hard to get natural smiles from your kids in photos, especially being the generation that has been brought up being photographed by their parents at every turn with their phone cameras! Parents often fall back on the old “say cheese!”, but this often gives a fake-looking smile, and is more a show of teeth. I have a few tricks up my sleeve in my Toowoomba photo sessions to help get natural smiles and genuine expressions from children (and adults!)

1. Say anything BUT cheese

Kids love to say silly things, so get them to say anything BUT “cheese”! Monkey butts, chocolate, pineapple head…. whatever your child’s sense of humour is.

2. Jumping Competition

Kids love being competitive with each other. Ask them who can jump the highest!

3. Walk and talk

Often I get families to “walk and talk”……they don’t have to be talking about anything in particular. It might just be “rhubarb, rhubarb”, which also brings lots of smiles. When kids have a task to do, eg “walk from that tree to me”, they relax and you will see more natural expressions.

4. Play Simon Says

The genius of this is…..you can get them to do whatever you want!

“Simon says: Hug your sister!” Snap!

Another option is to get them to copy what you do. The possibilities of this one are endless!

5. Let them be kids

Let your kids lead you in what is fun for them. If they love riding their bike, photograph that. If they love dancing, that will bring a smile to their face. Let them climb a tree or build Lego. Whatever they love doing, is what you should use as your inspiration. They will be more relaxed, and so will you!

I hope this has given you some ideas to try with your children to get some beautiful natural smiles. At Belle Images sessions in Toowoomba, I try to make the photo sessions  as playful as possible, so they are enjoyable for everyone. For more information about sessions, click here. If you would like to have a chat about what you have in mind for your family session, email me Angela@belleimages.com.au

Angela