STOP SAYING CHEESE! AND SMILE NATURALLY.
Selfie Challenge Week 3
I’m standing in my girlfriend’s freshly redecorated apartment. She's excitedly telling me about “the most important person in her life,” positively glowing as she describes how everything feels so new, so exciting. Sure, she admits, not everything is perfect.“We’re all human,” she says with a laugh, waving the thought away.
I’m intrigued. Curious. Who is this person? What do they look like? Are they really as cool as she says?
She steps away to bring him in. My heart skips a beat.
He’s bald.
Then, slowly, he cracks the biggest smile I've ever seen—no teeth.
I get it now. Her baby isn’t just cute; he’s the cutest. That smile!
A couple of hours later, I’m back in my studio. My client walks in, sits down, and immediately confesses, “I don’t know how to smile in front of the camera. When I don’t try, my cheeks look huge. When I do try, I look like the overly attached girlfriend meme.”
Many photographers dismiss these concerns, trying to coax a smile with awkward jokes, uncomfortable comments, or worse—not even trying and just lazily telling clients to “say cheese.”
But I’ve been there. I know how it feels to struggle with feeling photogenic when everyone else seems to have figured it out. And it's not just professional photoshoots—it's selfies, group photos, solo pictures, everything.
Thinking about that baby’s effortless smile makes you wonder: When did we lose the magic? Why is it that babies flash heart-melting smiles without a thought, while adults don’t even know where to start?
Sure, innocence plays a part. But the real problem is this idea that smiling in front of a camera should somehow feel natural. People don’t want to admit it's a performance. Instead, we get empty phrases like:
“Just be yourself!”
“Be confident!”
“Your smile is your best accessory!”
Thanks, Karen. That’s about as helpful as a chocolate teapot.
After years of photographing people who “don’t know how to smile,” here’s what actually works:
First, accept that smiling for the camera isn't natural. It’s a skill. Like dancing or acting, it feels awkward at first, but once you practice enough, it becomes second nature.
Next, understand the key elements of a great smile, so you can replicate it consistently.
Finally, learn how to keep your smile fresh, especially when you need to hold it longer than usual.
Let’s get started.
This newsletter is part of the Selfie Workshop. We covered the basics here, how to find your angle here, and today we're diving into my smiling technique. This and all future workshop content is available exclusively to paid subscribers. If you're already a paid subscriber, keep reading! If not, upgrade your membership below for immediate access to actionable steps that will genuinely improve your photos.