Is your smile sincere or just polite?

[Jenny22]

The eyes have it. In the photos forum, people will often praise a sincere smile, and rightly so, as it will also involve the smile of the eyes and light up the entire face! Do you agree? How would you describe your smile?

[Robertacd]

Well it depends on if I am actually smiling because I feel good or I am smiling just because I am getting my picture taken.

BTW: This is one of the reasons I hate getting my picture taken, I can't just turn it on and smile like everything is wonderful in my world.

[Davina Katherine]

I just avoid smiling. My friends are always telling to me smile.
Like Roberta says, if its one of those "smile!" for the camera smiles, it will look bad or smirky.

[Teresa]

Jenny ,
Without doubt it's true , as a photographer I had to work very hard at time to get someone to smile and hopefully naturally , I saw so many pictures spoiled because people just refused to smile . I never have a problem smiling , as a child I was told I looked miserable when I didn't smile .

[Aunt Kelly]

Some of us just have RBF (https://tinyurl.com/y3eskhcz). We were born this way. :straightface:

[EmilySmith]

My sister was trying to get her middle school daughters to smile for a professional photographer, to no avail, nothing but fake "say cheese" smile. Then my sister, from behind the photographer's back, flashed the girls her bra. They broke into huge smiles and giggles. To this day, that was the best family picture taken, and a fun story to tell.

[docrobbysherry]

Mmmm, painted on?:brolleyes:

[Charlotte Haynes]

My smiles on my pics (not avatar obvs) are fake, painted on ones. My natural smile is more of a smirk.

[Leslie Mary S]

I smile, but sometimes it just doesn't take. My studio smile is almost like my real smile.

[Teresa]

Emily ,
I discovered no one is too old for a " Teddy bear " . My trick if I was taking a family portrait , I would use along cable release and pretend " Winnie the Pooh " had climbed up the tripod and was looking through the camera to take the pictures , it worked time and time again . From that if I split a family up , while taking the children I would ask one of the parents to look through the camera , while they were doing that I would gently wave a teddy bear over their heads , kids love me making fun of the parents and always got the results . I really could write a book when I think of the tricks I had to use in my thirty years .

[Connie D50]

I just said it in one of todays post, of course there our times when your picture is taken and a smile isn't necessary. Most of the time the camera comes out when your feeling good, having a good time, and special events. Your looking great feeling great why not smile. :):o:battingeyelashes::daydreaming::heehee::love:: 2c:

[Cheryl T]

My smile I would call posed most of the time.
I laugh and smile all the time, but when I try to do it for the camera I feel awkward. That's why I have the wife take my photos now and I just do whatever and talk to her and she snaps them candidly. My smile is more natural that way and I'm happier with the results.

[Stephanie47]

I think a genuine smile has to be spontaneous. Most of the time when someone tells me a joke, whether it is a good one or a bad one, I don't even crack a smile. They'll ask whether I thought it was funny or not because they thought I should have smiled. That is not how it works with me. I will tell them if I thought it was humorous or not, but a don't need to give out a good belly laugh to enjoy a good joke. A positive appreciation of something involves all the features of the face; lips, eyes, muscles.

Aunt Kelly (#5) Thanks for the link. I never heard that phrase. I'll have to remember it.

[Star01]

This thread reminds me of the seventeen years I spent as a part time racing photographer. Imagine a driver, owner, sponsors and family all lined up in front of a race car and trying to get the whole dozen or so that smile and make eye contact in victory lane.

Getting photo subjects to smile, even if it's just one crossdresser, is not my favorite task anymore.

[Crissy 107]

Some of us just have RBF (https://tinyurl.com/y3eskhcz). We were born this way. :straightface:

Pretty funny! I do know someone like that.

[kimdl93]

If I smile, its usually sincere, provided there isn?t a camera involved.

[Jenny22]

Roberta, you CAN turn it on with a nice smile. Just think, "Roberta loves hot pants." You'll smile!

[DanielleDubois]

Polite, sincere, smirk, or grin , Hey I'm happy when I have any kind of smile in my photos as opposed to the unhappy look I seem to have in 90% of my Danielle photos. I do find I am finding more natural smiles in frame captures from videos compared to posed photos.

[GracieRose]

I never smiled for pictures because I found that it always looked fake, so I stopped trying.
I figured out that I shouldn't try to smile, but think of something pleasant and let the natural smile show through.
When taking pictures of children, I try to do or say something unexpected to get a natural laugh out of the group being photographed. This often produces authentic smiles.

[candykowal]

....How would you describe your smile?

I do agree the eyes help confirm the happiness in the smile. I would define my smile as "Playful Glee!"

[Marianne S]

It can be hard to summon up a truly natural smile. Telling people to "say cheese" doesn't work because it only involves the mouth. Some photographers have had better luck by telling people to say "Money" instead. The prospect of profit makes the face light up in delight.

I had never heard of "RBF" before. I assume it means what Acronymfinder (https://www.acronymfinder.com/RBF.html) says it means?

[Fran Moore]

I believe that a genuine smile, especially with a laugh is heatwarming and good for the soul. Oftentimes these are just spontaneous, so I agree that it's hard to fake a genuine smile, and not all people are "smilers". Certain conditions or even dispostitions make it hard to summon a smile oftentimes, or even hardly ever. I find that it's especially rewarding if you can exchange sincere smiles with a person who rareley smiles at all. It's also been my observation that women smile a lot more than men, and for me, I am made at ease with a person who is smiling.

My smile is usually sincere, but at times can also be polite, and nothing makes my eyes smile more then my grandkids....

[Marianne S]

My smile is usually sincere, but at times can also be polite, and nothing makes my eyes smile more then my grandkids....

You have a lovely smile in that photo. So did Candy Kowal before you, and many other members here.

[SaraLin]

My face isn't built for smiling... at least not the "showing-teeth" kind of smile.
If I try, it comes out looking more like I'm grimacing in pain.

[Crissy 107]

I think it just depends on my mood as to whether it is forced or not. Catch me when I am happy and I have a pretty good smile.

[Kandi Robbins]

After my self-acceptance a few years back, dressing brings me tremendous joy. I have taken thousands of photos, smiling in every single one of them.

My smile is 100% sincere.

[Patience]

Is your smile sincere or just polite?

Yes.

5678

[BrendaPDX]

Yes, the eyes are the window to the sole! I always try to have a sincere smile in my pictures.

[NancySue]

Eye contact and a sincere smile. It?s amazing how many smiles are returned....mostly from other women.

[Territx]

I smile in almost 100% of my pictures as well - and it is sincere, as I am almost always happy to have the opportunity to get dressed. Plus, I am usually "not happy" with my pictures where I am not smiling - so then I am not smiling when I see those pictures! A vicious cycle which is cured by smiling!!! :)

[Sheren Kelly]

I am no actor, so I cannot force a smile, but when I prepare for a picture, I recall a good memory or think positive thoughts to bring a true smile to my face.

[Jenny22]

A true smile isn't just teeth, but it also really includes the eyes! Look at Kandi Robins' smiles.She knows how to turn on! Kandi, share with the girls what you do and how you do it to get the brightness of your wonderful smiles.

[HollyGreene]

Smiling for photographs is a fairly modern day thing. If you look at old photographs (pre-1960s), hardly anyone is smiling.
I don't usually smile for photos, especially if the person behind the camera is taking a long time to take the shot.
I think a natural photo without a coerced smile is a much better record of the person. It tells you a whole lot more about the subject.

[Leslie Mary S]

Holding a smile for a long time is hard.