How to Smile while taking a photo

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The first rule when smiling for a photo is don’t say “cheese”. Because when you say the “ee” sound, your mouth will widen making the smile unnatural and it’s best to say a word that ends in “uh” like “panda” (panda) or “banana” (banana). ). If you want more information and tips on creating a beautiful, genuine smile in front of the camera, read on.

Table of Contents

Practice styling

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Smile with your eyes. When smiling for a photo, the worst mistake is to smile like a jack-o-lantern: only teeth, no eyes. For a smile to look genuine, you have to use your eyes and create a Duchenne smile. A true Duchenne smile will be genuine and natural because it’s hard to get the muscles around your eyes to work unless you have something to laugh at for real.

Look in the mirror to see the difference. Do your facial expressions look sadder when you don’t smile with your eyes?
When smiling for a photo, pretend to be smiling at someone you love. Your eyes will reflexively narrow and your smile will look genuinely beautiful.

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Exposing teeth. You don’t have to smile to show all your teeth, but showing a few teeth when smiling will make your face brighter. Just show your upper teeth, instead of laughing with all your teeth exposed. It’s okay if you like pursed lips, but your expression will look more serious than others in the picture.

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Find your best angle. Looking straight at the camera and facing up is not the type of beauty most people have. It blurs the beauty and the face will look distorted in the photo. Instead, show off your jawline by tilting your head slightly to one side. If you have a “nice” angle – the angle where your strokes are all good – point it towards the camera.

Although showing off the angle of the face will make the photo look better, overdoing it can make it look fake. Just make your face slightly tilted at an angle that looks natural.
If possible, stand slightly lower than the camera, so that it is facing you down instead of up.

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Bring your face level with the camera. If you put your face down, the shape of the face will be distorted. If you lift your face up and stick your chin out, it looks like you’re trying to hide the tuft under your chin. The most natural position for the face is to keep it level with the camera as if you were about to talk to it.

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Say a word that ends in “uh”. Photographers often prompt the person being photographed to say “cheese”, but it often creates “cheesy” photos for two reasons. First, the “ee” sound causes the mouth to relax unnaturally, making the smile look fake. Second, your smile isn’t genuine unless you’re really happy and when it comes to cheese, people over 8 often get annoyed. So what’s the solution? Think of something that you like and that ends in “uh”. Saying the “uh” sound causes the lips to create a natural smile. Also, thinking about something you enjoy helps to make your smile look natural. Doing both at the same time will help you create the best expression! ^{[1] X Research Source}

For example, if you like a person named Elijah, think of that person and say their name when smiling for a photo. Any person, place or thing works, as long as it puts a smile on your face every time you think about it.

Make your smile bright

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Take good care of your teeth. A beautiful smile is formed from feeling confident about your appearance. If your teeth aren’t clean, you don’t want to show them to everyone. Remember to brush and floss to clean your teeth and scrape the tartar regularly to keep your teeth bright and beautiful. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Whiten teeth with teeth whitening. If your teeth are yellow or discolored, teeth whitening will help you smile more confidently. It is not necessary to choose expensive teeth whitening methods. You can whiten your teeth in just a few minutes with natural teeth whitening methods. Here’s how to do it:

Clean teeth with hydrogen peroxide. This is a natural, safe whitening agent that helps to whiten teeth.
Brush your teeth with baking soda. Put some baking soda on your toothbrush or make a paste with baking soda and water and brush your teeth. However, do not do it often because it will remove the enamel layer.

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Coloring lipstick makes teeth white like pearls. Some lipstick colors make teeth look less dull and make them look whiter. You can enhance your smile by applying one of these lipstick colors before taking the photo:

Deep red: This color contrasts with the teeth, making them stand out.
Color with blue background. They reduce the yellowness of teeth.
Avoid lipsticks with orange and yellow tones. These colors make teeth yellow and make the smile look faint. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

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Moisturises lips. Smiling with dry or chapped lips can be intimidating and the photo won’t look good as a result. Exfoliate your lips with a facial scrub and apply lip balm or lip gloss to keep them in good condition. When you smile, you won’t need to worry about your lips.

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Makeup to contour the smile. Applying foundation, blush, and bronzer will contrast your smile and make it stand out more. Choose a makeup shade that matches your skin tone. Teeth will look whiter but you have to be careful when using dark makeup that makes you look tanned.

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Be confident with what you have. Smile not to look perfect, but to be happy and confident. Your face will be more beautiful if you show confidence and relaxation. Worrying too much about how your face will appear and you will look stressed or upset in the photo. Remember to relax, think of something fun and you will get a good photo.

Handling difficult situations

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Practice in front of the mirror. If you’re going to a photo-shooting event and you’re worried about appearing stiff in your photos, take the time to practice smiling first. Look in the mirror, find your best angle and the number of teeth that you should show. Don’t forget to smile with your eyes. When you find a smile you like, notice how it feels on your face so you can recreate it comfortably.

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Feel what it feels like to laugh for real. If you’re worried that your facial expressions when taking photos often look fake, pay attention to how you feel when you actually laugh – like when someone makes you laugh or your favorite comedy makes you laugh out loud . Ask yourself the following questions to help you “remember” what it feels like to laugh for real:

What is the feeling in your head when you really laugh? Try creating that feeling when you’re in front of the camera.
Which angle makes your face most natural? If possible, look in the mirror before you smile and make a mental note of your genuine smile. When taking photos, try to create the angle of your face that gives you the best smile.

Advice

Relax. A photo cannot capture a real smile if you look stiff and dignified.
Think of something fun that makes you laugh.

Things you need

Yourself
Photographer or someone taking pictures for you

Steps

Practice styling

Make your smile bright

Handling difficult situations

Advice

Things you need

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