Genuine smiles in children in photo sessions can result in our most cherished portraits in the long run. I enjoy the age of kids where they have not yet become self-conscious in front of a camera. They talk, they play, and they express themselves in wonderful fun ways. Laughter comes more easily and natural. Sometimes a small prompt can go a long way with a zillion happy expressions and actions to follow.

During a photography session genuine smiles, giggles, and laughter usually create the most enduring images. In our culture today, children often encounter parents telling them to smile at the iPhone camera so fake smiling faces get learned at early ages. To get the most authenticity from children in a photo session we have to find ways around the stiff fake smiles they already know how to give.

Ideas to Encourage Authentic Smiles in Children in Photo Sessions

Normally we want to have some plans in place to help kids have more natural authentic smiles during their photo sessions. Here are a few ideas that can help:

Laughter, Giggles, and Games

1. Tell the kids or the family to giggle. Never use the word smile. When you giggle, you breathe and you avoid the fake teethy grins that often bring you doubled chins. Tell the kids to giggle at someone’s specific feature like “Giggle at your brother’s nose.” It helps them look directly at someone’s face and the idea of giggling at someone’s nose is actually kind of funny and naturally giggles will actually occur.
2. Laughter is contagious. One of the most effective ways for children to enjoy laughing and smiling during a portrait session comes from the laughter of dad if the whole family comes and participates together in the session. From my experiences, a dad that brings laughter to a session never seems to fail in resonating a contagion of joy and laughter from kids.
3. Play a game of Simon Says and one of the commands from Simon the photographer is to repeat a pattern of laughter. Like, “Simon says laugh like Santa or laugh like one of Santa’s elves!” This works great especially in December for authentic smiles in children in their portrait sessions.

Words and Rhymes

1. Say “Kimchi!” One of the oldest tricks in the books in English is to tell everyone to say “Cheese!” But different cultures have their own words. Koreans like to say, “Kimchi” (Kim-chee) to get people to look like they are smiling. So use that idea and find funny words that end in a long e sound that make you giggle when you say them. Everyone pretend they are coming down the roller coaster and shout “WHEEEEEE!”
2. If they know some nursery rhymes, start a well known one and ask them to say it with you but suddenly change up the words to make them stare at you. It makes their eyes widen and they may break out in a smile when they realize what you’ve done.

Songs and Stories

1. For younger kids I like to think of a funny well known or popular kids song to sing. For this to work it helps if the parents and family don’t participate but remain quietly smiling and listening. This way, the song coming from the photographer draws the listening attention of the child causing them to look in your direction to listen better and pull them into singing along. Let the song be the only sound the kid hears. Parents talking on the side can distract so everyone has to understand its purpose for it to work. I like to use funny songs by Raffi. “Down by the Bay” is a favorite. The ridiculously silly rhymes can spike authentic smiles in children in photo sessions even if they are very young.
2. Some kids will laugh and smile easily if all you do is ask them to tell you a story of something they did recently. Children in preschool often tell tales that mix reality with imagination and their faces will change into 50 some different expressions from wide eyes to crazy smiles in a matter of a minute if you let them share their tales. When you hear the imagined portion of the tale getting created, inquire for more. The faces will begin to bring more smiles and grins because they have reached the fun stage of their storytelling.

Practical Planning

1. Help kids be rested and fed before the session begins. Have a snack ready but eat before the session so they don’t have crumbs in their teeth during the session.
2. Have a plan for a fun “reward” afterwards for great participation during the photo session.
3. Plan an eventful relaxing day with the family the day of the session combining a dinner out to a favorite restaurant with the portrait session at a place that the family can enjoy even when the session has ended. A session at the beach could include a reward of looking for seashells afterwards. (During summer sessions, eat out before the session. During the winter, eat out after the session.)

Things to Avoid to Prevent Tears and Frowns in Kids Faces

No matter how much we try to bring genuine laughter and authentic smiles from kids in portrait sessions, we need to be aware of things we do that can cause it all to fail. Here are a few tips of things to avoid:

1. Avoid arguments, threats, or punishments on the way to or during the session unless it is a matter of a child’s safety. Harsh words usually produce frowns, tears, and sour countenances that prove difficult to lift.
2. Toys and items in the car that children have addictions to may prove difficult to pull away from your child just before a session. Avoid bringing the iPad or playing video games before a session. Stopping them suddenly to go to a session might be hard to explain to some kids.
3. Make sure the whole family is on board. If one older person or parent is unhappy about coming to the session, then children will share the feelings.

So Let’s Work Together

Your portrait session should result in the creation of fun memories and beautiful endearing images to last a lifetime. Invest in the whole experience. The smiles, giggles, and laughter from the children provides a priceless reward in the portraits from your photo session. If you want to know more about scheduling a photo session for you and your kids, please send me a message. You can contact me here.

Read more about planning a family portrait session.