[part of the Monday for Moms blog series – small tips and tricks that will make big changes in photos of your children]

It’s the age old adage… everyone should “say cheese!” just before someone snaps the shutter of a camera.  Once kids are a little older they learn that there’s no need to actually say cheese, but just to smile.  While saying “cheese” does help get a decent smile out of a small child, I often hear parents say “Not that smile! Your pretty smile!” or “Your real smile!”  So today, let’s talk about letting go of this old tradition to help get some more natural smiles out of your children.

Joke. Laugh. Play.  How do you make your children laugh at home?  This is the best way while taking pictures, too!  Inside jokes, silly dances, and little tickles are all great ways to elicit some real smiles from your children.

If I ever ask a child to say something, I choose something exciting or funny.  My goal is not to capture the image when the children are saying the phrase, but just after, once they’ve thought for a second about what they’ve said.  The number one favorites with my own children are “say chicken nuggets” or “chocolate chip cookies” or best of all “ice cream!”  Silly things like “purple polka dotted pumpkin” are all great starting points, too!

So don’t be afraid to ditch “say cheese” for something that will get some natural smiles out of your children.  The laughs are what you’re really after, anyway! 🙂

Happy shooting! 🙂