Some people naturally know how to take a great picture, and others struggle to look as happy as they actually are. If your smiles always come out looking forced, there are some simple steps you can take to show off your natural smile when the camera is on. In the guide below, we’ll show you how to nail a natural smile for photos so you can look your best every time.
Get A Smile You Can Be Confident About
If you’re not confident about the way your smile looks, you’re not going to want to show it off. Whether you have crooked teeth, discolored teeth, crowded teeth, or anything else along those lines, work with a cosmetic dentist to correct these issues before your next photo shoot. Something as simple as a teeth whitening session may be all you need to shine bright in all your photos.
Don’t Smile – Laugh
This is one of the oldest tricks in the books, but it works! Instead of smiling for your photos, try laughing. The cameraman may look at you funny at first, but the smiles you put out will come out much more natural in the long run. That’s why candid photography often turns out better than posed photography, because the subjects are acting the way they normally would with one another. Bring a friend along that makes you laugh, and see if you can get your giggles going while the photos are being taken.
Find Your Angle
Most of us don’t have a perfectly symmetrical smile. There is one part of our face that looks better on camera than another. Try taking pictures of yourself in the mirror from different angles until you find the position that best suits your smile. For instance, if your smile cocks to one side of your face, you may prefer a profile that has that half of your smile on it. Once you know how you like to see yourself in photos, you can try to orient your face like that in the future.
Don’t Hold Your Smile
If you are taking multiple pictures in a row, don’t hold your smile in place. Bring your mouth into a smile or laugh for each photo. Holding your smile will cause you to clinch your teeth or sag your face, which will not look natural. It may take a little longer to set up every shot, but you’ll get much better results this way.
Practice good oral hygiene, and you will have a gorgeous smile to show off in photos time and time again!