Friday Photo Tip | Don’t Say Cheese

It's the go-to: "Say Cheese for Mommy!" But this week I'm here to share that in my experience this yields unnatural, eye-squinting, fake smiles. Here are some much more effective ways I've found to get TRUE smiles from your kids in photos:

"Say Pizza!" - yields an open eye, and slightly open mouth (more natural) smile

"On the count of three I want you to say, POOP!"
(If you're ok with bathroom words, this one ALWAYS gets a kid to laugh!)

Same as the above, but substitute "boogers" or "toe cheese"

And finally, this one works for slightly older kids (grade-school age):
"Now, when I take your picture, don't you DARE smile. Nope, not even a little. Don't EVEN think about it!"
(They can never help themselves! 😂)