Recently I posted a photo on a social networking site & got an impressive response (surprised!). Many of the positive comments we about my toothy smile. This got me thinking whether smiling for a camera is kind of a reflexive action for me. Just like how you close your eyes when you sneeze or cover your mouth when you cough. You spot a camera & you smile. Many times I go on to realise that I’m not even in the frame while I try to flash my best smile.
Why this obsession? I believe it’s a girl thing. I had an evening out last weekend with my 3 year old friend (actually very good friends’ daughter). Even at that age she knew how to perfectly pose for pictures. The smile & poses came so naturally that she could very well be a model. In contrast, my son has never stood still for a click even as he is about to turn 10 this year! There is this urgency to see the outcome. So before the camera can go ‘click’, he runs across to me, to see the picture, which usually is just a blur..
Another thing that I then noticed are the different types of smiles that people have.. I tend to flash my entire set every time, all the time. There is no other way for me. But then there are other types too, like, a no smile can actually be an internal smile that has not come onto the lips & remains in the eyes. A reluctant smile that only shows on the lips but not in the eyes. Then there is this side grin that seems to say, I know what you are up to (you know, the one with the arched eyebrows).. There is another closed full smile with no teeth showing… As if the entire set will fall off if displayed 🙂
This is what gets me to think, ‘where are your teeth when you smile’
Isra 