As a general rule, people who are unaware that they are being photographed make the best smiles. However, capturing these brief moments can be difficult. You need to be ready to shoot when the moment arrives, and you need to be able to get into position without the subject becoming aware of a lens pointed in their direction. As an event photographer, I capture most candid smiles using a 70-200mm lens. This enables me to stand in the corner of a room without being noticed, but still get close enough to the subject so that they fill the frame.
In some circumstances, it is impractical to shoot candid smiles. This might be because you just can’t get into a position where the subject will be unaware of you being there, or it might be because you don’t have enough time to wait. Of course, the most obvious occasion when you want a nice smile in a photo is during a portrait shoot, and in those circumstances, the subject is very aware of the ‘big’ camera pointed in their direction.
So, when you want to get a ‘candid’ smile when the subject is aware of the photo being taken – this is the gold rule… never say ‘smile’. Everyone has a well rehearsed ‘canned smile’ that they can produce on demand. Some do a great job of it, but most people struggle through. Instead, I have a conversation with people. It might go something like this:
Me: What’s your favourite food?
Subject: Umm… chocolate.
Me: What’s your favourite type?
Subject: Cadbury’s
Me: Awesome, me too (while smiling)
Subject: Smiles (while thinking of chocolate)
Me: <click>
The most important part of this process is being focused on the subject. If you focus on the camera, or the lighting, or yourself, then the subject will be distracted by those things too. You need to make eye contact with the subject and engage with them in a dialogue. You need to help them relax and enjoy the experience. Most importantly, you need the subject to forget that they’re having a photo taken and focus on the conversation. When that happens, you can get a ‘candid’ smile in a controlled situation.
