5 tips to get your child to smile naturally for a photo!

With everybody's mobile phone doubling up as a camera these days, it's no wonder why children get bored for sitting and smiling for photos! Here are some simple tips that can make things easier for you and more fun for them, whilst getting some great results!

1. "Granny's knickers!"

Getting them to say something a little bit naughty, it rarely fails to make a child burst out laughing! Perfect! (Although they may continue to repeat it afterwards so make sure it's not too rude!)

2. Tell them NOT to smile!

The word "smile" quite often simply does nothing but scare smiles away or encourage odd teeth baring grins which don't include what I like to call, "smiley eyes". You can, however, use this word on children that have a little bit of a cheeky/naughty streak in them who when told NOT to smile, come out with the brightest, broad, beamer you ever did see. There's little more difficult for a 5 year old boy, than trying to keep a straight face!

3. Get them to laugh

Simply tell them to do a funny sounding laugh or ask them how loud can they laugh, this may not work on the more timid children but it is definitely worth a try! And a more willing child will love it!

4. "The Tickly Hand"

This one works so well with children that are hard to crack and especially well on babies! It's all about the anticipation with this one. Start off in the position that you'd like to take the photo, then raise the hand (that's not holding the camera) and start to do a little tickly motion, kind of like a spider on its back. Slowly move towards the child and give them a tickle. Do this a couple of times, until they are smiling because they know what's coming, then snap! You've got your shot!

5. Ask them if they have a boyfriend/girlfriend

With slightly older children, you will be surprised at the reaction you get to this question, maybe you'll see two rosy cheeks, or a shy turn of the head... Either way you'll definitely get those pearly whites on show!

Next time you take a photo of your child, (some of these even work on adults!) give one of these 5 tips a try and watch them smile for miles!