# Why Do Photographers Ask You to Say "cheese"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-photographers-ask-you-to-say-cheese/741802>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [December 31, 2015, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-photographers-ask-you-to-say-cheese/741802 "2015-12-31T05:28:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-photographers-ask-you-to-say-cheese/741802/21 "2016-01-13T12:27:10Z")

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> [@Siam\_Sam](#):
>
> Isn’t that a little like saying “Don’t think of pink elephants”? Because then you can’t stop thinking about them to save your life.

Yeah, but they’re _very_ careful to stop spiking the lens. Most people’s desire to be in the newspaper overrides their desire to keep looking at me once I tell them not to.

And besides, I usually try to take the picture before they notice me and then introduce myself with “Hi, I’m with the News, can I get your name?”

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**Author:** ![justin\_caise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ea924/32.png) [@justin\_caise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justin_caise)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-photographers-ask-you-to-say-cheese/741802/22 "2016-01-14T03:17:37Z")

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When we were taking a group photo of our NROTC drill team, young men aged 18-22, the photographer told us to say “pussy”. Naturally, natural laughter.

Personally, I use a squeaky yellow duck. For hard cases I have also a baby one. It’s too stupid and cliché not to smile.

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**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-photographers-ask-you-to-say-cheese/741802/23 "2016-01-16T13:40:27Z")

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Its hard to get a good, natural smile out of people. For kids what I do is stand behind the photographer and whack my head going “ouch, ouch, ouch”. Always gets a good smile.

For adults sometimes you have to tell them to lose their smile and try again because tensing and relaxing the face muscles sometimes gives a better result.

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**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-photographers-ask-you-to-say-cheese/741802/24 "2016-01-16T15:31:53Z")

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I’m one of those people who has a very difficult time producing a smile on command.

I’m also an amateur photographer who sometimes does family portraits. I virtually never tell people to smile. Often, I don’t even tell them when I’m taking the picture. My opinion is that natural-looking portraits are more likely to occur when people aren’t trying to smile. Now if smiling comes naturally to them, that’s fine–but it doesn’t come naturally to a lot of people.

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