My mother and I were discussing this question, and came up with all sorts of words that seem more appropriate than “cheese,” if the goal is to form the mouth into a smile. For instance, “breeze,” “grin,” and “ready” all seem like better choices.
I also know that folks in South America say “whiskey,” which seems simillary unhelpful, in terms of mouth-positioning.
I have searched for this information broadly, yet the closest attempt at an answer was this: http://www.stanford.edu/~lswartz/cheese.html. But somehow I find the story of a photographer farting a bit… apochryphal.
Surely, there are two potential reasons for chosing a word for picture taking:
the word itself causes the mouth to form a smile
the meaning causes people to smile
But given that there are so many words that fit either category, how is it that CHEESE came to be so universal in the States? What were the circumstances of its first use? How did others learn of this word and begin to use it? Has there ever been another more popular phrase in use in the States for the same thing? And which other words might be used by other regions or countries use different words?
The link didn’t work. I guess that the topic of flatulent photographers (and, perhaps, its influence on the resultant work) is something generally kept under wraps?
I’m not at all convinced by the story, perhaps because it is only put forward by a single source. “Entfield Flimsham” and his purported contribution to humanity is not noted anywhere else on the Net.
Any historians of photography out there who can help confirm or deny these origins?
That might be the case if one photographer were to say “Cheese,” but the “it is what it is” answer doesn’t even begin to answer the terms by which a single incident (who? when? why?) became a national or even international standard (how?).
