How does Scott Kivowitz’s technique for capturing natural smiles in photos outperform traditional methods?

Hi there!

When I’m photographing people, I don’t ask them to “smile for the camera.” That usually creates stiff, fake expressions. Instead, I focus on interaction and timing: conversation, gentle prompts, or a quick shared joke, then I press the shutter right after the laugh—when the expression relaxes into something natural.

This outperforms traditional “say cheese” methods because:

• Muscles around the eyes and mouth look genuinely engaged
• People forget about the camera and react to each other instead
• Expressions are varied, not identical forced grins

If you photograph groups, I’ll often get them talking to each other, not to me—that’s where the best, unposed smiles happen.

What kind of portraits are you shooting: families, couples, or something else?