I would like to suggest something bold, something daring. I want mothers all over the world to throw out the "Cheese!".Most people grew up going to Sears or some crappy mall studio, sat in front of some stranger, had a stuffed animal pushed into our faces and expected to smile. No matter what they did, rarely was there ever a capture of a natural smile. A capture of us being ourselves. A capture without a scrunched up forced smile.
So today I dare you, when taking pictures of your children, try avoiding the popular phrase, "Say cheese!"
Take your child to a place where they can wander and explore. Let them play and be themselves. Embrace images that don't have your child looking square on at the camera with a big "cheesy" fake grin. Embrace their childhood and capture them how they really are. Sweet. Inquisitive. Tender. Playful. Small. Capture their hands playing in the sand. Capture their fingers tying their shoes. Capture their feet hanging from the chair. Capture them jumping after bubbles or running through a field.
Throw out the "Cheese!" and take pictures that celebrate your child, how they really are. Beautiful.
