Is it true about smiling?

[Pherdinand]

our ceo makes about three millions a year. Euro, that is.
I often see him in our canteen having lunch on his own or with random people. Once he joined our table as well. We talked about all kind of stuff- mostly football, actually. It was at the time of the soccer cup 2010. He's french (and the french team was still in that time).

He was smiling plenty.

Also on photos he is not afraid of a smile.

 

[tbarker13]

I rarely do smiles in my own portrait work. I generally tell my subjects to forget smiling unless it just happens all by itself. The vast majority of people simply look fake when they smile for the camera.
Now, of course when someone is paying me to photograph them, they can smile all they want if they insist that's what they want to do...

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Just read an interesting article about the difference in portraiture photography in the US and in Europe. Supposedly, a CEO shown smiling in a photo would be taken as fake and/or arrogant in Europe.

Where in Europe? Europe is not a country, you know? A bit like saying that sushi is the main meal in Asia...a bit of more detail would qualify the statement.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I rarely do smiles in my own portrait work. I generally tell my subjects to forget smiling unless it just happens all by itself.

I think this is what is really getting lost in translation.

The "American" notion of smiling is perceived as fake or forced outside of the U.S. I have noticed a marked difference between people smiling naturally in front of the camera here in France (and Spain and elsewhere) than the automatic teeth-showing that I tended to see on the other side of the pond.

The *context* of "smile" depends on who's mentioning it, and when. Pretty much like calling someone "Randy": if you say that in the U.S., they'd probably tell you that's not their name; if you say it in the U.K., I guess that also depends on whether it's the man or the woman saying it, but I'm pretty sure they won't be thinking you've forgotten their name.

Cultural ignorance makes for interesting (and misplaced) cultural studies and comparisons.

 

[isoterica]

<off-topic>
I don't know... Germany has been relaxing immigration and work-permit regulations for several years now. Depending on what you do for a living you actually may be very welcome here.

Contrary to what the world may still believe we don't work ourselves to death, the beer is excellent, the country has beautiful regions, and German girls can be very, very pretty...
</off-topic>

Germany was very welcoming to my husband who had an airline stopover there on his way to Italy. They noted the German origin of his name and said "Welcome Home" even though he was born in America and speaks no German. He really didn't have time to leave the airport-- but if he could have he would have made a beer stop to be sure

ON Topic.. Smiles in photos if they are natural. Sometimes it helps to talk to the client for a while and get them comfortable with you while you take a few casual photos helping them to get used to you hovering around them as well as trusting of you. When they trust you, smile or not, you will be seeing their true persona.

 

[kuzano]

So, are you suggesting?????

So, are you suggesting?????

Are you suggesting that the digital cameras with "smile" detection should lock out shutter activation

 

[reagan]

" ... my mother, insisting she was relaxed and smiling said through stiff lips "I am smiling..." I got what I could and let it go...hopefully something will be worth printing... "

LoL! Sam, are you sure that wasn't my mother you were shooting? She was much the same, but even worse now.
I've finally pretty much thrown in the towel on posed portraits for her. She'll leave the room if I even bring it up and put a hand to her face if she sees me with camera to eye. I still do get some good candid shots by sitting near her, getting the camera set / pre-focused during conversation and then lowering it to the table top or my lap or ? and continue talking / listening and grabbing a couple of shots. But if I ask her to smile, I'd better duck. She's a sweet one. :angel:

 

[nikon_sam]

Reagan...

I can see the change in her from when cameras are put away to when they come out...
I purposely watch her as she reacts to the camera coming out and I can see her watching me through the corners of her eyes and then she stiffens up...
Another thing I noticed was that she will not look directly into the camera lens...her back straightens her head goes back and her lips morph into some tight unsmiling smile waiting for the shutter to click and even after that she will remain a stiff unsmiling unhappy willing subject...
And I wonder why I don't have a good portrait of them...:bang:

She won't block the shot or say not to take a picture...she wants you to take it...she's actually posing for it...unfortunately, it's not a look I want see hanging on my wall...

 

[patois]

I remember from college that there was a study done somewhere in which hundreds of people in France where shown a photo of François Mitterrand smiling.

Few people were able to identify him.

 

[Teuthida]

In Europe people always seemed to me to be much more socially responsible than in the US. I'd move to Sweden or any of a few other European countries in a heartbeat if I could but I doubt they would have me.

Certainly has been my experience as an American living in both Amsterdam and Paris for extended periods. I'd move back in a second if my dollar was currently worth anything more than a third world currency.