03/30/2026
This is a recent image I took, that perfectly showcases what I’m about to say.
When my oldest was two years old, I took her in to have her portraits taken. She wasn’t very cooperative, and the results of the images were her not smiling. I was devastated. Her smile is absolutely beautiful. As a young mom, I wanted to immortalize that smile.
As I was expressing my disappointment in her lack of smile and cooperation, the photographer turned to me and she said something that changed my life. She said that when the subject of an image isn’t smiling, you automatically gravitate to the eyes. And those eyes have a story of their own to tell.
That image that I was disappointed in is now one of my most cherished possessions. I look at my daughter‘s eyes and see potential I seek growth. I see personality. I see the things that she as a two-year-old could not tell me.
So my first unsolicited tip as a photographer is to have images that aren’t always smiling so they can tell their story through their eyes.
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