“A slight smile would be better than a big one.”
I hear this often when photographing corporate executives.
An official photograph.
The face of the company.
An expression suited to the title.
Within those expectations, the size of the smile has already been decided.
But something different happens after the shoot.
When I draw out a bright smile and show them the photograph,
they often like it far more than expected.
When choosing their photographs,
they frequently select the ones with the biggest smiles.
The expression requested before the shoot
is different from the one chosen afterwards.
After seeing this happen many times, I began to wonder.
Perhaps, in an official portrait,
smiling like that had never felt like an available choice.
An executive should look authoritative.
A company’s official photograph should look serious.
When those expectations come first,
the range of expressions a person can show becomes narrower.
But the person looking at this photograph
is not there to check whether the expression matches the job title.
They are meeting this person for the first time
on a website,
in an article,
or in a company brochure.
What impression will they take away?
That is where the expression should begin.
A broad smile can also
communicate a person’s attitude.
Along with the gaze and posture,
the clothing and light,
a smile becomes a message.
So even when someone asks for only a slight smile,
I suggest trying a broad one as well.
So they can see it and choose for themselves.
An expression they had never considered before the shoot
may become their favourite photograph.
A job title does not have to determine
the size of a person’s smile.