How to Smile Naturally in Photos: The Dating Photo Smile Guide
How to Smile Naturally in Photos: The Dating Photo Smile Guide
Your smile is one of the most powerful tools in your dating photo arsenal. Research consistently shows that profiles featuring genuine smiles receive significantly more right swipes than those with forced expressions or serious looks. But here's the challenge: smiling naturally on command is harder than it sounds.
In this guide, we'll break down the science of authentic smiles and give you practical techniques to capture genuine, attractive expressions in your dating photos.
The Science of the Genuine Smile
The Duchenne Smile
Psychologist Guillaume Duchenne identified what we now call the "Duchenne smile" - a genuine smile that engages both the mouth and the eyes. This is the smile that makes people trust you and want to connect with you.
Characteristics of a Duchenne smile:
- Corners of mouth turned up
- Cheeks raised
- Crow's feet appear at outer corners of eyes
- Eyes appear slightly narrowed
- Overall face appears relaxed and happy
Why it matters for dating photos: People can subconsciously detect fake smiles. A genuine smile signals approachability, warmth, and emotional availability - all attractive qualities in a potential partner.
The Fake Smile Problem
A forced smile only engages the mouth, leaving the eyes unchanged. This creates cognitive dissonance in viewers - something feels "off" even if they can't articulate why.
Common signs of a fake smile:
- Only mouth moves, eyes remain unchanged
- Smile appears strained or tense
- Timing feels off (too quick or too prolonged)
- Facial muscles appear rigid
- Overall expression feels uncomfortable
Techniques for Natural Smiles
The Memory Method
How it works: Think of a genuinely happy memory while the camera is ready.
Steps:
- Before the photo, recall a specific happy moment
- Don't just think about it - really visualize it
- Recall the details: who was there, what you heard, how you felt
- As you feel the genuine emotion, have the photo taken
- The resulting smile will be authentic because the emotion is real
Best memories to use:
- Funny moments with friends
- Achievement celebrations
- Time with loved ones
- Adventures or travel highlights
- Moments of genuine joy or pride
The Laughter Technique
Why it works: It's nearly impossible to fake a laugh, and the smile that follows genuine laughter is always authentic.
Methods:
With a photographer: Have them tell jokes or make funny comments. Even bad jokes can work - sometimes the awkwardness itself is funny.
Solo shooting:
- Watch a funny video right before
- Think of an inside joke
- Remember something embarrassing that's now funny
- Make yourself laugh by doing something silly
Pro tip: The best photos often come right after the laugh ends, when you're still feeling happy but more composed.
The Conversation Method
The technique: Have a genuine conversation while photos are being taken.
How to do it:
- Ask your photographer to keep shooting while you chat
- Talk about something you're passionate about
- Share a story that makes you happy
- Ask them questions and engage naturally
- Forget about the camera
Your natural expressions during conversation will be more authentic than posed smiles.
The Micro-Smile Build-Up
The approach: Start small and build to a full smile.
Steps:
- Start with a neutral expression
- Think of something mildly pleasant
- Let a small smile form naturally
- Gradually think of happier things
- Let the smile grow organically
- Photo is taken at the peak of genuine expression
This gradual build-up prevents the jarring, fake look of suddenly forcing a smile.
The Distraction Technique
The concept: Stop trying to smile and focus on something else.
Methods:
- Focus on a point in the distance
- Think about your breathing
- Concentrate on standing naturally
- Listen to music you love
- Have your photographer give you actions to do
Often, the best smiles come when you're not actively trying to smile.
Physical Techniques for Better Smiles
Jaw and Face Relaxation
Tension in your face prevents natural smiles.
Pre-photo relaxation routine:
- Stretch your face muscles: open mouth wide, scrunch face, repeat
- Massage your jaw joints
- Do facial yoga: raise eyebrows, wrinkle nose, move jaw side to side
- Take deep breaths to relax overall tension
- Shake out your shoulders and neck
The "Say Cheese" Alternative
Why "cheese" doesn't work: It creates an artificial mouth shape that looks forced.
Better word choices:
- "Money" - creates a more natural mouth shape
- Your own name - personalizes the expression
- "Yoga" - creates a slight smile naturally
- Any word ending in "a" - opens mouth naturally
Best approach: Don't use words at all. Use the emotion-based techniques instead.
Eye Engagement
The smize: Smile with your eyes.
How to do it:
- Think of something that makes you genuinely happy
- Feel that emotion in your whole face, not just your mouth
- Imagine you're looking at someone you care about
- Let your eyes soften and brighten naturally
- The rest of your face will follow
Practice tip: Practice in a mirror. Notice the difference between when you only move your mouth versus when you feel genuine happiness.
Timing Your Smile
The Candid Moment
Why candid smiles work: They capture genuine emotion in action.
How to create candid smile moments:
- Have photographer shoot continuously during an activity
- React to something genuinely funny or interesting
- Interact with something you love (pet, hobby, etc.)
- Move around and let natural expressions happen
- Stop posing and just exist in the moment
The Perfect Photo Timing
The pattern of a genuine smile:
- Onset (smile begins) - looks awkward
- Apex (full smile) - can look intense
- Offset (smile relaxing) - often the sweet spot
- Afterglow (just after smile) - natural and warm
Best timing: Photos taken during the offset or afterglow phase tend to look most natural and approachable.
Smile Variations for Different Photos
Main Profile Photo
Best smile type: Warm, open, genuine smile showing teeth.
Why: First impression should be welcoming and trustworthy.
How to achieve: Use the memory method to recall a genuinely happy moment.
Full Body Photos
Best smile type: Subtle, confident smile.
Why: Full body shots are about showing your style; smile should be secondary.
How to achieve: Think of something mildly amusing rather than hilarious.
Activity Photos
Best smile type: Natural expression related to the activity.
Why: Authenticity matters more than perfect smiles.
How to achieve: Actually engage in the activity and let genuine reactions happen.
Group Photos
Best smile type: Natural, relaxed smile that matches the energy of the group.
Why: Forced smiles stand out awkwardly in group settings.
How to achieve: Engage with your friends naturally; real social interaction creates real smiles.
Common Smile Mistakes
The Overly Wide Smile
The problem: Trying to show all your teeth can look manic or forced.
The fix: Smile until you feel your cheeks raise, then stop. That's usually the right width.
The Closed-Mouth Smile
The problem: Can appear shy, uncertain, or like you're hiding something.
The fix: Show at least some teeth in your main photo. Closed-mouth smiles can work in other photos for variety.
The Asymmetrical Smile
The problem: Uneven smile can look forced or uncomfortable.
The fix: Check your smile in a mirror. Practice even raising of both sides. Relaxation helps prevent asymmetry.
The Sustained Smile
The problem: Holding a smile for too long makes it look fake.
The fix: Use continuous shooting mode. Smile naturally, let it fade, repeat. Choose from the natural-looking middle moments.
The Serious Alternative
When serious works: Serious expressions can work for certain photos, but not as your main dating photo.
Best use: Activity photos, artistic shots, or as one photo in a varied set.
How to do serious well: Relax your face completely. Think of something interesting rather than trying to look serious.
Practice Makes Perfect
The Mirror Method
Daily practice:
- Stand in front of mirror
- Practice different smile intensities
- Notice what genuine happiness looks like on your face
- Identify your most attractive natural smile
- Practice recreating it using emotion-based triggers
The Video Recording Method
How it helps: Video captures your expressions in motion, showing which smiles look natural.
Practice routine:
- Record yourself talking about something you love
- Watch the video and note when your smile looks most genuine
- Identify what you were thinking or feeling at those moments
- Recreate those mental states for photos
The Friend Feedback Loop
Get honest opinions:
- Take multiple photos with different smile approaches
- Show them to trusted friends
- Ask which look most "like you" and most approachable
- Use their feedback to refine your technique
The Role of Overall Comfort
Pre-Shoot Preparation
Physical comfort:
- Wear comfortable clothes you feel good in
- Choose a comfortable temperature location
- Stay hydrated
- Get good sleep beforehand
Mental comfort:
- Choose a photographer you're comfortable with
- Pick locations where you feel relaxed
- Don't shoot when stressed or tired
- Give yourself permission to take breaks
Emotional comfort:
- Remember this is about showing your authentic self
- Release perfectionist expectations
- Have fun with the process
- Trust that genuine moments will happen
Using AI to Enhance Natural Smiles
What AI Can Do
AI photo enhancement tools like AURA can:
- Enhance the brightness of your smile without changing it
- Adjust lighting to better highlight your expression
- Remove temporary blemishes without altering features
- Optimize overall photo quality to showcase your genuine smile
What AI Shouldn't Do
Avoid these edits:
- Changing your smile shape
- Whitening teeth unnaturally
- Altering facial structure
- Adding a smile that wasn't there
The golden rule: AI should enhance your authentic smile, not create a fake one.
The Genuine Smile Checklist
Before the photo:
- Face muscles are relaxed
- You've practiced genuine emotional recall
- You're comfortable in your environment
- You're not trying too hard
During the photo:
- You're thinking of something genuinely pleasant
- Your eyes are engaged, not just your mouth
- Your smile feels natural, not forced
- You're breathing normally
After the photo:
- The smile reaches your eyes
- Expression looks relaxed and genuine
- You look approachable and warm
- The smile matches other facial expressions
Conclusion: Authenticity Wins
The best smile for your dating photos isn't the biggest or the most perfect - it's the most genuine. People are attracted to authenticity, and a real smile conveys warmth, confidence, and emotional availability.
Key takeaways:
- Genuine smiles engage both mouth and eyes
- Emotion-based techniques work better than forcing expressions
- Practice and preparation increase natural smile occurrence
- Variety in expressions is better than all identical smiles
- Comfort and relaxation are prerequisites for authentic smiles
Remember: your genuine smile is uniquely yours and more attractive than any forced "perfect" expression. Embrace it, practice accessing it on command, and use it to show potential matches the real, warm, wonderful you.
Ready to Capture Your Best Smile?
AURA's AI-powered photo enhancement helps ensure your genuine smiles look their absolute best while maintaining complete authenticity. Let us help you showcase the real you at your most confident and attractive.