I hate cheesy smiles and hate worse the "call to smile" by saying "cheese." Smiles are beautiful things, and goodness knows the world could use a few more of them.
I had the pleasure of offering social media headshot portraits as part of the gathering of Bay Area Networking Circle, a brainchild of Chris Maginnis. In one area of my office, a sommelier offered wine tasting and the group members brought food and other drink. In the studio area, I created images, taking no more than a couple of minutes for each person. Each will receive three images as a "door prize," of sorts. It was great fun and even greater networking. But the greatest treat was the smiles. Dozens of people smiling.
This morning, as I reviewed the images and posted a few on this site, I couldn't help but smile back to those in the images. Their smiles were authentic and warm, drawing out my good mood and appreciation for who they are.
Five decades ago, a school photographer said to me, "Say Mickey Mouse backwards" to provoke me into a smile. Instead he received a glower and curled up lip. All genuine expression engages me, whether it is laughter or tears or anything in between. But a smile...a smile...the world could use more of them.
