Have you ever wondered why people smile in photos? A person smiling in a candid shot makes sense but when posing for a picture, why do we create a fake smile? 

During history class I always seem to remember painted portraits of people with straight solemn faces. Even after cameras were invented, the pictures taken were still of people with serious looks on their faces that showed no emotion. When did this change and why? “From Anthony Berger’s famous 1864 shot of a smile-free Abraham Lincoln through to the first World War, people seemed to find nothing funny about having their pictures taken. Subjects sat seriously in their Sunday best, never letting a smile crack.” Said by Columnist Gene Myers. 

“When film speeds improved sufficiently to allow the adoption of natural expressions. Before they were available the face had to stay still for minutes; which meant either serious wooden expressions or blurred features,” Brooke wrote.

Just having gone through some dental renovations, I could also see the merit in an answer offered by Guardian forum user Niall.

“When dentistry meant they could without feeling self-conscious,” he wrote. But then came his more serious attempt. “Once photography became widely available to non-professionals, so ‘happy snaps’ become possible.”

But the truth is, I couldn’t find a definitive answer. Neither could David Silver, an expert on the history of photography at allexperts.com.

“Photography was most definitely instantaneous enough by 1906,” Silver wrote. “Exposures only took a fraction of a second, and sitters just needed to stay still for a moment and look at the camera when the photographer told them to.”

And yet stern faces seem to be the norm well past then. Silver posited that this was “force of habit.” It was older photographers advising their subjects to follow the tradition, which seemed to add an air of importance to the moment.

It makes sense that as technology progressed so would it’s product. As it became easier to take and pose for a picture I guess people decided to show happiness and emotion rather than a blank stare. I can understand why this happened because I know that I personally love looking back at my old pictures and remembering how I felt in that moment. No memories can be remembered from a solemn stare.