I’ve received several comments and questions regarding my pictures. Many readers want to know how I manage to capture the perfect expression in each of my photos. So today, I’m going to share my secret with you.

The trick is to know your subject on a deep psychological level. Know what motivates them and what saddens them.  Know their hopes, their dreams, their fears. Basically psychoanalyze them for vulnerabilities. If they’re not family or close friends you’ll either need to stalk them or have them fill out a questionnaire prior to photographing.

The good news is, it’s pretty easy to get someone to smile….

“Hold that up and we’ll buy a puppy!”

But you have to choose the perfect statement to capture the subtle nuances of almost any other emotion…

Depression

“That wasn’t good enough. No puppy for you.”

Despair

“Santa is dead.”

Crushing Guilt

“Santa’s autopsy came back. Turns out the stress of your toy demands killed him.”

Processing Disgust

“Your sister just sneezed on that.”

This technique works on animals too.

WTF?

“The vet called. She said you’ll die if you keep eating cat shit.”

This look was accomplished by standing in the corner and loudly yelling at the photographer to “hurry up! We have an appointment to get his testicles cut off after this”.

That was actually true. But we sang “Jingle Balls” on the ride over to lighten the mood.

My suggestion, is that you create a bank of go-to phrases capable of evoking every emotion. Also, get a second job because your children’s therapy sessions may prove to be expensive. But hey- great pics are priceless!