Nine times out of ten, the moment you point a camera at someone, a fake smile pops up on their face. It's like putting a hand up to protect your face from something being thrown at you.
In the case of a photograph, it's a smile being put up to hide something a little softer and more intimate. It's a defensive manoeuvre to keep others from seeing us as we really are.
To not hide behind a fake smile would be like answering the door in your underwear, writing your real weight on a driver's licence application, or telling the receptionist why you really need to see the doctor.
There’s something so revealing about not hiding behind a smile. It shows a certain level of trust, an intimate connection. When someone lets you photograph them as they are, they're giving you a glimpse of their vulnerable side, the privilege to enter their private space, even if just for a moment.
That is sooo true!
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