We recently went to a restaurant to celebrate Anne Oxfort\u2019s birthday. We sat in a room with a long table occupied by elderly ladies obviously celebrating something. When they were getting ready to leave, some of them were taking pictures, so Claire asked if they\u2019d like her to take a picture of the whole group \u2014 and they agreed.<\/p>\n
When the group had all gathered for their picture, Claire said, \u201csay cheese.\u201d Well, I got to wondering why the heck do I say \u201csay cheese\u201d when I take someone\u2019s picture or why do they say it to me when I\u2019m having my picture taken?
\nAfter doing some extensive research, I\u2019ve decided it\u2019s a mystery plagued with rumors, myths, assumptions and mis-information with no factual information available.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve ever looked at old pictures, you\u2019ve probably noticed that people didn\u2019t smile in photographs. There\u2019s probably a number of reasons \u2014 bad dental care, the long exposure time to take the picture and just that\u2019s the way you\u2019re supposed to look when having your picture taken. At some point, the serious look went away and slowly the smile became the standard facial expression for photographs. The early photographers used a mechanical birdie, usually held just above the camera and the phrase “watch the birdie” became popular \u2014 but it was more effective for kids, getting their attention, giving them something to look at and at the same time making them laugh.
\nSomewhere along the way, \u201csay cheese\u201d began to be used to let adults know the picture was about to be taken. From what I can tell, no one knows who first said it or why. One theory is that the double \u201ce\u201d of \u201ccheese\u201d creates a baring of the teeth and produces an almost automatic smile. And some people think the absurdity of saying cheese for no reason makes you laugh or smile naturally\u2026.<\/p>\n
So once again, I\u2019ve asked myself a question that I can\u2019t answer \u2014 even after extensive research. I think today “say cheese” is used not so much to make one smile, but as a cue signal that the photo is about to be taken. A race is started with \u201cready set go,\u201d so I suppose a picture can start with \u201csay cheese.\u201d
\nWonder what cheese says when it gets its picture taken?
\n\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n
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We recently went to a restaurant to celebrate Anne Oxfort\u2019s birthday. We sat in a room with a long table occupied by elderly ladies obviously celebrating something. When they were getting ready to leave, some of them were taking pictures, … Continue reading