Photographing laughter is both a challenge and a joy. You want your images to be of a genuine moment of fun, but getting your subject to that point can be difficult. There are also timing and composition factors to consider when photographing laughter.

Your challenge today is to utilize the tips we outline below to capture genuine, joy-filled moments of people laughing.

Bring Props (and Your Best Jokes)

It can be difficult enough getting people to relax in front of a camera, but ask them to laugh on the fly and the results are usually painfully forced.

Instead, you’ll have to bring props for kids (and maybe adults!) to instigate some laughter. Stuffed animals or toys that make silly sounds usually do the trick. With adult subjects, you’ll need to bring out your inner comedian and give them something to laugh about. A good knock-knock joke might do, or if all else fails, show them a funny video on YouTube. The hardest part is getting the laughter going. Once you do, it will probably sustain itself long enough to get a few great shots!

Wait It Out for a More Flattering Image

Some people aren’t the prettiest laughers. There might be too many teeth, too much nostril flare, or even a rearing back of the head or strange things happening with the hands. None of these things make for a natural looking image of laughter.

The key to a great photo of laughter is to ride out the initial wave of belly laughter and get images of your subject at the back end of their laughing fit. This is often when people are laughing less violently, and a nice smile emerges, as seen in the image below.

Now, waiting out the initial stages of laughter doesn’t mean you shouldn’t shoot continuously throughout the laughing fit. While the chances are that the best images will be taken toward the end, you might be pleasantly surprised at the kind of images you get in the early stages of laughter as well.

Pose Subjects Close Together

One of the greatest aspects of laughter is that it helps us form connections with others, even if they are perfect strangers.

To capitalize on the intimacy of a funny moment, pose your subjects close together. It can be especially powerful when children are involved to group people in close proximity, especially their heads. Besides, laughter is contagious, so the closer your subjects are to one another the better the laughter will be!

Another point to consider is to suggest that your subject not look directly at the camera. Casting their gaze elsewhere as they laugh creates a more candid and natural feel to the photo, as if the viewer has a window into a genuine moment in the lives of the subjects.

Practice and Participate!

Now that you have some practical tips for photographing laughter, it’s your turn to make some people laugh and capture them in a sincere moment of joy. Remember that you may need props or a few jokes to get the laughter rolling and that patience will be required as you shoot, so you get the best laughter images as the laughter is dying down. Also think about how you pose your subjects. Close proximity works great for facilitating laughter amongst the entire group while also reflecting the intimate nature of sharing a laugh with family or friends.

With that, grab your camera, a few friends, and get shooting. Don’t forget to select your best laughter image and upload it to the forum for today’s challenge and participate with others in enjoying photographing laughter.