Blinking Tip of the Day

Recently I was giving fellow contributor Steph some tips on how not to blink in every single picture she has taken. Being a habitual picture blinker my whole life, I could sympathize with her. Over the years, I've developed some strategies that work for me. First of all, most people make the subconscious mistake of trying to keep their eyes open during the entire focusing-please-smile-stop-giving-her-bunny-ears! process. By the time the flash comes, your poor dry eyes are overdue for a good blink. This is why you'll see me blinking like a crazed woman who's trying to morse code a very a long message to the person manning the camera. It's all about timing, however, and you have to pay close attention to what the cameraperson is doing. If you're not being distracted, you should be able to tell right before they actually take the picture. If it's a false alarm, resume your blinking pattern while they take the lens cap off or yell at the guy in the back row wreaking havoc. Right before they take it, the blinking ceases, and I make sure to relax my face into a normal pose. If there's anything worse than eyes closed, it's looking like you're trying too hard to keep them open. If you take these steps, when the flash comes, you should be all blinked out. After all you really only need to concentrate on keeping them open for a split second... it's all about prepping for and focusing for that second.

Comments

Amanda said…
I am commenting because...
1. I want to do my part to help Peter get to 3%.
2. This was a great comment.

I do not personally have a blinking issue during pictures, but the mental image of this whole procedure was quite humorous. I can just imagine you blinking 120 times a minute just so you can have open eyes at the perfect moment. Thanks for your sacrifice! Way to take one for the team.
Stephanie said…
Thanks, Jules. I'm still perfecting the art of not blinking. It will probably be a lifelong battle. I'm learning that if the photographer counts, "one, two, three," you need to make sure they are going to actually hit the shutter release on "three," or if they're going to get there early.

You're right...it's all about reading the photographer.
vander said…
Jules, I'm concerned that you neglect a major issue in your tip, a thing I call Face Real Estate. When one has great Face Real Estate, as in all-forehead-no-features, there's really not a lot to be done for photogenaity. Extreme close-ups sometimes help, but mostly those of us who suffer from F.R.E. must resign ourselves to the immenent mockery of posterity and conclude that uncanny resemblance to Wednesday Addams tis but our lot in life. And so, with a heavy sigh, we loosen our clutches on the dream of supermodel stardom. No amount of premeditated blinking can compensate for the square footage of Face that remains.
Jules said…
My strategy really bit me in the butt this weekend while trying to take group photos with the timer on. I was way too busy fitting myself in and making sure I wasn't covering up anyone else's head to count to 10 and therefore predict when the darn thing was going to go off. Yes, yes the little red light flashes before it goes off, but please stop bothering me with needless details, people.

Vander you are surely not referring to yourself, are you? If you think you suffer from FRE, then you've clearly not seen Kenny Chesney without his hat on.

3%! Come on 3%!
vander said…
I am appalled. To suggest I am unaware of Kenny Chesney's FRE is to suggest I am not in sync with the country music scene. Oh, wait. Yeah, that's pretty accurate.

So you're saying the solution is to wear a hat?
CGrim said…
A cowboy hat, specifically.
vander said…
I suppose the wide brim distracts the eye from the FRE problem. In theory, then, a bevy of options would work. A feathered boa or leisure suit with wide lapels, perhaps? Say, this site sure is helpful!
vander said…
I just wanted to let everyone know I've solved the problem. I'm actually wearing a bicycle helmet right now. (Glamourshots, here I come!)

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