Why Cheese?(photography)?

Question

When someone takes a picture they most likely will tell you "say cheese" why is that?

Answer 1

It puts your mouth in a wide grin pose.  That's also where they got the term "cheesy grin".  You get more natural smiles by other methods, including having people say "s*x", which makes them laugh a little, giving much better smiles!  (Not recommended for children.)

Answer 2

pickled eggs

Answer 3

A word to place the lips in a natural looking smile position...I prefer the French "oui!

Answer 4

when i was a child, (a very long time ago), i knew a very old photographer (i thought he was atleast a hundred years old, but he was likely in his 50s) who told the children he photographed "whatch the birdie!" and point either to the lens or away from it slightly, sometimes alot.  his portraits were all great. he used one of those old wooden jobs with the big billows and black curtain in the back, had glass plates (it seems they were quite large) as a child i was fascinated by that camera, it clicked and clacked and he  made adjustments  and then stood back away from it and used a bulb to fire the shutter.

Answer 5

It Puts A Smile On The Persons Face And Shows His/Hers Teeth.

When U Say Cheese Ur  Upper Lip Goes Up And Ur Teeth Grit...

CHEESE!

Say "cheese" is an instruction used by photographers who are having difficulty getting their subject to smile. By saying "cheese", most people form their mouths into what appears to be a smile-like shape. Additionally, the absurdity of saying "cheese" for no apparent reason can incite glee in some people.[citation needed]

As this practice became ingrained into modern society, it has taken on the simple role of a final warning before a photograph is taken. Often subjects will simply use the phrase "say cheese" as a cue to enter their final pose and to smile, neglecting to actually say "cheese".

Over the years, many other words have been used in place of cheese. For comedic effect, a photographer might say "Say ______" filling the blank with a word relevant to the event or action he is photographing. (Ex. "Say wipe out" during a seaside photograph) Other times a person will fill the blank with an absurdist or seemingly entirely random word of their choice.

Perhaps due to strong Western influence, especially in the realm of photography, and perhaps due to increased numbers of Western visitors after photographic equipment became widely available, the phrase "Say Cheese" has also entered into the Japanese language. However, the word "say" is almost always dropped from the phrase, resulting in the phrase simply being "Cheese." This is usually pronounced in Japanese (and written in katakana) as "chiizu" (チーズ).

Other languages have adopted this method, albeit with different words that sound similar to cheese to get the desired effect of shaping the mouth to form a smile. For example, in China, the word used is 茄子 (qie2zi), meaning 'eggplant'. In Korea, one would say "kimchi." In France, the word "Ouistiti", meaning marmoset, is often used. In most Latin American countries, the phrase used is "Diga whiskey" ("Say whiskey"). In Spain, the usual word is "Patata" ("Potato"). In Brazil the phrase is "Olha o passarinho" ("Look at the little bird") or "Digam X" ("Say X"). In Denmark, "sig appelsin", meaning "say orange" is often used.

Answer 6

Cause when you say eeeee it almost looks like you're smiling.