Expressive Photography: Laughter
By: Author: J Bakken

Every picture tells a story. Photographs reveal a great deal to the viewer and they can be interpreted differently by individuals. When photographs feature people they often display a variety of emotions ranging from happiness to loneliness and every possible feeling in between. Capturing 'laughter' in a photograph takes the right photographer, the right subject (human or animal), and the right setting.
When I think of my photography where I have captured laughter I think of some brilliant shots I took on Christmas Eve with my family a couple of years ago. We were doing a family Christmas challenge outdoors involving all kinds of activities and everyone was having so much fun I can still hear them laughing. I have one great photograph of my sister watching one race where she is laughing so hard you can see her whole body engaged in laughter that she looks like she is about to pee her pants.
Another occasion where I captured laughter brilliantly was last fall when I was photographing my niece. My sister asked her what she would do if she won a trip to Disneyland and she just closed her eyes, wrinkled up her nose, and just started laughing. I took the picture at just the right second and when you look at that photograph you can just feel her excitement and happiness as she laughed so naturally.
Laughter is one of the easiest actions to capture on film. I have captured laughter on babies' faces, children as they were playing, friends and family members at various special occasions and just snapshots on a regular day. Laughter is all around us and we have to remember to do it every day.
These pictures could be displayed in a magazine or on a billboard, or better yet, they would be perfect on hallmark cards. Laughter is the action and sound of expressing mirth and amusement, and to capture that on film is gratifying and even if you only get one great shot out of 36, you know you've got 'the one'and that's all that matters.

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