Smize - Why You Should Know How to Smile with Your Eyes

One of the things that I most enjoy when coaching my headshot clients is the smile-with-your-eyes or smize. It's that classic look where you are not smiling with your mouth, but your eyes are smiling. Tyra Banks made it famous, but celebrities, some politicians and other luminaries have known about smiling with your eyes for years. (In the photo above, Opera Singer Jessica Nicolette shows off her perfect technique for the smize.)

Why should you learn to smile with your eyes? Here are some reasons:

- You have a job that requires that your photo is taken often and want to look consistently good.

-You want a LinkedIn profile photo that shows you are serious about what you do, but still has you looking accessible.

- You want the natural shape of your face to show.

- You want to look great every time someone pulls out their smart phone and says “smile”, even if it is just going on Facebook.

Having a go-to look solves all these problems. And smiling with your eyes is a great go-to look that works for all occasions.

Architect Alan Kawasaki is a great example of an executive smiling with his eyes.

For the perfect smize, you want to appear to be smiling without showing a big toothy grin. Your mouth will be relaxed and closed or only partially open. The secret is in the eyes themselves, which appear to be smiling without the rest of the face joining in. Here are some tips for smiling with your eyes. Practice these in front of a mirror so you can do them reflexively when the cameras are rolling.

Expression. Start with a blank expression. The blank expression is a great canvas on which to paint your perfect look.

Mood. Think of something that makes you happy: your cat, your girlfriend/boyfriend, a favorite vacation spot.

Eyes. Narrow your eyes. This is the key. The best advice is to try to squint from the bottom of your eye. Just tighten those muscles right under your lower lid. The rest of your face should not change.

Mouth. Next, have your mouth only suggest a smile. For some, this means keeping your lips slightly parted. For some the lips stay closed and the corners of the mouth turn up. But the mouth must stay relaxed.

Face. Finally, move your face slightly toward the camera. This will accentuate your jaw line. Keep that chin down.

Now put it all together. You should look relaxed. Imagine you are looking at the person viewing the photo. Connect with them. Be warm, friendly and confident. You can see more examples in our pinterest gallery or on our SRK Headshot Day website.

Jaime Garcia puts actors on notice with this dead-on smize.