Sooo… get this little nugget of information from the past. I went down a rabbit hole of research this week after chatting with a coworker, and thought I’d share some photography history. Yeah, I know… you’re probably thinkin’ ”Ooooh… Wow!” Yeah, I’m exciting like that! Lol!
Anyway—hold on to your hat for this exciting information—but apparently, photographers used to tell people to say “prunes” instead of “cheese” when taking portraits. I mean… who knew? Obviously not me! Lol!
Granted, I never really gave much thought to the whole “why do we say cheese?” thing either. Except when ordering pizza. Then cheese occupies a very large portion of my thought process. I love hot, ooey-gooey pizza cheese! 🤤 But anyway… wait, what was I saying? Oh, yeah…
So why “prunes”? Well, because it created a small, pursed-mouth expression, which was fashionable in early photography. Basically, it helped prevent people from flashing a big honkin’ grin. Go ahead… try smiling while saying “prunes.” You instantly look like… well, a tad constipated. Granted prunes help with that, too!
And why were people so serious in old photos? Well, portraits back then were a slow process. Very slow! Like, snail strolling through peanut butter slow! That’s a long time to smile! Plus, dental care in those days wasn’t exactly winning awards. I mean, they kinda have that scurvy sailor look. Not judging, just saying… 🤷
Eventually, society upgraded to “say cheese” because it naturally makes people smile instead of looking like they just smelled spoiled soup or stepped in horse manure on the way to the photo studio. 😂
Pretty awesome, right!? 😜 I mean, sure you get to read all sorts of blogs on here… but luckily for you, you landed on one that writes about prunes and cheese! I mean, how cool is that?! 🤭
Crock’s Thoughts 