The Almost-Kiss Laugh

How to set up The Almost-Kiss Laugh

1. Set the frame before anyone moves. The Almost-Kiss Laugh wants a close frame filled with faces, with 2 people already close enough to touch. The couple leans in for a kiss and stops just before, which almost always turns into laughter. Great for natural expressions.
2. Get them into the standing shape, then say this once and stop directing: "Lean in for a kiss but stop right before your lips touch. Hold it... hold it..."
3. While they hold it, make one flatter change and shoot again. Keep a small gap of light between their faces so the profiles stay clean.
4. If the first frame feels stiff, do not rebuild the group. Try this next: Nose-to-nose Eskimo kiss.

Who it suits

The Almost-Kiss Laugh is a couple pose. It fails if the two of them stand like acquaintances. It suits 2 people and a standing shape. It is beginner: one clear sentence is enough direction. Because the frame is tight, a small lean changes the picture more than a new backdrop would.

Where to shoot and how to light it

The Almost-Kiss Laugh works indoors or outdoors. Outside, use a simple background. Inside, use a window and clear the clutter behind the heads. The pose does not depend on a specific place, which is why it is marked for either.

For The Almost-Kiss Laugh, the rule is the same in either place: open shade outside, a window and no ceiling light inside. Keep the light on the faces rather than on the background. A close-up frame has nowhere to hide a squint.

The usual miss on The Almost-Kiss Laugh is a gap, a straight line of heads, or a face waiting for the next instruction. Keep a small gap of light between their faces so the profiles stay clean. Then take the frame before anyone resets.

Variations

• Nose-to-nose Eskimo kiss
• Kiss on the forehead instead
• Pull back and laugh at each other