watched the birdie
Followed photographer's instruction
Watched the birdie is what someone does when posing for a photograph, following the photographer's instruction to look at the camera.
The phrase comes from early portrait photography, when photographers would ask subjects—especially children—to focus on a small object or toy bird near the lens to capture their attention and gaze.
Now mostly playful or nostalgic: Everybody smile and watch the birdie!
- say cheesePre-snapshot instruction
- poseDeliberate bodily arrangement
- strike a poseAssume deliberate stance
- smilePleased facial expression
- flashBrief burst of light
flash bulb · shutter · eye · lens · focus · click · gesture · signal · camera · portrait · family portrait · picture day · exposure · early photography · old timey · Victorian era · idiom · aperture
watched the birdiecandid shot
Unposed, natural photograph
unstaged · unposed · caught off guard · documentary style · looked away
watch, watched, watches, watching, watcher, watchers, watchful, watchfully, watchfulness