How Kodak's 1908 Ad Changed the Way We Take Photos Forever

Back in 1910, smiling in pictures wasn't very cool. One long photo exposure times meant that the person in the picture had to stay still and neutral expression was easier to hold than a smile. Two Big smiles were considered silly, childish or straight up wicked, but the Eastman Kodak company wanted to change that. Kodak was looking to boost sales of photography to the middle class by making the process seem fun and affordable. In 1908 they debuted the More Pleasure at the Moment ad. This at the time revolutionary picture depicted a woman with a beaming smile while holding her brand new internal shutter Kodak camera. This new tech took away the long exposure times and gave birth to the snapshot. By the 1920s, companies were using pictures of smiling models to sell everything from canned food to cars. Due to this campaign, Kodak successfully installed the smile as one of the standards for a good snapshot. Want to spice up your own campaign? Click the link for the blog.