Jowling - Photography Fun For a Rainy Day

Note: File this one under ‘bizarre’, ’silly’ or ‘things to do on a boring rainy day’…

Looking to take a portraits with a quirky twist? Try ‘jowling‘ (also sometimes known as slap n’ flap).

JowlingPhoto by rent-a-moose

How do you do it? Get your subject to relax their facial muscles completely (to the point that they have no facial expression)…. open their eyes and mouth (try to keep them open)… then to shake their head from side to side as fast as they can. Start snapping (use a flash and fast shutter speed to freeze the ‘action’)! Here’s what jowling looks like:

Jowling-1Photo by rent-a-moose

Jowling-2Photo by Scott Robbins

Jowling-4Photo by Laura Mary

Jowling-5Photo by Scootie

Jowling-6Photo by notorious d.a.v.

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Flap N SnapPhoto by Jeff Croft

Flap N Snap 1Photo by jonaldinger

Flap N Snap 2Photo by chrisscott

OK - so I suspect that most of these shots are taken at parties when the facial muscle relaxation is aided by a drink or four - but this jowling thing is bigger than you might think - it even has it’s own website - jowlers.com - complete with it’s own ‘how to’ page, galleries and more!

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A couple of other things to try with Jowling

Share Your Jowling Photos With Us

Now you know how to take Jowling shots - why not take some and head over to our forum and share them in a Jowling Thread that I just set up.

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42 Responses to “Jowling - Photography Fun For a Rainy Day”

  • Robert Says:

    Is #2 Homer?? Look at that mouth, it must be Homer(in a younger and better shape though)

  • Rosh Says:

    I don’t think I’ve seen that before. What fun. Unique portraits are always great for the portfolio.

    Rosh

    http://www.newmediaphotographer.com

  • Pete Langlois Says:

    Funny. I’ll have to try this with my son.

    http://www.petelanglois.net

  • Raymond Chan Says:

    lol! This looks so interesting to capture. The shot of the last guy looked as though he was er.. punched. Thanks for sharing!

    http://chanraymond.net

  • AC Says:

    Now this is just weird - but looks like a ton of fun!

  • Vijay Kumar Says:

    I am definitely going to try this - Live caricatures are timeless

  • Randy Says:

    This is awesome. I can’t wait to try it. LOL.

  • NB Says:

    Okay. That was stinkin’ hilarious.

  • Nick Says:

    Can you imagine how cool it would be if you were to throw water on him while he was shaking his head? Great idea I am going to give it a try!

  • wilsonian Says:

    Funny that it’s all dudes :)

  • cbinsa Says:

    I can hardly wait to get my (young adult) kids and their friends to do this for me!

  • mswebb Says:

    My wife studied economics and one of the theories involved the “invisible hand”. I guess this is what happens when the “invisible hand” gets ticked off…

  • PixelHead Says:

    Way too cool. I am so doing one of those tomorrow for my 365 days Flickr group.

  • Mr.Gadget Australia Says:

    Fish face much? ;)

    Thanks for sharing.

  • Bilka Says:

    It is like the wheels fell off the wagon. I want the 2.5 minutes of my life back that it took me to read this waste of time. This isn’t funny or entertaining. How can this possibly help readers learn and hone photographic skills? I can certainly understand a diversion but this is out and out junk.

  • Canonball Says:

    Get a life Bilka,even though you are at the bottom of the fun tree, others do like a break from the norm,and playing around with different lenses and speeds and lighting isn’t learning?

  • GregB Says:

    Very funny. Just think what you could do if you used PS too!

  • David Terry Says:

    Jowling at a wedding reception:
    http://www.dterryphotography.com/gallery/5014672_os2fk#301045953_BKsyJ

  • Niki Says:

    If you put someone’s fist into frame it can look like the subject has just received a sock to the chops. :-)

  • Rebecca Says:

    Thnaks for the smile on my rainy day. 8)

  • Beth Says:

    OMG. :O

  • Chris Says:

    Ahahaha! I’ll have to try this. Thanks.

  • Michael Says:

    What a hoot! I’m going to have to try that. This is why I like this website so much. You guys are always coming up with so many interesting ideas.

  • Brown Note Says:

    Looks like they where hit in the face with a http://crapcannon.com

  • Ashley Says:

    We call this “Shaker Faces”. Awesome.

  • photosticker Says:

    This is really old!

    Common’

  • Scott Says:

    we do this all the time… we call it shakey face! the trick is to keep your eyes open and your mouth loose!

  • Bob Fish Says:

    Why don’t you save them have a loose retina and have them stand with their mouths open and photoshop or gimp them into the same contortion

  • Adam Says:

    I’ve seen this before, but it was called a ghost punch. *shrug*

  • Serpico Says:

    jowling..???

    the technique is called “punch face”

    because it looks like you have just been punched in the face

    and has been a favorite pastime for 5 or so years..

  • Jimmy Dowhip Says:

    LOL, that is the funniest thing I have ever seen. Hilarious!

    JT
    http://www.FireMe.To/udi

  • jim mitchell Says:

    It should read flash OR fast shutter speed. Not both. Although with new digital cameras that may no longer matter. It used to be that you only used one shutter speed with a flash. Does digital change that?

  • Bastaman Says:

    Fantastic, Superb

    Thanks

  • CROCDUDE Says:

    SHAKE FACE

  • Andrew Says:

    Wooh cool idea to cure my boredom.
    Gonna go try this now.

  • Kunal Daswani Says:

    Heres my attempt: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kunaldaswani/2613031742/ - Good fun!

  • subcorpus Says:

    i’m gonna try this for sure …

  • Terri Says:

    These are great! Thanks for the giggles!

  • Olmec Sinclair Says:

    Funny! I want to try making pictures of my girlfriend like this…. How can I get her to agree…?

  • Peter Says:

    This looks like a great starter exercise to get kids comfortable in front of the camera. Thanks for the great fun tip.

  • A. Marques Says:

    Hmmm… Really only for a heavy rain day.

  • Teresa Says:

    Great photos! At first glance, I thought they were taken in a wind tunnel or in front of a fan.

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