'Say Cheese''... A few phrases for a photo session?

[Rrina]

I'm gonna take photos of a group of people practicing a dance sequence. I am still very much a beginner but I think it would be nice for me to try to give some of the basic instructions in Mandarin (the group includes native speakers and students of all levels.

We want photos of every step of the sequence. I guess when I'm ready to take the picture I can ask 'hao3 le mei2 you3, right?. (I hope I have the right tones there.)

But how do I tell people to: (a) stay still/freeze, (B) keep going, © hold a position 15 seconds longer, and (d) repeat what they just did?

I wonder if there are stock phrases for all this like we have 'say cheese' in the US but in any case I'd just like some very basic sentences that can be handled by a beginner. Thanks!

[muyongshi]

Well in response to the title they would say qié zi (literally: eggplant).

For the others I would ask zhǔnbèi hǎo le méiyǒu (are you ready)

a) bié dòng

B) jì xù

c) not sure what you mean...

d) zài zuò yí cì

[Rrina]

Hi - Thanks so much! On © I meant, since we're taking photos of a dance sequence, to find a way to tell people to just keep things as they are; for instance if everybody has the left hand up, just to stay like that. But I guess that bie2 dong4 would take care of it.

I love your Snoopy avatar.

[muyongshi]

You could also say duì， jiùshì zhège yàngzi and then bié dòng just to get the meaning across that that is how you want it.

[amego]

来笑一个嘛/来嘛笑一个/笑一笑

lai2 xiao4 yi2 ge4 ma/ lai2 ma xiao4 yi2 ge4/xiao4 yi2 xiao4

[mandel1luke]

茄子 qie2zi3

Gives a big smile

the Mandarin cheese...

[SWWLiu]

When you take pictures of anyone or any group Chinese, you are expected to "count up" or "count down" loudly but s-l-o-w-l-y before pressing the button:

一二三 or 三二一

Then you can have their undivided attention and count on them putting the best smile/face/side/foot forward. Works every time ... It's a cultural thing.

[adrianlondon]

The trouble with general photo taking in China (it's even worse in Taiwan and Japan though) is if you give people warning you're going to take a photo they always do two-finger "peace" signs in the air. I hate it ;)

[monto]

Rrina:

hold a position 15 seconds longer

hold a position 15 seconds longer --------- as a general request

一 个 姿 势 要 保 持 15 秒 以 上

Yi1 ge zi1 shi4 yao4 bao3 chi2 shi2wu3 miao3 yi3 shang4

hold this/that position 15 seconds longer ----- as a specific requiest

保 持 这 个 姿 势 15 秒 以 上

Bao3 chi2 zhe4 ge zi1 shi4 shi2wu3 miao3 yi3 shang4

[anonymoose]

I loathe to contradict a native speaker, but...

hold this/that position 15 seconds longer ----- as a specific requiest

保 持 这 个 姿 势 15 秒 以 上

Bao3 chi2 zhe4 ge zi1 shi4 shi2wu3 miao3 yi3 shang4

...wouldn't this be better translated as:

这个姿势再保持15秒

?

[monto]

...wouldn't this be better translated as:

这个姿势再保持15秒?

Yes. language-wise.

[self-taught-mba]

Monto are you a native speaker?

qie2zi not qie2zi3

Can also say: zài lái yī cì for the repeat it part.

[monto]

Monto are you a native speaker?

Not exactly, but almost. My Chinese is far better than any other languages of mine. My Chinese is also better than average native speakers both in the language itself and knowledge about the language.

However, as a North-easterner, I have weak point as most of them do. I am not quite good at s-sh, z-zhi,c-ch differences and sometimes make mistakes on them. I am quite better now after 25 years in Beijing.

By the way, by "qie2zi3", one may mean 茄籽 （seed of eggplant), orally we say 茄籽儿。

[Woodpecker]

The trouble with general photo taking in China (it's even worse in Taiwan and Japan though) is if you give people warning you're going to take a photo they always do two-finger "peace" signs in the air. I hate it ;)

I've seen this too. Is there a specific reason for it?

When you take pictures of anyone or any group Chinese, you are expected to "count up" or "count down" loudly but s-l-o-w-l-y before pressing the button:

一二三 or 三二一

Then you can have their undivided attention and count on them putting the best smile/face/side/foot forward. Works every time ... It's a cultural thing.

No it's not a cultural thing! This is the case with Westerners too.