Being Photogenic - why are some lucky & others not-so-much?

I am so incredibly frustrated with the fact that I cannot take a good picture to save my life. I always look distorted, or crooked. In real life I'm pretty good looking (I'd prove it to you but I am NOT posting a picture b/c it would not be what I really looked like! haha) But once I get in front of the camera, I'm smiling crooked & my forehead looks huge & my eyes are all wonky. I have always been like this. What the heck?

On the flip side, there are a couple friends of mine who are pretty good looking in person who look like super-models in every single picture they have. What is up with that? They could have just rolled out of bed & cracked a "get that camera out of here" smile & they look amazing!

So, what's the deal with this? Is the mirror lying or is the camera? Is there any theory behind this & why it happens?

luck isn't it it is all about someones self perception and self confidence about it. You see ?

I'm hidiously good looking but m pics always work out great and grotesk

Pics or it never happened.

reply to post by cassp83

I know this sounds rude, I am NOT trying to insult you, but perhaps you are seeing what you choose see. Sure I like to think myself an 8 but in reality . . . The camera doesnt lie, unedited anyways.

Its just a though, please dont shoot me!

Now one for the oldfolk here.
Why??
It's preference by Loreal, And I'm worth it!

reply to post by cassp83


I'm in the non-photogenic club with you, which is odd since I was once a model. The thing is, I don't look at all like myself in photos.

There are some who claim that facial symmetry equals beauty. Looking Good: the Psychology and Biology of Beauty

Today, [this] symmetry has been scientifically proven to be inherently attractive to the human eye. It has been defined not with proportions, but rather with similarity between the left and right sides of the face...

Is it possible that what we think we see in the mirror every morning is a picture of ourselves, "edited" by our own brains to different proportions, and that the face we see in photos is the true one? Hard to say. It's also interesting that videos of me look more like my vision of my own appearance than photos.

I feel the same way when I see my pics. I bet other people think your pics look great We are always hard on ourselves and naturally notice all the flaws which others don't.....come to my thread here www.abovetopsecret.com... and post a pic of yourself....a lot of people here have. I bet it isn't as bad as you think!

I have the exact same problem, and it is soooo frustrating. I think that I have a pretty realistic idea of what I look like, and in videos I look the way that I think I look in real life. But pictures always come out weird. I always think that it must have been the angle or lighting..... oh well

Yes, it's a reality. Some of it can be attributed to the way a persons bone structure lays shadows and/or reflects light. And EVERY actor has a "good" side.

I've done a significant amount of work in the fashion industry and otherwise and can generally get a photogenic shot out of un-photogenic folk, but not always.

I think, too, that the rarest beauty is also the hardest to capture...so maybe that's the deal with you.

If you're interested, hit me with a U2U and I'll give you some "secrets" on how to get at least a few shots that tell the "truth" and show you off.

its true, i dont get it either.. i know a couple of people who are ugly as hell in the flesh, but take a photo of them and they look great..

I've found that looking at the camera drastically changes how the picture looks, even a slight pose can make all the difference in the world. On the other hand good luck at being happy with a picture taken when you weren't paying attention, I find those to be the worst. The old mid conversation or drunken fool pics are normally pretty unflattering.

If you don't like being in pictures you may get a kick out of this story. So a month or so ago my brothers and sister and a few other family members were lined up next to my Grandfather waiting for my Dad to take a picture. You know how it is waiting for the picture to be taken, little adjustments or facial tics while trying to not to screw the picture up by moving too much all the while just knowing that he'll snap the picture while you're doing something stupid. Well literally two or three minutes had gone by and I finally ask my Dad what's going on. Oh he's video taping he said, so that's great there's over two minutes of us just sitting their posing for a picture trying to stay still and looking like a bunch of morons in the process. If you don't like being filmed I can't think of a worse situation to be in, well I can but that's not for this thread, or this site for that matter.

I get told all the time I'm better looking in person. I don't mind it, I know people that look great in pictures but when you see them in person you are wondering if it is an uglier twin of theirs.

You connect with people in person, so it works for me.

reply to post by The GUT


Can you post your tips here? I would love to know some tips to take better pics!

Yes its amazing how the miracle of the camera seems to apply to some people and not others. I dont actually look like this in real life, more like a pox ridden troll, and they say the camera never lies!

reply to post by cassp83
I'm in the same situation,I'm not photogenic at all even though I have been told I was "pretty"(but never thought of myself in those terms)I could not take a good picture if my life depended on it,but now I can look back at some of my younger pictures and find they aren't that bad.My daughter on the other hand is very photogenic(fortunately),takes fantastic pics and she knows it!!


oh well some are blessed and some aren't,.....it could be worse! to the doctorswife,if that is you in your avatar you do take good pic,maybe its our own reality of ourselves,i mean maybe we don't see ourselves as others do?Also have you ever noticed the more you get to know someone the nicer looking they become?...strange,things aren't always what they seem!

Most people are not aware of the fact that when they look in the mirror, they CHOOSE the angle. There are usually only two, sometimes three angles they will "check" out, and this becomes their perception of what they look like.
Check it out for yourself sometime. You will look in the mirror a certain way, cock your head a bit...slightly different angle, and you are good to go.
That is one reason for the "shock" when the photographer does not honor your angle preference, but most people don't seem to mind. It is obviously vanity, at least a mild form....

Originally posted by StealthyKat
reply to post by The GUT

 

Can you post your tips here? I would love to know some tips to take better pics!

You don't need it mama I checked out your "share your photo" OP.

For self-portraits: Make or buy a soft-lamp and take A LOT o' pics...or, ahem, and the reason I suggested a u2u, there is some excellent software that will reduce those beauty stealing shadows and soften the "lies." Vary the angles and most of all: Relax.

If you have a friend shooting the pics then you can also "bounce" light with something as simple and inexpensive as some poster board.

Of course said software can also "lie" very well if one is un-photogenic due to extreme homliness (like me.)

If you have an iphone there's a couple of lil' programs that will make you feel much better about, say, a profile pic for FB.

Knowing that your previous photographs have been less than satisfactory the natural reaction is to put your ‘camera face’ on when confronted with a camera (knowing that this next photo is going to be less than satisfactory) you have now entered the catch 22 scenario.

Solution…….candid shots taken by someone who understands your ‘problem’.

Ideally you would be positioned in front of the camera (mounted on a tripod) and drawn in to conversation with the photographer who can then take shots at unexpected moments during the session, this will produce a more natural image of you compared to the usual forced smile, which is not the real you.

Originally posted by Stewie
Most people are not aware of the fact that when they look in the mirror, they CHOOSE the angle. There are usually only two, sometimes three angles they will "check" out, and this becomes their perception of what they look like.
Check it out for yourself sometime. You will look in the mirror a certain way, cock your head a bit...slightly different angle, and you are good to go.
That is one reason for the "shock" when the photographer does not honor your angle preference, but most people don't seem to mind. It is obviously vanity, at least a mild form....

oh wow, I think you are right. It's funny how we 'pose' for ourselves in the mirror.....if even just a tiny bit

I am at least comforted in the fact that I appear to be in good company.

Originally posted by chiptrim
Knowing that your previous photographs have been less than satisfactory the natural reaction is to put your ‘camera face’ on when confronted with a camera (knowing that this next photo is going to be less than satisfactory) you have now entered the catch 22 scenario.

Solution…….candid shots taken by someone who understands your ‘problem’.

Ideally you would be positioned in front of the camera (mounted on a tripod) and drawn in to conversation with the photographer who can then take shots at unexpected moments during the session, this will produce a more natural image of you compared to the usual forced smile, which is not the real you.

This is a good idea, but I have always been hesitant to do so because

a. I don't want to spend money on a photographer's time or money on prints because I know I'll look horrible anyways

b. I would feel so incredibly vain to have someone taking pictures of me (does that make sense?)