mirror,mirror. What is real?

[sleekman]

I got a question that's on my mind for some time now.

When I look into the mirror, my face looks slim and i have a narrower jawline, in pictures my face looks much "chubbier", and i look different in almost every picture, but i never seem to look like what im seeing in the mirror.

The thing is, everyone else in those pictures, look like what they are suppose to in real life. Im perplexed, im not sure what my face really looks like in real life and im having problems picking out the right hairstyle for my face shape.

so which is more accurate, the mirror image or pictures?

 

[VMan]

Cameras only capture a certain angle - people in real life see you from 360 degrees. Cameras tend to make a lot of people seem a bit chubbier.

 

[sleekman]

ahh.....that explains it. But how some people don't appear "chubbier" in pics as compared to others?

maybe some just ain't photogenic?

 

[Arethusa]

This is oversimplification, but cameras also capture light differently from the human eye and lack depth perception. Attractive people can look like crap on a camera, and creative camera work can cover up quite a lot, to say the least.

 

[Rome]

To a certain extent looking at a picture has the same effect as listing to your voice in someone else’s voicemail/ answering machine. A picture is closer to the actual, while a look in the mirror equates more to your own projections of yourself, you zero in on what flaws you want to see.

 

[globetrotter]

I think that you tend to make yourself look best in the mirror pictures capture you in motion, from various angles. on the other hand, pictures don't capture that part of you which is fluid, so if you utilize corectly your motion, your movement, your angles, then you might look better in real life than in pictures.

 

[LabelKing]

It's a question of lighting.

Digital cameras tend to especially lack depth.

 

[montecristo#4]

What about differences from mirror to mirror?

I look great in some mirrors but like **** in others. The differences can be quite dramatic. The mirror at my tailor's shop is notoriously bad.

 

[matadorpoeta]

telephoto lenses squeeze the image, which is good if you're chubby.

wide angle lenses expand the image, which is good if you are too skinny.

i don't know the answer to the original question, but i've noticed that i'm always chubbier in photos than what i see in the mirror.

 

[stach]

It flattens out your image so you don't see the rounding towards the edge of your body. I'm guessing the lighting in your tailor shop is not flattering.

 

[raley]

I don't get it though. What makes someone "photogenic?" It can't be just a natural quality. I think it might have something to do with the consistency of smiles/faces from picture to picture. The people I have noticed to be "photogenic" look the same in almost every picture, or they have a few faces that they make for the camera, all of which look the same. Maybe practice would help.

 

[sleekman]

Originally Posted by montecristo#4

What about differences from mirror to mirror?

I look great in some mirrors but like **** in others. The differences can be quite dramatic. The mirror at my tailor's shop is notoriously bad.

Yes, if you are trying out clothes in different stores, boutiques, you will notice that there are differences in certain mirrors. Some of them will carefully manipulate the lighting or angle to make u slimmer, etc so the clothes u try on will look better on u.

Its best if you look at urself in a mirror in a well lit room.

 

[j]

One thing I noticed when looking at pictures of myself is that my face is not quite symmetrical and it looks very different to me than I am used to seeing in the mirror. I saw a picture of myself and it seemed really off, and after looking a while I noticed that. My jaw is off a tiny bit, maybe 1/16" to one side, probably because of my teeth. I have asked people and no one else has ever noticed it, but it is twice as pronounced to me since I am used to looking at it in reverse.

 

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

It's a question of lighting.

Digital cameras tend to especially lack depth.

Yes and no, its more complex than that.

Jon.

 

[visionology]

The same is true with myself. I always look horrible in photos. The photos capture a specific moment in time that most people don't notice in real life. Flash also has a horrible effect of creating shadows on various areas, often emphasizing your worst features.

I think another thing is that in a mirror you can appear to look your best, however with a camera, you can't fix yourself before the camera snaps so you may have a goofy grin for that split second without knowing it. I've noticed that on my digital camera which has a flip screen where you can see yourself before you take the photo I get more consistant good photos of myself or with others because we can "pose" in a flattering position.