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Being photogenic real or an excuse by unattactive folk?

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I think "looks way better in person" is a lot more common than "looks way better in pictures" unless it comes to celebrities who are almost always professionally touched up.
 
demon said:
There was an article posted on gaf 4-5 years back about a study that shows people do sub-consciously compensate for their bad looks when looking in a mirror. Sorry dude. :(
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What if you look awful in the mirror? Does that mean you look even worse to other people?

oh noes
 
I have seen enough examples of it in reality to know it is real. Some people's neutral expressions or facial expressions while speaking look fine in motion, but really bad in photos. Same is true with some body postures.
 
before plastic surgery I looked better in pictures than I did in real life, after plastic surgery I look better in real life than I do in pictures.
 
enzo_gt said:
I think being attractive and photogenic is the same thing. Though I do include stuff like having a nice smile, nice teeth, not looking cross-eyed, etc. as part of being attractive and thus being part of being photogenic though.
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No it isn't. Some people just don't know how to situate themselves in photos. And some simply don't photograph well.
 
Yeah, you know how when you get to know someone and you like them, they look more attractive, but then if they are a horrible person they become less attractive to you? It's similar when you look in a mirror. You may have a more or less favorable view of your looks in accordance with your self esteem. Something about seeing a photo can perhaps break this illusion. However, I feel it is important to note that the overwhelming majority of photographs of people taken today totally fucking suck because nobody understands photography and on top of that we have social patterns for taking photographs of/with people we know that even further shit up the process.
 
demon said:
There was an article posted on gaf 4-5 years back about a study that shows people do sub-consciously compensate for their bad looks when looking in a mirror. Sorry dude. :(
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That explains why I see a 4pack and a bit of gut in the mirror, yet my belly can be seen with a t-shirt on.
 
Stat Flow said:
Nah. It's real. I think I have some nice pictures of myself but some that are like "ugh don't show this to anyone."
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That's right, sometimes my mouth freezes in a way that looks like a clutch of rabbits trying to squeeze through a deflated inner tube. These photographs are destroyed immediately.
 
HubXEVk.jpg
 
effe said:
Real. Case in point Kate Moss. Ugly and plain chick, photogenic as all fuck.
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My wife watches America's Next Top Model pretty religiously. From what I have seen, this seems to be a pretty common thing in the modelling world. Maybe a third of the girls they have on there would get a second glance on a regular street if they weren't made up by professional stylists. You don't even know why anyone would pick some of them for a model until you see some of the photos.
 
Monocle said:
That's right, sometimes my mouth freezes in a way that looks like a clutch of rabbits trying to squeeze through a deflated inner tube. These photographs are destroyed immediately.
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People always seem to catch me mid-blink. I look stoned out of my mind with my eyes halfway shut.
 
kswiston said:
My wife watches America's Next Top Model pretty religiously. From what I have seen, this seems to be a pretty common thing in the modelling world. Maybe a third of the girls they have on there would get a second glance on a regular street if they weren't made up by professional stylists. You don't even know why anyone would pick some of them for a model until you see some of the photos.
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That's modeling to a T. Look man.

600full-kate-moss.jpg


to

tumblr_m0zkkalfwf1rrse0wo1_500.jpg
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I think I look pretty good in a mirror, but take a picture of myself and I look like some horrifying beast. Even if I reverse the image (Because you're used to seeing your own face mirrored)

Maybe I'm a monster and cameras just capture my true nature?
 
There isn't a photo of me past puberty that doesn't look like someone just surprised the Bigfoot mid-wank. All my family photos are complete traiwrecks.

But then, I'm also ugly in reali life.
 
plainr_ said:
My eyes have the worst timing ever. The camera catches me with my eyes closed a lot.
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I have this weird thing where when I take a picture one eye is always more open than the other. And it irks the hell out of me. Partially because I don't know if its unnoticeable and I'm the only person who notices and when I ask if others notice it just makes them aware too, or if it really is noticeable. *twitch*
 
enzo_gt said:
I have this weird thing where when I take a picture one eye is always more open than the other. And it irks the hell out of me. Partially because I don't know if its unnoticeable and I'm the only person who notices and when I ask if others notice it just makes them aware too, or if it really is noticeable. *twitch*
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Yeah, same here. Like my eyes don't match for some reason. Even when I'm consciously trying to keep it from happening, it still does.
 
Dice said:
It's definitely real. I did photography nearly every day for 5 years straight, mostly photojournalist-ish stuff with people as the focus. I've known many people who don't turn out nearly as well in a photo as the impression they make in person, and people who come off better in a photo than they do in person. Obviously there is going to be a level of correlation between general attractiveness and how photogenic you are, but it is definitely only a correlation, not an equation.
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Would fit in your description. The three pictures of mine I've uploaded had been taken out of a row of, like, twenty, just because the rest was pretty much embarrassing.
 
I noticed recently that over the past number of years in every picture I'm in, I'm looking a little too high and to the side. I realized it's because I developed the habit of looking away from the flash to avoid blinking (which I used to do), and that habit carried over even to most non-flash photos. So nowadays I look like less of an idiot in the (few) photos I'm in.
 
Some girl I know told me that I look a lot better in real life when compared to the pictures she saw of me. Most be true I slept with her that night.
 
I think I've only ever looked good in my senior photos.

I'm pretty normal/sub-normal but pics just kinda make me look awkward.
 
smurfx said:
i know a girl who is really pretty but man does she take bad pictures.
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I'm the male version of this... I hope. The mirror lies, or my vanity, or its just reality. The wrong angle and bam! I look like a troll.

cacophony said:
same girl, different lenses

xlarge_e4315eb25d608da3dcf848172e4f2928-616x346.jpg
kamera+pembohong+2.jpg
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'dat perspective compression. I'm partial to 85mm from stuff I've seen. Not too flat, just the right amount of dimensionality. 100mm is great too. Past that thing flatten out a bit too much for my taste.
 
To put that picture in perspective, most camera phones are working with 28mm lenses that will elongate at the edge of the frame when you tilt the phone. So even at arms length you're really working with a good amount of perspective issues and inherent lens distortion. Get someone to shoot you with a 50mm+ equivalent lens and you won't have a fivehead... unless you naturally have a fivehead in which case in sorry
 
I am not photogenic. My pictures tend to make my face look very plump. Some of my pics from the neck up would make me appear to be overweight. I definitely weight less than 130.
 
The thing is, a person perceives in 3D, while a camera snaps a photo in compartment which is 2 dimensional. Photogenic simply means the shape of the face translates well in 2D. Some faces look good in 3D, but do not translate well to two dimensional space.

Ever heard of a saying, "The longer you look at the mirror, the worse the world seems to go", because it as well might be true by perception.
 
There is a real difference between looking good in reality and looking good on a paiting or photograph (some has to do with 3D vs 2D). Ofcourse there are people who have both, and then there is always the case of subjectivity.
 
As a professional photographer, I absolutely believe it is real. I mean, sometimes we cast models for shoots that look pretty odd in real life, but on camera, they look great. This is especially the case in fashion.

I suppose that's the opposite of what most people think of, but that's how it usually works in my experience.

I don't really believe the attractive in real life/looks bad on film thing is as common though. I'd be inclined to blame the photographer for that. Although some people (even models) clearly have "good sides" (or "looks," or expressions) which the photographer has to be able to identify, as well as lighting properly.

That's why, whenever we do a casting, you make your decisions looking at photos, never just by interviews. Usually, we'll meet the prospect, get their comp card (which has a bunch of their past photos on it) AND either myself or an assistant will take a reference photo.
 
Pristine_Condition said:
As a professional photographer, I absolutely believe it is real. I mean, sometimes we cast models for shoots that look pretty odd in real life, but on camera, they look great. This is especially the case in fashion.

I suppose that's the opposite of what most people think of, but that's how it usually works in my experience.

I don't really believe the attractive in real life/looks bad on film thing is as common though. I'd be inclined to blame the photographer for that. Although some people (even models) clearly have "good sides" (or "looks," or expressions) which the photographer has to be able to identify, as well as lighting properly.

That's why, whenever we do a casting, you make your decisions looking at photos, never just by interviews. Usually, we'll meet the prospect, get their comp card (which has a bunch of their past photos on it) AND either myself or an assistant will take a reference photo.
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Yep, it's all about how the head/ bone structure bounces off light.
Lots of actors look pretty weird in real life too.
 
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