I have taken about 2 decent pictures since I hit the age of 13.
The camera hates me. I look much worse in pictures than I do in real life, seriously.
Why is this? Why do some people look great in pictures and others look terrible no matter what they do?
Is it a hair color/eye color/skin tone thing? Is there a certain “look” that is more conducive to taking good pictures?
For example, are people with say, blonde hair more photogenic and if so, why is this?
Or is there no rule of thumb and it’s just that some people are lucky and others aren’t?
I think it has to do with self-confidence and the ability to smile on demand (note: that’s a REAL smile not a fake smile, there is a difference and it’s a big difference, it has to do with triggering muscles in your cheeks that I beleive in most people are involuntary).
I believe that pictures are much better when you’re caught by surprise. Posing on demand can be difficult for some people. But even if it’s difficult for some, the pics can be great when they’re not expecting it.
I’ve read some stuff about this, but this is all from memory, so no cite - sorry.
The camera seem to like symetrical faces. As you might be aware of, most people don’t have perfectly symetrical faces. This is not obvious when you look in the mirror, but if you have photoshop or some such and cut a face in half, duplicate and flip it around, you’ll notice that even your own face looks unfamiliar to you.
There is also something going on with how we perceive mirror images. So looking at the mirror, you get an impression about your face and the fact that it is you. Most people have no clue about what they look like in profile, what psoture they have ASF.
I look crappy in photos myself. I got it explained that my eyes are quite deep set, and I have very light eyebrows, giving me a hollow sunken look, and which is often made worse from shadows. With darker eyebrows, I might’ve achieved a sinister look, but that would look really strange on me, since I have a very fair complexion.
Blond, dark whatever, doesn’t matter. Just look at any beauty pageant. Check out models in magazines. People who look good in pictures come in all ages, colors, races and sizes. Some also look good from the POV of the Fashion Industry and becomes models.
Most snapshots will be taken with a small compact camera, which typically has a 28 or 35 mm fixed lens. Good portrait photography shoould be done with a longer lense. I betcha I could make you look good, taking pics with my trusty old OM-2 and the 135 mm.
Not for everybody. Plenty of pictures where I’m on the periphery, unaware I’m being photographed, and I still look like an enraged preying mantis. I can’t possibly be that ugly; I wouldn’t have any friends willing to be seen with me in public. Some people just do not photograph well.
In my opinion? It’s just a matter of automatically knowing what angles you look good at, and when a camera comes out, you hit that angle, without thinking about it. For some people, this carries over ALL the time, and they try to maintain a pose and posture that makes 'em look good.
As a general rule, you will look better in photographs if you have a square face with a strong jaw and cheekbones, a big mouth, and small nose and eyes. This is why many famous models look very much like lizards in person.
Mary Tyler Moore has a classic “photogenic” face. Has to do with what happens when you go from three to two dimensions.
BTW, for film it’s best to be a small person with a large head.
A friend of mine is a model’s agent, and she can tell in a heartbeat if a particular face will be photogenic or not. She’d rather look at the person than at their book because, she says, people will always pick their best photos for their books and, with enough photos, makeup, and lighting, anyone can come up with a couple dozen decent pictures.
Thanks, j.c.–everyone was claiming it’s confidence, self image, etc, but I knew that couldn’t be it. I dated a girl who was gorgeous in real life, and exuded self-confidence, but never looked nearly as good in photos. I’m guessing the 3d to 2d transition is what did her in (that’s the only thing that makes sense to me, at least… although I’m sure removing the pheremones from the equation never helped)
I am another one who has never had a decent photo taken since they were 6 yrs old. I know I am no oil painting but like SnoopyFan and ** Zsofia ** I can’t believe I am that ugly.
I figure that it is animation. I probably don’t look that bad to people in real life because I am moving, and an impression of a ‘live’ person is different to a ‘flat’ photograph (If that makes sense.)
Some people’s beauty shines through in expressions and mannerisms that are not frozen at a point in time. Others do not require this, and might be rather plane in 4 dimensions.
People with oily skin tend to look worse in photos than in person. Also, certain facial proportions probably create unflattering shadows that aren’t perceived as shadows in a 2d medium.
Some people just do not photograph well.
