[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by pulykamell *
**…some people’s faces and bone-structures just don’t seem to work well in two-dimensions…
I think that’s a lot of what it is. In person, you see the person in motion: they aren’t fixed at one angle. So an angle that may be less attractive on paper is obscured by the fact they are in motion, and you therefore have a fuller picture of what they look like (and more to look at).
For me, I have a larger chin. In pictures, it’s obvious. But when I look in the mirror, or watch myself on home videos, it’s a non-issue. (Also, in pictures, the tiny bump on the middle of my nose disappears completely and my nose looks perfectly straight. It’s just shadows obscuring it. But in real life, it’s there.)
I have no science to support this, it’s just a logicall conclusion I drew.
When you take a photograph it is going to depend on the lense you use. With a standered Point and shoot the lense is not good so you come out looking a little squished and wierd. I.E. on my university ID card they have had to narrow the photograph slightly on a computer and I look dead sexy.
With a manuel camera, by this I mean one where you can change the lens, the standered lens (I forget which one) is the closest you can get to the human eye so unphotogenic people like me come out looking better.
To build on Theom’s comment, that’s true too, but some people just look better no matter which lens you use.
In general, the slight to moderate telephoto lenses (85-135mm) are the lenses of choice for portrait photography. The slight compression they offer is very flattering to the face. The 50mm is a decent choice, too, but most photographers opt for the slight telephoto.
Wide angles (which cheapie point-and-shoots usually are) tend to exaggerate distance. Therefore, if you take a head-shot with a wide angle lens, the distance from the tip of the nose to the back of the ear will appear exaggerated, and you’ll end up looking mousy at best.
People look bad in a snapshot because it’s one instant in time-- which is not how you look at people. Compare if you dare by setting up your home video camera, let it roll, and take one still photo.
If you want good pictures, don’t pose, and take multiple shots. (Heck, even the pros do that at every event I’ve gone too, because people blink, twitch, yawn, etc…) Lining everyone up too close to each other, and making them grimace is not going to turn out good.
If you want to stop blinking, forget about the flash on your camera. Turn up all the lights in the room so that it’s bright.
i skimmed over some answers but didn’t see one that said that some people’s complexions reflect flashes differently than others, causing a different/unpleasing look to someone who is used to seeing that person in normal light.