Myth: “The photo I used was just what I really look like”
You’ve been misled.
You’ve been told that the camera doesn’t lie. (Myth.)
That photos show you just the way you are. (Myth.)
That pics = proof. (Myth.)
That bad pictures are the most “real.” (Myth.)
I’m not saying this to be “nice.” I’m saying it because it’s the reason we built Photofeeler in the first place.
Look, I don’t know you. You could be a fitness model or look like the bottom of a garbage can. But most of us tend to fall somewhere near average. And, for us, the difference between a bad and good picture can be genuinely consequential to our professional and dating lives.
#1 Camera distortion warps your proportions
Ever suspect that your forehead or nose looked larger in a particular picture than in real life?
More than likely, you were correct.
Camera distortion is ubiquitous in social media pictures — especially selfies.
The most common cause of camera distortion is that the subject is too close to the lens.
Most photographers say that the type of lens used also has a lot to do with it, and wide-angle lenses (like the ones in our camera phones) are big offenders.
#2 Going from 3D to 2D creates optical illusions
Real life is 3D. A picture is 2D.
This difference can have major implications.
For instance, when you’re standing in front of someone, you get a 3D sense of their size. Without that extra dimension, in photos, a human arm can look way smaller or larger than it really is.
For this reason, professional models learn to manipulate their body shape by moving parts of themselves closer or farther from the lens.
#3 Most pictures are disappointing because your brain is like Photoshop
Our eyes (with help from our brain) automatically adjust to darkness and brightness.
Our cameras are not as amazing. They can be adjusted to focus on highlights or shadows, but never both at once.
As a result, sometimes we get these dark, creepy, or washed-out pictures that cause us to question, “Was that what I really looked like at the party?”
The answer is no, it’s not.
Being attractive in person doesn’t automatically equal photogenic. And being naturally photogenic doesn’t automatically equal attractive in person.
Photographers have long been known to note the difference between the on-camera and off-camera appearances of famous models. (Kate Moss, for example, has been rumored to look quite ordinary in the flesh. Not that I can personally confirm or deny.)