Decieving Photos?

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that the way they look in photos is not the way they look in the mirror or the way others describe you physically? I just got pictures back and i'm a little horrified. Is there something with the camera lens or lighting that could make someone look longer, shorter, thicker, different?

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that the way they look in photos is not the way they look in the mirror or the way others describe you physically? I just got pictures back and i'm a little horrified. Is there something with the camera lens or lighting that could make someone look longer, shorter, thicker, different?

*edit* It was taken by a professional with an insane looking camera. I don't know what kind.

There are ways to enhance or minimize characteristics, and the lens can make some difference, but for the most part, that's just the way you look.

We all see ourselves different than everyone else... an extreme example is a very very thin person suffering from an eating disorder thinking they are fat. Or an extremely overweight person thinking they're not that bad.

Those are just extreme examples, but everyone has it in their head what they look like and that translates into what we see.

Cameras always make people look fatter (to themselves).

What cameria is it?

I dont know.. I think there is just something that isnt completely 100% accurate with both mirrors, and cameras.. lol. I know you can look skinnier in some pics then you actually are, or even fatter, and I think it all depends on the angle you hold the camera when taking the picture.. I dont think you can ever know what you really look like based on a pic, or a mirror the only way you could is if you were standing right in front of yourself looking at yourself(like through someone elses eyes) even if you just look at yourself without picures, or mirrors you still cant fully see how you really look because its a different view then what others can see.

Sounds like you just learned the first rule of photography, good equiptment doesn't equate to a good photographer or a good photo. It is true that some camera lenses do not see the world in the same way we view the world, take for example a fisheye lens http://www.nikon.co.jp/main/eng/feelniko... Every lens has certain characteristics and qualities but there are lenses which do in fact see the world as we see the world and are refered to as standard focal length lenses, for a 35mm camera this is a 50mm lens, and for a medium format camera this is 80mm. However professional portrait photographers don't necessarily use a standard focal length lens for portraits but instead opt for a portrait lens usually around 100mm for 35mm and 150mm for medium format. In regards to lighting, things get more complicated. Each face is unique, and as such personal attention and detail must be taken to light each face individually and not on an assembly line basis like many photo studios at the mall do. However there are rules for natural lighting. For example if you want to create natural looking light using artificial lighiting your best reference is our own sun. Somtimes photographers get too elaborate with their lighting. Some of the best commercial photographers such as Richard Avedon used the most basic of lighting scenarios, usually only using one single light source.