Why do look so awful in photos?

[TrainingAim]

Don't get me wrong, I know I'm ordinary looking and that's fine. This morning, I did my usual minimal makeup. A touch of concealer, light foundation, spot of blusher, tinted lip balm and finishing powder. I thought I looked OK in the mirror, nothing special, but I was happy enough.

Later I did the virtual try on of new glasses on the Specsavers website. OMG, I look about 20 years older than I thought I did in the mirror!

[donewithitalltodayandxmas]

Yep im the same and facetime and ziom calls I just look horrendous

[Sweetener12]

I used to hate photos of me taken by other people, but then I set up a front camera so that it wouldn't switch it to mirror. It helped a lot, I started accepting that this is how I really look. Do not forget about professional photographers, too. Book a good photo shoot once and you will forget all your worries. Experienced photographers just know what angle will or will not work for you and what amount of light and color correction is better to apply in Photoworks to make a picture look better.

[BorderlineHappy]

I find photos weird.Everyone else looks like them,but I look like the blob
I can't smile eitheri look like a demented serial killer.

[lollipoprainbow]

Same ! I think I look alright when I look in the mirror but if I see myself in a photograph I look hideous !!

[wonderstuff]

Lighting and angles make a huge difference. My uncle is a good photographer and I look fantastic in some of the photos he's taken of me, whereas some photos I look awful, selfies are definitely a skill.

[IEat]

Lighting can be a bitch. I see myself at home and I’m ok, go to work and look in the toilet mirror and fucking hell I look like my dead granny! Bloody awful. Hope it’s that particular lighting

[cricketmum84]

I think it's because we are constantly comparing o ur own photos to the filter laden selfies we see all over social media. Our normal unfiltered images just can't look as good without a bit of softening from instagram or the lovely snapchat filter that softens all the lines and angles and evens out tone.

[SimonJT]

Lighting and knowing your angles.

I thought I wasn’t photogenic, I then had to have some photos taken for my sports team. They had those ring lights etc and posed me, I actually looked like me and a good version of me.

We had some engagement pictures done in December (yep, cringe) and again good lighting etc has made a huge difference and I actually like the pictures of me.

A ring light can do amazing things, they’re cheap, you can get freestanding ones or ones that clip onto your phone. I use one on work videos, my tan has faded now, but when I’m tanned my face looks flat and featureless in the wrong light, the ring light made me look like me, so I wasn’t looking at my video bit thinking “wtf is wrong with my face?”

[Biscoffaddict]

I find I look better in candid photos that I didn’t know were being taken, like they do at weddings etc. In posed ones I look awful, really award with weird posture.

[CoraPirbright]

It’s so weird isnt it?! If I make a proper effort, I am quite ok looking. However in photos, I have eyes like two piss holes in the snow and a nose that curves into my mouth like Mr Punch. Urrgh!!

[emwithme]

I do not photograph well...

[Jgdgjbdssvuuuuu]

If you ask me it’s how you hold your mouth. If you have a symmetrical face with wider spread teeth you’ll be photogenic.

If your bite isn’t right, you will rarely be in a neutral face pose. I read about this once and I’ve seen it in people in pics ever since

[TwoLeftSocksWithHoles]

I know that some clothes shops had 'slimming mirrors' so that you looked better when trying their clothes on.

Perhaps Specsavers have a filter that makes one look drawn and haggard until you try a pair of their glasses on and then miraculously you look great?

Well that how I explained it to myself.

[funtimefrank]

Light and facial angles. My sil is a pretty person with an oval face and small even features. She photographs very well, often better than irl (her words!).

I am less pretty but still not awful. I have quite sharp cheekbones, a 'strong' but not large nose and a generally angular face. I look like beaker from the muppets in most photos. My mum who is very pretty but angular is the same as is Dd2. Dd1 is like her aunt in terms of face shape and photographs well.

We all look fine in properly lit photos taken by someone skilled. Just not in snaps.

[DinosApple]

I don't photograph well.
Selfies are the worst though - I have an angular face. Sharp jawline, sharp cheekbones, pointy chin and a slightly downward nose.

IRL I look ok (believe it or not ), in selfies I look like a witch. All angles are amplified and distorted by the closeness of the camera.

Best photos I've had was from our wedding (did my own minimal make up) and a college fashion show (caked in make up).

[ThenCatoJumpedOut]

Colouring and lighting and delicate features

I have a friend who is very pretty but photographs badly. We always laugh about it, it’s like a curse. She knows she does not look like that in real life though

Another thing is we are used to mirrors, and obviously look different (reverse/mirror) in real life, so that can look “wrong” as well

[LApprentiSorcier]

I am not very attractive in any 'format' but tend to look better in photos than in real life (judging real life by mirrors). I would rather it was the other way round.

[Nicolastuffedone]

I look ok when I got make up on, hair done...but somehow end up looking like Margaret Rutherford in photographs 🤷‍♀️

[Dustyhedge]

My husband looks good in photos. I don’t other than wedding photos and other professional ones. I think you need someone that gets angles and knows how to be flattering. Weight makes a big difference though. When I’m fatter, I look awful and can’t carry the weight well.

[TroyTown]

scarletpower ha yes! The one good one of me got framed straight away 😉

[Pimlicojo]

I'm not photogenic, I've even had people comment on it because they're surprised as I don't look that bad in real life. I think colouring makes a difference. I'm very fair skinned and I think my features can get a bit 'lost' whereas my darker skinned DH always looks more defined.

[ScarletPower]

Same, I'm the most unphotogenic person I know. I can't understand how I look "okay" in a mirror, yet if I see a photo of myself, I always hate it.

On the rare occasion I do take a good photo, it becomes my FB profile, it gets splashed on instagram, it becomes my outlook profile pic LOL.

[TroyTown]

My DS was a professional model for several years, signed to a big London agency. People continually comment about how much we resemble each other. And yet... he looks fantastic in photos (even casual snaps) and I look like s**t.

[IamEarthymama]

T*rainingAim
*
It's really not you!

SpecSavers website and their mirrors in the stores make me look awful!

So much so that I refused to buy a pair of glasses after my eye test as I couldn't face the ordeal 😳😉

I am Going to try an online specs service and hope for better luck

Mind you, my wife cuts my hair and hasn't got around to doing it lately! I scare myself in the mirror and have said she's out on her ear if she doesn't do it tomorrow, I have a Zoom meeting and an appointment at the doctor's surgery and don't want to scare the horses 😂

[orientalknife]

This is why I love the selfie

You are master of the angle, lighting and you can take as many takes as you want

Some think it's vain. I don't. To me it is being master of my own image and I find it empowering. I'm a fitness professional so I want nice photos but I also want them to be real because I don't believe in fakery.

Nothing wrong with make up, flattering angle etc. Don't forget a lot of images you see are photos hopped and air brushed.