I take such a terrible photo

[toomuchkissing]

So 2 questions really; what can I do clothes and make up wise to look better in photographs?

and a slightly deeper one should I believe what I see in the mirror or what I see in photos? I don't really feel that I'm hideous, I look in the mirror and I look Ok; people don't seem to treat me as if I'm gross and I work with the public. I'm happily married dh seems to find me attractive.

I suppose what I'm saying is-I just can't reconcile the 2 me's; the one in the mirror and the one in the photos. Is it possible that I really do just look a hundred times worse in photos?

I am exactly like this. I can feel quite good when I look in the mirror but as soon as I see a picture my reality is smashed and I realise I look so different to how I think I do. I very rarely have my photo taken because it actually brings me down. People dont really understand how bad it makes me feel and think I am making a fuss over nothing.

AS for how to fix it. I find black and white is the lesser of evils. Other than that I dont know.

me too, i've noticed applying more blusher than usual makes me appear not so pale in photos. I find holding a small child hides my fat belly and tilting my head avoids the double chin. My partner agrees i look terrible in most photos but doing the above has resulted in me actually framing a couple of fairly good ones.

Looking back at our holiday photos i look very ill and tired....and yet i certainly didnt feel it on holiday.

I think my daughter has inherited this too, we have some horrible photos of her but in real life shes such a sweetie. I should add we are both very pale skinned which is why i think we dont photograph well.

I am really unphotogenic too. It's so unfair isn't it.
I am sure you're not just deluding yourself when you look at yourself in the mirror btw. I know this because I know people who look better in photos and when I met them I thought oh you're not actually that pretty!

Better to be our way round surely.

As for tips I second black and white, good make up and just using the same pose that seems to work as often as possible. Weirdly my profile is nice it's just front on I look rubbish :(

I also hate it when people insist on tagging photos of me and putting them on facebook. I don't want 'that' me circulating anywhere thank you very much!

You know why this happens? Because our faces aren't symmetrical, so the face in the mirror is the mirror-image of the face in the photo. If you see what I mean.

So what you're saying Marion is that I really look like the hag in the photo?

I have no advice but can sympathise totally as another very unphotogenic woman.

I tried doing the head out and to the side for a while but I have millions of photos of me looking like I am doing a giraffe impression.

A friend of mine is a photographer and she always tells me that you should suck your tummy in, shoulders back, tits out and look upwards if possible. Never have a photo taken from a lower angle!

Can I join the support club then? I look like a red skinned, double chinned hag in all photos.

The worst one is my passport photo. I know they are meant to look bad but I truly look like a man in mine. A man who has just robbed a bank. I get asked about it every time I hit immigration at the airport.

Marking my place. I have body dismorphia, I think I'm a bit of a looked but in photos I look like a dog's dinner.

do any of you remember the 'little old lady' in chorlton and the wheelies? well that is ME

it's true that the more symmetrical your face the better photograph you take
but you can learn which way the light hits you better and which way is best for your face to photograph
for most people you will look better if you are photographed slightly from above
for many not full face on is best

I look better in photographs than in real life
my bone structure photographs better than it looks
better to look better than your photograph than worse I'd say

Me too. I have found a 3/4 view to be fairly flattering, not just in myself, may be worth a try.

The worst thing about feeling like this is when someone else sees the photo and says 'hey you look great in that picture'

When that happens I think 'God, I must really look like that' instead of the Kate Winslet lookalike that I imagine I am. :(

Slight tangent perhaps...

I have felt the same......... I am a size 26, have a spotty beard chin thing going on and need a hair cut.

But I always look happy on pictures :) and I am much more than how I look.

ANd I bet you are too.

Also, photography does weird things, makes things look out of proportion etc

ALso I always sit my baby (adorable) in front of any flabby bits... Good job she;s getting taller!