Being photogenic...is it JUST a saying?

Question

...for people to say when they see "bad" pictures of themselves? I keep hearing "o im not photogenic, i LOOK far better in real life."etc etc

..but if u really think about it, isnt what you look like, what you REALLY look like the time your picture was taken?

Answer 1

i guess..just an excuse

Answer 2

I don't think it is just a saying.

There are people who seem to naturally look good in photos and some who don't.

But it may very well just be that the people who look good in photos have had experience in photo taking/posing and know what to do to make themselves look good in the photo.

Answer 3

It's rare, but just yesterday I photographed a lovely young lady who photographed terribly. When she smiled she looked like she was going to bite.I had to work to reduce her smile just to the point where she didn't look mad, but didn't look like she was going to bite. There are other factors that can make an individual less photogenic, but normally I can determine them and work around them. That's why I studied lighting, corrective posing and use the right lens.

Answer 4

I think that a lot of people use it as an excuse as to why they don't look good in photos.  But really I do eblieve that some people are truly more photogenic than others.  Some people actually do look worse in most photos than they do in real life.  Maybe this is dependent on flash, skin tone, lighting, or a tendancy to blink? Inability to fake smile? I donno.