Body image+cameras - anyone else get this....?

Question

When i look in the mirror i think i look alright, ok so i am overweight but hey, at least i look half decent!

Then i look at a photo taken or video and i am like this colossus!

Which is the right image? I know the camera adds weight (apparently) but in mirrors standing together i look just a bit bigger than friends, in photo's i am twice their size!

Answer 1

it happens to everyone. a mirror doesnt really reflect your image as part of the experience is knowing its you you are looking at. In a photo you are detached and see whats actually there. Same goes for if you record your voice, you dont sound like you!

Answer 2

The camera is not always accurate

Different things play a part

1. Quality of camera

2. Lighting

3. Angles / Perspective

4. The way you stand or sit

I am pretty thin except for a little tummy bulge

certain angles will make me appear pregnant - LOL

Practice different angles, positions & lighting

If your taking self-portraits

Invest in a remote for your camera

This helps a great deal with Self-portraits

you dont have to run back & forth

Also use a Mirror to help you pose

Set up a full length mirror (out of the view of the camera)

practice posing in the mirror - then snap the pic with your

remote

You'll eventually get great photos of yourself

just practice , practice

If your not happy with your camera

invest in a better one

Answer 3

If you compare a photograph taken close up with a wide angle lens with one taken at some distance away with a telephoto lens but so that the image is the same size in the viewfinder you will realise that the camera does distort the size and shape of the body. Also the angle of the body towards the lens has an influence,straight on shots can be rather unflattering.

Answer 4

The best way to work this out is to look at a picture where you and a friend are standing side by side taken with about a 45-50mm lens, (which 'sees' things about the same as the human eye does) and at a distance which gets your whole bodies in the frame- a picture taken like this will be an accurate representation.

I'd say if you still look much bigger compared to your friend then you  are much bigger in real life.

Mirrors are not accurate because you are not looking at both people at the same angle, and you can only see your own body from the top looking down with the effect of perspective. Also because of the way the human eye works, it's hard to see the whole scene properly at once, unless you have a very large mirror and stand well away from it.

You probably won't like my answer, but at least it's honest.

Answer 5

Honey, this happens to a lot of people and it's for two reasons (at least two that I see a lot, and I do a lot of photography):

1. You're self-conscious in front of the camera, so you pose awkwardly.



2. People see what they're looking for. If you're used to thinking that you look heavier in pictures, you'll expect it, and you'll find it even if it's barely noticeable.

The more time you spend around cameras, the more comfortable you'll be. I would start by asking a friend to take candid photos of you (you know, ones where you're not aware the picture's being taken). If you feel a little silly, it's okay - people do it all the time in photography classes (if that helps). Do you like these better? In that case, it's probably issue #1. In that case, just spend a lot of time around a camera. Look at pictures of yourself that you like, and figure out what you like about them, whether it's the way you tilt your head or the angle the camera shoots from. Try to have pictures of you taken emulating those things.

And I totally get issue #2. I'm never in pictures (i'm always the one taking them) but I'm very self-critical of my photos. When I hear myself beating myself down, I step back and find two or three things I like about what I've shot. Maybe it'll work for you as well. Do you have really pretty eyes or smile? Make an effort to notice these things. Corny, maybe. But it really does help.

Good luck!