I have a friend who takes terrible pictures. In real life she is a pretty petite blonde with a doll shaped face but in pictures her expression is bad or her eyes are mismatched or her skin is weirdly shiny or her hair is stringy. I am really surprised every time this happens. I think pictures don’t capture people very realistically.

When I look in the mirror though I always double check with a second mirror to see my unflipped reflection (how people see me). It sometimes causes me to change something about my hair or make up. That’s one thing to try.

Yes, it’s possible you aren’t photogenic. I know the opposite. A woman who is decently attractive but nothing special. She pictographs extremely well and looks like a 10. She’s maybe a 4 appearance wise.

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Ugh so glad to hear others have this issue. But I’m sorry you also deal with it. I just do not look right in photos. It drives me crazy.

On the other hand I always think about the people I know who have it the other way-for some reason always look better in photos than they do in person. And I feel like that’s probably worse somehow?

OP - same with me, and my husband, and even our elementary aged daughter- she’s not model gorgeous or anything, but is pretty enough that random people make comments - yet the majority of her photos - even the ones she’s not making a goofy face in? Eh.

And I know people who are the opposite, and it’s not just filters/angles. I took a picture of another couple we had just met casually and later both my husband and I commented (to each other) that they were unusually photogenic - it’s been over a decade and that’s still the way we refer to them (only see them on FB).

Yes. Trying to come to terms with the idea that I may actually just be ugly now, and be happy regardless.

Your family will want to have you as part of their pictures. Also, when I see photos from 10 years ago, I always think it’s not so bad.

This is why I simply don't take pictures, or let pictures be taken of me. I'd rather not deal with it.

Anonymous wrote:My niece called me ugly years ago and to be honest I have never really recovered.

Get that thought right out of your head! She is unkind.

Yesss. Especially since I see myself differently. I’m friendly and nice, but then when I see pictures of myself I don’t look friendly. It’s strange. (This too in addition to being unphotogenic)

Yes, I actually got a good photo of myself this weekend. I was so happy. It was a Photo Booth. Then, I realized that it probably had filters. I used to be very attractive. Now, at 50, I’m just old and invisible.

Yes I look awful in photos! Like a PP said videos are so much better. Not sure why. I would think that’s just how I looked, but my DH actually has the same problem with photos, and I know he’s handsome in person! Maybe both of us need posing and smiling lessons or something.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My photos are generally terrible, like really terrible. Video footage of me looks a lot better, I realized. Maybe my face looks better in motion.

I was doing that and I realized it was silly. I need to live and have fun instead of waiting until I lose that weight or whatever. I feel like it would be sad for my kids when I die if they had no pictures of me to remember me. I’ve loosened up and started allowing photos.

As an (adult) child, thank you! my parents refused to pose for pictures for some of the same reasons. Makes me so sad.

I look best in photos when I’m actually happy/active vs posing. Photos of me with my kid always come out great. With my kid and/or DH, usually pretty good. Group photos at family or work events? Not so good; I barely recognize myself.

It's more common than you think, simply because photos are 2D representations of 3D objects. Some amount of distortion is necessary to render a photo of an object. Same thing happens when you create a map of the earth.

Rounder features tend to photograph less well.

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Ugh so glad to hear others have this issue. But I’m sorry you also deal with it. I just do not look right in photos. It drives me crazy.

On the other hand I always think about the people I know who have it the other way-for some reason always look better in photos than they do in person. And I feel like that’s probably worse somehow?

They probably think they look way better than they actually do since they look great in photos! That’s one of the main ways you can actually see your own face and body

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Ugh so glad to hear others have this issue. But I’m sorry you also deal with it. I just do not look right in photos. It drives me crazy.

On the other hand I always think about the people I know who have it the other way-for some reason always look better in photos than they do in person. And I feel like that’s probably worse somehow?

I know someone like this. She posts a lot to social media and I envy her situation in the age of SM. Because then she can post the flattering pics of herself online for exes and former colleagues to see and think "wow she looks well," but her friends and family actually around her don't care that she's not as cute as she looks in photos so it doesn't matter.

Meanwhile my friends and family think I look beautiful but I can't take a good photo if my life depended in it so I almost never post to SM because things are actually going better for me than it appears in photos!