| Why Is It So Hard To Take A Good Picture?
Posted: 9/23/2007 7:55:40 PM | Have you girls had that problem?
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I look into the mirror during the day and smile at, who I think, is a very nice looking guy.
When I take a picture of myself though, I look so much worse than what I think I do.
I snap picture after picture, sort through them, and put up the few I think do me some credence of justice.
The process leaves me feeling dissatisfied and kind of sad.
I find myself wondering : "Does the camera see the 'real me'?"
"Am I, in truth, much more unattractive than I think I am?"
And this leads to further thoughts:
"What about other people? Do they feel the same way?"
"What about the really attractive people? Do they struggle to take a pic that does them justice?"
and
"What about those poor people whom I don't find attractive? How do they feel struggling to make a nice pic of themselves to present to this dating community?"
Looks are so important.
aren't they?
I'll be honest : they are to me.
I haven't given up on myself in the looks department.
Despite what the pictures of myself tell me, I still think I am better looking than what they give me credit for.
Maybe that's just an example of guy's deluding themselves into thinking they're better looking than what they are to compensate for the true feeling of inadequacy they harbor deep within themselves.
If so, why is that?
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What does being attractive mean?
Good health.
Self-Confidence, the person values themself and strives to take care of their appearance.
This sounds to me like the qualities valuable in mating.
A healthy, confident mate will produce healthy offspring and be able to provide for the family, whether by raising the young, or gathering resources.
So, being attractive is equivalent to being a good prospect for a mate.
That makes sense from an Anthropological point of view.
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But, I still think being a human being has more magic than just basic procreation.
I like to believe that, that there is a higher calling for human beings, that there is specialness in our existence.
If that's so, then us looking attractive is more than just attracting a mate.
It is an expression of beauty, of aesthetics, of an intangible, abstract thing that only we human beings seem to appreciate on our little blue planet.
Taking a good picture for that reason, as a celebration of beauty, of human beauty, then makes the act of picture taking much more important (at least I think so).
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Why do I think taking a good picture of oneself is so hard?
Because, I think, we human beings have an innate need to find specialness, to find noble purpose in our existence.
The way we look is an expression, is a manifestation of that inner specialness, that inner noble purpose.
That is why we work so hard to take a picture of ourselves that we feel captures that outwardly manifested spark of inner specialness.
That being attractive is a symbol of beauty we want so very badly because of that innate need for a sense of specialness, of noble purpose, of...magic.
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I wonder if it's a quest which will ever end?
The quest to take pictures of ourselves that we feel do us justice?
that we feel present us to our fellow human beings as the special, noble, magical creatures we see ourselves as?
Still...I AM way hotter than my pics give me credit for. ;-) | |
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| Why Is It So Hard To Take A Good Picture?
Posted: 9/23/2007 8:00:12 PM | | Wow DJ, that was alot to read through! I think your pictures are good. You are being way to critical. We all feel this way sometimes. I like the 6th one with you smiling better than the one you have up now though. | |
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| Why Is It So Hard To Take A Good Picture?
Posted: 9/23/2007 8:24:01 PM | Ahhh OP, if you weren't so young or if I wasn't so darn old, I'd snap you up and we'd be going on a 'date', you and I....then we could compare the hundreds of pictures we both have of each other because I'm the exact same as you...haha!!!
So even though I don't have much wisdom to offer you, at least know that you're not alone. Your entire post could've been written by me...me thinks you and I think too much, and yet I know and you know that there is nothing we can do to change that...it'd be one hell of a date I tell ya!!
All I can say for sure is that we all look better in person OP...a picture cannot get the "feel" of a person no matter how beautiful they are or not.....a picture doesn't capture the essence of someone and the way they smile....or the way their eyes crinkle at the corners when they laugh...it doesn't "hear" the animation of their voice when they are happy and excited just to be with you....you know what I mean???
I hate all my pictures, and the ones I have posted here are amongst the very few I hated the least of the hundreds I must have taken of myself....I guess I was trying to do the exact thing I was just telling you is impossible to do....I was trying to capture the real "me" and what I got instead is these darn pictures showing my big nose and my humongous forehead....now how the hell did THAT happen ??? 
Take care OP and don't worry, you look just FINE and your personality shines!
Love and peace  | |
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| Why Is It So Hard To Take A Good Picture?
Posted: 9/23/2007 8:24:39 PM | | Yep I hate photos too. I look at myself in the mirror before I go out and think I look pretty darn good. 1/2 hour later a friend snaps a photo, puts it on facebook and all I can think is 'Ugh I look AWFUL in that pic!' There are very few pics I've seen of myself where I think I look good. The worst ones are where I'm trying to pose. Although funny thing, when I'm drunk in pics I think I look better than when I'm sober in them? | |
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| Why Is It So Hard To Take A Good Picture?
Posted: 9/23/2007 8:36:40 PM | Most people look better in person is the simple answer.
I can't stand my pictures and I can never get a good shot of my eyes. Shadows always seem to get the best of me when taking a picture.
Pictures capture your every thought, your every eye twitch in a single snap shot. One out of a hundred pictures a person takes maybe 1 might be considered acceptable to them. It's that one out of hundreds that might capture the exact moment where the persons facial expressions and thoughts were just so at that perfect moment. When we look at the picture, we see all those inner thoughts and feelings that look back at us in that brief moment.
It takes hundreds of pictures to get one that we ourselves are truly happy with. I have yet to reach that goal myself. Trust me though, I look way better in person. | |
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| Why Is It So Hard To Take A Good Picture?
Posted: 9/23/2007 9:30:27 PM | | I am not photogenic to myself I think its because I dont take alot of full body shots I really dont like having my picture taken because alot of the time I am not ready for it so dont look how I want it to look. | |
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| Why Is It So Hard To Take A Good Picture?
Posted: 9/23/2007 9:59:37 PM | I find that I hate new pictures of me. Always did. However, when I look at OLDER pictures of me, going back a few years, I like the way that I look on them.
So if I take some shots today, and I think I look like crap, it is likely that in a few years, I will think that I look ok in them.
If I was sure that the camera showed "Reality," then I would never leave the house. | |
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| Why Is It So Hard To Take A Good Picture?
Posted: 9/24/2007 4:38:51 AM | i stopped overanalyzing myself a couple years ago. thus i have several pics of myself in my profile.
reality flows, it never is still.
and "good" only implies "better".
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| Why Is It So Hard To Take A Good Picture?
Posted: 9/24/2007 6:09:48 AM | | Lighting is very important, florescent or incandescent makes a huge difference. if you use a flash then everything its 'too crisp' and the colors can be off. Try not using a flash or best of all try taking a picture outside in the sunlight I think you will be happier with how it comes out. Try the same shot with all 4 different lighting methods, I think you’ll find one of the 4 will be closer what you were expecting then the other 3. | |
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| Why Is It So Hard To Take A Good Picture?
Posted: 9/24/2007 6:26:56 AM | It's probably for the same reason every picture I've had taken seems like a "bad" one. I don't relax enough in front of the camera.Posing is awkward and makes me self-conscious.
The only picture I've ever liked of myself is one where I started talking to someone and didn't realize that the picture was being taken. Try getting a friend to take one when you're unaware. They usually come out better, especially if you're happy.
Look on the bright side though.... when people meet you they'll probably tell you that you look better in person. :) | |
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| Why Is It So Hard To Take A Good Picture?
Posted: 9/24/2007 6:34:02 AM | My advice: Put on about 30 pounds, start working out to build muscles, go to a tanning salon a few times a week and grow some facial hair. You will be fighting off the chicks. | |
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| Why Is It So Hard To Take A Good Picture?
Posted: 9/24/2007 7:11:15 AM | Because there are usually guards all over the place.
I mean, ever since the Mona Lisa was stolen in 1911, it's been like a bank vault in there.
Those guys in Norway got away with "The Scream" in broad daylight but I wouldn't call it a good picture, just famous. | |
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| Why Is It So Hard To Take A Good Picture?
Posted: 9/24/2007 7:17:13 AM | | I feel your pain. Some of us are photogenic and some are not. I am not! And yet, I know I am being judged on my pics! Lucky for you, I don't think women are as judgemental as men when it comes to pics. I'd say just post fun ones, even if you don't think it protrays you as good as you really look in person. Attractive is different things to different people. | |
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| Why Is It So Hard To Take A Good Picture?
Posted: 9/24/2007 7:47:40 AM | | Turn off the flash, that way you are using the natural light, makes it much less harsh. An outdoor shot is always nice too, that's what I plan on next. | |
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| Why Is It So Hard To Take A Good Picture?
Posted: 9/24/2007 4:08:24 PM | [The only picture I've ever liked of myself is one where I started talking to someone and didn't realize that the picture was being taken. Try getting a friend to take one when you're unaware. They usually come out better, especially if you're happy.]-brandiw
Yes, that's it exactly!
Posing makes us feel stiff & fake. Also, if it takes the person a moment to set up the camera, the muscles in
your face start to get sore, making the smile look awful!
Years ago, a friend of mine taught me the secret. If it is going to take the photographer a few seconds, don't
look at him/her, that will just make you feel more impatient & it seems to make my facial muscles sore faster,
too. Get distracted, think of something pleasant & ahppy, to put a REAL smile on your face. Or get someone
you know & trust, to take one when you are not expecting it.
I have learned to relax for the camera now, but it took me years!
I happen to love photography & I've leanred a lot of helpful things along the way. My boyfriend also loves
photography & he took most of my current pics. Someone pointed out something recently, though. Since
most of my photos are taken outdoors, it gives the impression that I am very active & outdoorsy. NOT!
Unfortunately, I am disabled & not very active. He simply prefers to take pictures when we are out of doors. | |
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| Why Is It So Hard To Take A Good Picture?
Posted: 9/24/2007 4:46:16 PM | Good points, Michaelann.
If taking pictures were easy, there'd be no need for professional photographers. Years of taking family snapshots have taught us all the wrong things about taking pictures of the "real you", things like standing up straight against a wall, smiling in a way that we normally never do, and saying "cheese!"
Professional photographers with their ability to touch up photos have also raised our expectations of our personal results. | |
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| Why Is It So Hard To Take A Good Picture?
Posted: 9/24/2007 5:17:40 PM | If everyone looked good in every picture all of the time, there would be no such word as "photogenic." Some of us were born for the camera, but most of us were not. That's why professional modeling is so lucrative.
So relax. Relax a lot. And stay that way when you get a friend to shoot some new pictures of you. (The ones you have up don't flatter you. The do-it-yourself thing isn't working.)
One more suggestion: Post a pic of you rock-climbing to better attract rock-climbing females.
Best of luck! | |
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| Why Is It So Hard To Take A Good Picture?
Posted: 9/24/2007 5:29:03 PM | I've learned that the majority of people look better in motion; in real life. It can be hard to snap a decent picture, most definitely. I've learned that you shouldn't judge someone based on a picture alone. Online they might be "okay", but in person you could be blown away. A picture is only a starting point.
Besides, if someone's putting that much emphasis on appearance, are they really worth your time, anyway? | |
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| Why Is It So Hard To Take A Good Picture?
Posted: 9/24/2007 5:56:17 PM | | An indoor flash picture of me never turns out because I anticipate the flash every time and close my eyes. I only wish I knew a way of making money from such a useless talent. It pretty much ruins Christmas pictures. | |
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| Why Is It So Hard To Take A Good Picture?
Posted: 9/25/2007 5:30:44 AM | Ick, I can never get a good picture of myself. The lighting was always off, I don't like to pose but not posing for a picture looks weird.
So:
1) Learn to pose and act silly
2) Take lots of pictures (why else does a photographer at a fashion shoot go through roll after roll of film?)
3) Learn to use an image editing program
On number 3 there, I don't mean blur out your skin and that. I mean for the lighting adjustments, some rooms in my house have weird lighting and give everything a blue tinge. I can happily bump up the orange content, correct for a more natural lighting and bingo. My picture doesn't look so bad. | |
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| Why Is It So Hard To Take A Good Picture?
Posted: 9/25/2007 6:51:41 AM | | I dee-test pictures of myownself. In my experience unplanned shots are the best. They capture the essence of your personality better than a stiff formal pose. I STILL hate pics of myownself. | |
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