I always look bad in photos, why!?

Dude seriously it sucks. I even take pictures infront of mirrors so I can see myself and try to look good but it's like the camera catches something totally fucking different.

Same here, i never take pics because of it which is really weird because people are always telling me how attractive i am, it just does not transfer to pictures!

I know how you feel OP and some of the following posters. I feel like I never take good pictures or some mirrors make me look dumpy and tired.

Biggest factor is lighting, good lighting will bring your best features, like at photo shoots, family/school pictures, professional shoots, heavy sunlight (esp, if it is blinding bright). A mirror under bright lights (especially w/halogen lights) will almost always bring out your best features, alone.

Another thing is mirror, some mirrors have awkward shapes or are situated in way that presents distortion, especially in low level lighting.

Last thing is you just have awkward facial expressions sometimes, the flash from cameras can cause, as well as the anxiety from taking a picture...it might project into picture. Cameras also do not perceive images and objects as well as the human eye does, or perceives visual light as well. The naked eye is like 5,000 times more powerful than the best cameras in the world put together.

Ex. I'll use a certain event. Take an NFL.MLB.NBA game or even fashion shoot or being in war country (like Iraq) as an observer,soldier, or reporter. The effect that you get between a color picture, live recording, or being at those actual function is as different as an apple is to carrot as it is to a kiwi.

Unlike the real human eyes, most TV programs and broadcast-ed events are presented in away to deceive the human eye and kind of play tricks on the brain. Good examples are professional sporting events and music videos. The fast paced wired sprung cameras, aerial shots, panoramic images, extreme closeup zoom-ins, instant replays, bright colors, and simultaneous shots are all what keeps TV shows exciting and interesting. Yet, it is not reality in the format that it is presented in.

No person in the world in their own body can perceive things like that, if you could you'd have a legitimate superpower. Also, TV is presented through cameras, which I have already said are not nearly as perceptive as even fairly weak human eye.

The human eye is like one of the biggest keys to the human brain to where it senses things as they are in the moment as live feeling (touch, taste, smelling, hearing, and seeing). Doing or seeing something in person stays in the brain much longer than something you might see on TV, because you are part of the experience, itself. Being at a live-sporting event or music concert blows away seeing a performance on TV. Your perceptions are seriously altered between the two.

When I see a person in the flesh, I am seeing them as they actually are, even better than the best cameras or mirrors (in a room with best lighting). ALmost every person or thing, I've seen my life has looked better in person (if it is not photoshopped).

I get a lot of people saying I look more attractive in person than in photos. Photos don't do me justice apparently.

Practice your best smile in front of a mirror and remember the smile so you can get it right quickly and without a mirror. Don't just gaze at how good you look in the mirror (lol). Pay attention to the moment the picture is taken.. not the flashes.. overcome the nervousness.

Another thing.. i may be wrong, but i think no one usually thinks you look weird in random pictures - because thats how you normally look and they're used to it. in other words, you tend to see your own flaws the most - other's have better things to do.

IGNORE EVERYONE WHO SAID YOU ARE UGLY!!! I have a ton of friends who are pretty but their photos come out terribly, they're just not very photogenic. my solution would be to practice poses or your smile, etc. in the mirror and then get a camera, take some good pics of urself, put em' on facebook, and wella!! everyone can see that you can take a good pic. but honestly, nobody really cares about what you look like in pics, they just care about what they look like...so either way you've got nothing to worry about, just be funny about it, you'll be fine! :)

man i have this same problam and it has been eating at me for a while now. i look back at pictures when i was a little kid and i look normal in every picture but not that im older i just look goofy in all pictures taken. its messed up

Thanks for the advice all, also just for the record, I'm male.

Yup that's right, we get vain too :(

Mrcanon, no, it doesn't men she's ugly. We always try a bit too hard to look good in photos and then it comes out horrible. I always looked good in photos when I was younger but now that I'm 19...no. It's normal to feel this way

I have the same problem..When I take pics of myself, I like them but when others take pics of me, and I see them, I think DAMN IM UGLY AS HELL lol and I look dark as a knight in pics..its so embarrassing..and I tell them I dont like the pic coz of one thing about me and they always say I Like it..It's a cute pic... :/

This is when you intentionally make yourself look stupid in photos.

Hi there,

i can give you a suggesion you can try which i can't give you guraantee for that, whatever before taking photo's you take some time like 1hour, think about nice things and do your all favourite and funny things you like, i think you can go outside in agarden and takefresh air, then take pictures, otherthing is every face say something remember god made us all equal in some cases some might have less colour but you might have something better than others, here i can give you a point that is you share your problem with others which lots of people dont, they fear themselves. remember only think about good things before take picture let go it normally.

Ya i look bad in all photos where i have to smile and im not sure it might just be because you think you look bad! Start pretending that the person in the photo isnt you!

ps. i do this and the photo 9 outa 10 times looks better!

practice makes perfect!

It's a VERY common thing to hate photos of yourself. Most people, even the ones who look amazing in photos, probably hate the way they look in them as well. It's just our low self-esteem kicking in.

You are not photogenic. Hahahah ok that was mean.

n plz let me know if at all i have to use any other camera lense

same problem since a long time...I know that i look awesome in mirror also wen i click my pictures by placing camera facing to the mirror but just don't understand y it happens so that i look so damn diff front of camera.i really get embarrassed coz of that its not even that,that i dont have confidence to face the camera.people please please please help me wot do i do..i really do look good i know that but my photos....i culd have opted for modeling career but just coz i have bad pics have not..

I once dated a Czech girl-IRL she was strikingly attractive, looked like Claudia Schiffer (when she was young), but in photos she looks totally different and unflattering. So cameras do lie.

Same for me, not bragging but I have really nice eyes and angular symmetric features-but none of that ever comes out in photos, it pisses me off, but I think I need a high end camera to capture what I can see in the mirror.

People also tell me that I am attractive, but I look like crap in all photos, even if I take them myself! I even look bad in skype? What's the deal?!

If you take a picture of yourself with let's say... photo booth application on an Imac... the image is what you see in the mirror - it's "reversed." Why they have it set like that, I have no idea. But try flipping it (apple F) and you will likely have the same experience I did - holy crap it looked so much better reversed! So I did some research on why I had such a strong reaction to the flipped image and here's the deal... whether our hair is parted on the right or left has no baring on attractivness. what does have baring on attractiveness in symetry of the face. Because we are used to our mirror image (our "reversed" image) it can be disconcerting to see your image flipped (which is what you're seeing in photos.) If you're nose tilts 1 mm to the left and then you see a picture where it's going to the right - it appears to you that the nose is now 2 mm out of wack. This has nothing to do with being photogenic or not. But rather, this explains why we may have such strong reactions to photos and strongly prefer our mirror image. fact is -- everyone but you is accostmed to the "unreversed" image of you. and that may be why THEY don't think you look so bad in a photo as you do. You'd prefer the "unreversed" image as well if mirrors worked that way and that's all you saw. Look at a friend in the mirror - you may find they look uglier to you but I guarentee that they prefer that "reversed" image of themselves.

NO its not that
im like that too most people not trying to sound conceited, think im pretty
but try this practice smiling in the mirror
over and over and over
before you know it youll be great
i swear just try
i dont have this problem any more btw

you're both normal.She's probably one of those girls who loves to hear that her guy likes her best.I'm exactly like that but I try not to ask those questions she sounds a bit conceited to me.