Which lies, the Camera or the Mirror?

Deepest Blue · 23-02-2008, 11:32 PM

Here's a question i've never quite been able to get my head around. If you've ever taken a photo of yourself, and looked at it, you might notice you simply don't look as good as you do in the mirror. There are a lot of theories about this, including image reversal and what you are used to seeing, but one that really caught my interest is this:

Looking at yourself in the mirror, your mind recognises it as yourself and "touches up" the image to make you appear aesthetically superior.

So is there any truth to this at all? Do we really make ourselves look better when we glance into the mirror?

risenfromperdition · 23-02-2008, 11:34 PM

eh. i look gross in the mirror AND in photos, so im not gonna be much help in that question

sparkle. · 23-02-2008, 11:35 PM

I'm not sure, personally, I think I've seen some photos which are much better than when I look in the mirror...but then there are always those photos which are just awful!

I think it depends on how the photo is taken - angle, light etc. And also how you feel about yourself when you're looking in the mirror.

Hmm...just my two cents anyway :)

xfallenangelx · 23-02-2008, 11:57 PM

in my case both are pretty crap (hence the heavy editing on my picture hehe)
but i think lighting can make a big difference too
xx

Pixies Stole My Sanity · 24-02-2008, 12:33 AM

Well, if you take into consideration any use of flash on a camera, then that's not how you really look, you're closer if you look in the mirror, but if you don't use flash, I'm not sure. I'd have thought a mirror was closer?

claireyfairy · 24-02-2008, 12:51 AM

Ohh I notice that
sometime I'm actually like 'oh i dont look too bad today ill mark in with a photo'

then it turns out ***** and ruins it >.>

Snow White. · 24-02-2008, 06:52 AM

^ Agreed.

I can look like teh sexin the mirror, and I can grab a photo and it looks horrible. I think my mind is just being kind to me and hotting me up with my perception.

Isoverity · 24-02-2008, 08:21 AM

A lot of cameras (lenses actually) distort people when they take pics of themselves up close using camera at arms length. You'll notice the nose sticking out oddly up close and not from more of a distance. Plus lighting is key some people get bad shadows from certain angles. I once noticed pics of Jennifer Love Hewitt look awful when lit from above because the shadow under her nose makes it look cartoonish. Camera's lie a lot - for better and worse.

EyelinerAndCigarettes · 24-02-2008, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by claireyfairy

Ohh I notice that
sometime I'm actually like 'oh i dont look too bad today ill mark in with a photo'

then it turns out ***** and ruins it >.>

*nods* >.<

Feel_Good_inc. · 24-02-2008, 01:29 PM

The camera never lies. unless you have photoshop.
but science has already proven that the mirror can lie. They performed a test in which a special mirror was used; this mirror can be adjusted to alter the image, making it appear larger, smaller, fatter or thinner. kind of like a DIY funhouse mirror. they spoke to many people with various psychological disorders, such as anorexia and bullemia. they asked these people to adjust the mirror until it matched their image. all of them made the image fatter than it really was.
in fact all the people who has image issues put their reflection out of proportion. they made the image match what they saw in their minds eye when they looked in the mirror

Neither the mirror, nor the camera lies, only the eyes looking at them can lie.