Picture of you vs. "Picture of you in the mirror"

  • Starting my second thread for the day.... I guess I am having a little pity party... so please, bear with me..

    I look skinnier in the pictures I take of myself in the mirror vs. the ones that my husband takes of me...

    Does this happen to anyone?
  • maybe you have a "thin" mirror
  • Mirrors are imperfect. If you look thinner in front of the mirror, it's because it's distorted slightly to appear longer and thinner. Ever been in a house of mirrors fun house? There's your answer.
  • It's all about the angles. If you take a picture from an angle you look best and he just snaps a shot of you like whatever then of course the one you took is going to look better. XD
  • Quote: It's all about the angles. If you take a picture from an angle you look best and he just snaps a shot of you like whatever then of course the one you took is going to look better. XD
    I have a friend I see in person often who I KNOW is not very skinny but by the pictures she posts on facebook (just from the angle and whatnot) she looks like a twig. The right angle can make a world of a difference! I just wish she'd come take some pictures of me.
  • Echoing what niafabo and runningfromfat said! It's why so many people put up weird Facebook pics- ones that are a little blurry, where no one is looking at the camera, far away, etc- because they just happen to be the perfect angle to make them look slimmer than they are. All about the angle, and like niafabo said, in the mirror you can manipulate the angle of your body to capture that perfect shot.
  • I just took a picture of myself the other day. One with me and my son and one of me in the mirror and both were depressing!! I need someone to teach me the perfect angle please!
  • Quote: I just took a picture of myself the other day. One with me and my son and one of me in the mirror and both were depressing!! I need someone to teach me the perfect angle please!
    lol. i wish i knew. my sister is quite a bit heavier than me and she is an apple shape so almost all of her weight is on her belly and yet the way she takes pictures she makes it look like she is way smaller then me.
  • I actually had a conversation with a therapist (I have anxiety) in the past and she believes, that photos are only a small part of how we are seen by other people and so we shouldn't only view ourselves that way. Simply because, when you talk to a person you can feel their vibe, maybe see the sparkle in their eyes, or how pretty their smile is and vice versa. Pictures are really not a good judge for true beauty. I try to remember that when I am looking at my non smiling face in the mirror.
  • I run from cameras and anyone talking pictures. I will not have any before pictures because I just can't stand to look at my fat face and very large legs. I even hate looking in the mirrior when I am not fully cloth. That is enough to give me nightmares, no need to scare eveyone.
    Hopefully, I will get over this when I reach my goal and will be happy to show my stuff.
  • You know what's weird for me? I have been making little videos of myself using my webcam and I prefer looking at those than pics of myself in the mirror. I still take mirror pics but for some reason, I see my "true" self on video. I can see myself from all angles provided I complete a couple spins. Recently I even turned around and bent over. OK, that wasn't so pretty, but it gives me a more accurate picture.

    I hate full body pictures -- from any angle!
  • I used to hate all photos of myself. I felt that I looked better when I was looking in the mirror (any mirror) than in still photos. I'd have a few pictures that I thought were decent, but still dodged cameras. Now that I'm at goal, I don't mind being in photos and even kind of like it. Sure, I can still take a bad photo, but I'm generally content with how I look in pictures. I don't dread being tagged on Facebook or anything.

    I agree, it is all about angles. I have a "camera pose" where I slightly angle and twist my body so my hip is pointed slightly towards the camera, but my shoulders are facing it squarely. I usually bend a knee, and have a bad habit of putting a hand on my hip (just because I get self-conscious and don't know what to do with my arms), but that looks way overly posed so I make an effort not to do it. A confident smile and good posture goes along way too (you can usually tell who dreads the camera in a photo). I do try to stand naturally while arranging myself in my photo stance so it doesn't look too forced, lol.

    Some people find their photo pose and waaaaaay overly use it. Whether it's a face they always make or a pose. Have you ever clicked through a girl's facebook photos, and in every single picture she's making puppy eyes up at the camera and a kissy face? That drives me nuts.

    Here's a decent example of my "photo pose." Slightly bent knee, hip pointing slightly to the camera, shoulders back and facing forward. And big smile, haha. (I'm in the black shirt)