Pictures of Ourselves...

I don't think photographs are a true representation of what one really looks like. Depending on the shot, a photo can make one look much better or much worse that one really looks in real life. Also, since a photo is a static image, I believe a video is more of a true representation of one's looks.

Wow, if your teenage children want YOU to do their portraits, you MUST be good-no sarcasm here. I just remember how picky teenagers are about anything that has to do with THEM and others seeing them! It's all about THEM :o)

No...I didn't mean me! I meant the pro who does a good job in this city. I did take a couple of photos of the kids recently and everybody said the girls are so beautiful. Ah...the magic of Photoshop. (-;

 

This guy I mentioned above does a great job, lighting, posing, props, everything. He has a great business because he has a great product!

Also, if you want to see the difference in the talent of photographers, take a stroll over to Weddings and Social. You'll see all of these "please look at my website" postings. Some of those pros can make a troll look good.....some would have trouble with supermodels...well you know what I mean.

Yes, I think the shots of moi really look like moi (myself).

 

Some days are better than others, looks wise! Interesting question for this forum, nearly pedestrian, but fun! Thanks.<div></div>

Kellen... Remember when you look in a mirror you are looking at the exact opposite of reality so don't worry about it..John

<i>Remember when you look in a mirror you are looking at the exact opposite of reality

</i><p>

So the image I see in a mirror is a complete misrepresentation? In reality I am an attractive

young woman?<p>

All that means is that your image is reversed left to right in the mirror. If you were a woman your mama would have named you Pica.

In reality I am an attractive young woman.

Who said so ? You ? who else says so? The mirror ?

What is the truth ?

Another thought:

When we look at ourselves in the mirror we Pose for ourselves in different ways than we show other people. so our expressions may be different enough to keep us from really seeing ourselves as we are.

When most people look at a picture of themselves, the question in the back of their minds is not "is this an accurate representation of my appearance?" but "does this show me as I imagine myself to be?" (Notice I didn't say "does this show me as I imagine myself to APPEAR", though this may be part of it.)A portrait is more likely to appeal to a subject if it expresses something of how they imagine themselves to be as a person. The difficulty of this is compounded by the fact that for all of us there is some difference between how we hope others will "see" us, and how we actually come across. The greater the difference between the two, the less people want to be reminded of the difference. Maybe if as portrait photographers we can tap into the fantasies that power the subject's persona (the "face" they put toward the world)we might create portraits that subjects like. (See, for example, Thomas Hardy's comment "this place uses another photographer to take photos of people who have put in a significant number of years on the job and all the women look elegant and the men dignified. The photos proudly hang in the corridors of the institution, and I admire them everyday." Those portraits tapped into a corporate fantasy that is one of the "persona perks" of their jobs.)

Besides the fact that a mirror image is reversed left to right and right to left, is that reflection/image still [more] accurate than an actual photograph?