Me + CDing + Camera = Yuck

[KiwiKate]

Hi all.I had the house to myself yesterday and took the chance to dress up a little.I thought that since I had my new iPod with camera I could take a few pics to post here.The results were awful! Without trying to sound big headed or whatever I always thought I looked quite nice all dressed up.But apparently what you see in the mirror and what you get in a photo are too different things.I really just looked like a guy in a wig with makeup on,just ridiculous.It made me feel quite crap actually.I stood there looking at myself for awhile just wondering what I was doing.Please someone tell me it was just the camera I was using!!!! I won't lie I really need some kind words today as I'm not feeling so good.
Cheers Kate.

[Eryn]

Kate, it was just the camera you were using!

Feel better now? :hugs:

Honestly, we are our own worst critics in this regard. I look at my pictures and see many flaws!

Every once in a while I will catch a glance of a picture or reflection of myself without realizing it was me and I'll be pleasantly surprised. When I look at other women I don't analyze every feature, I look at their clothing, shoes and jewelery and if I apply the same standards to myself I'm not bad at all!

[LANKO]

Yep.. it's pretty universal that your perception is different from what's actually taken in the camera. Sort of like how you think you sound different and then become uncomfortable listening to your voice recorded. :( Add on top of that, you are your own most harshest critic usually.. I know I am for myself.

Without knowing your specifics, my top 3 pieces of advice:

1) You don't need to have the best camera, but one that has more settings can help greatly. Most cellphone camera and point/shoot cameras are limited
2) Try to learn better lighting/backdrop.. this is often overlooked, it's why in professional shoots take tons of time in preparing light/exposure
3) Learn stances/postures/angles for pics that accentuate the strengths of your body/look while minimizing the weaknesses. This is why a lot of women take selfies with the camera perspective a bit higher than eye level while they angle their chin down but eyes up.

[Alice_2014_B]

Lighting and angles are vital.
When I do selfies, for example, I try the best angles and change my facial expressions until I get the look I want; that is not 100% full-proof though. I later got a new wig and had my wife do my makeup. I have no idea what I was thinking with that red wig (save that for Halloween or something). Looking through some of the early pictures of my female-self, yeesh!
So after I get a group of selfies shot I just go through and delete the ones I don't want. It helps to let a day or so pass and then revisit the pictures, because in the moment of excitement of being dressed up, the majority of mine will look really good.
Then I look through them the next day whilst in male-mode, more of them become questionable. That is a way to filter through.
It seems like to me, trying to help out here, that a majority of factors have to be "in line" to get great pictures.
Selfies, for example: lighting, makeup, wig, etc. Sometimes one factor could either strengthen or weaken the nice pictures you're looking for.

I don't know if any of this has helped.
But I know I've come a long way and I'm still learning.
And like anything else in life, if you want to be great at something you need to stick to it and practice.

[Wildaboutheels]

LIGHTING, lighting, lighting, lighting, lighting.

Did I mention lighting? It's THE simplest AND easiest way to dramatically improve any picture no matter the camera.

LANKO already offered some very sound advice...

Just remember this. Contrary to popular belief, FRONT lit from the sun and/or primary lighting from the on camera flash when indoors are NO NOs that are easily circumvented. A couple of el cheapo "clamplights" from most any store could be a CDers best friend, indoors. At the very least in or near a corner or close to a window if indoors. And in the shade, or near a reflective surface and or fill in flash if outdoors.

And of course figure on at LEAST 10/1 for keepers or pics that can be "fixed".

20/1 or much higher is probably more realistic.

[KiwiKate]

Kate, it was just the camera you were using!

I knew it!!!!!
Cheers for your replies.Some good advice,Probably being a little hard on myself.And To be honest the lighting wasn't the best.I'll have to have another go.

[Bootsiegalore]

been there done that....

[Stephanie Sometimes]

Hi Kate,
LOL at your title to this post! I think we have all been there and been mortified at the pictures we take when they don't seem to agree with whats in the mirror. There's some kind of psychology at work no doubt that makes us look better to ourselves in the mirror (not to mention it is reversed right to left) but mainly its about the difficulty of getting a good portrait of any person.

Just keep in mind that the camera is lying because it alters reality to fit into it's limitations of 2 dimensional space and limited light/color approximations. It does help give us some feedback so we can improve our presentation but unless you get someone else who is skilled in photography to do your photos then self portraits are usually disappointing. There are so many things to consider to get a good photo portrait, the most important ones are:
1. Point of view of the camera or perspective (distance to camera, height of camera, etc)
2. Lighting
3. Timing - very hard to get a good expression with a self-timer camera shot, better to do a video or if your camera will do a sequence of shots.

Then there is the approach we all do: take 100 shots for every 1 that we keep! Good luck,
Hugs,
Stephanie

[Maria 60]

Well I do say the same thing, but I feel better when I hear my wife saying how great she thought she looked in that dress and then she will see a picture on Facebook or some wear and start giving me hell, on how I let her go out like that. Even when I take pictures I don't know why I was just looking myself in the mirror and looked fine and then take a picture and look like a man in a dress. Must be the camera.

[leliani]

Kate,
Actually it probably was the camera. iPhone and iPod cameras a great, but they can only do so much. Being a photography enthusiast myself (I own a pretty high end dslr), I know from experience that mobile cameras are still lacking the quality of professional cameras. I'm sure that will change down the road, but until then, consider booking yourself a pro-shoot session. Maybe even post a request on craigslist and see what kind of a response you'll get.

[nvlady]

Was the camera on auto focus? Big mistake. Set the camera on manual focus for 100 yards and take the picture at five feet. It will be blurred so badly you won't be able to tell if you're looking at a guy in a dress or the Empire State Building.

[I Am Paula]

I HATE pictures. I only have about ten I like, and they were very candid, just a snapshot at the dinner table, or at a party. I've never taken one of myself I like, if I try to shoot a 'selfie' with my iphone, I miss by six feet, and get a picture of the person next door. I just got my female ID, and my drivers lisence pic looks like a mug shot, even tho I got my hair done for it, and spent extra time on my makeup.
I think I was just born unphotogenic.

[Marcelle]

Hi Kate . . . pictures the bane of our existence. Everyone is spot on in that pictures are seldom a true reflection of what the world sees. Pictures are two dimensional so a lot is not seen in a picture which you see in the mirror (animation, expression) so it is not surprising that when we look at a picture of ourselves we go AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! :eek: I guess there is a reason we take about 100 shots for everyone that we post. Don't worry sweetie, I am sure you are just being your own worst critic . . . we all do it.

Hugs

Isha

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Kate, Your camera and mirror can be your best friend or your worst enemy.

[Emi_]

I have an iPhone and I can't stand the photos of myself that i get from that thing. The tiny sensor, puny lens, and the relatively poor performance of the software just make for horrible photos. Get me in my studio with my SLR and some decent glass and we're making art. Seriously, phone cameras can't help but suck - you are cramming a whole camera into a space the size of a Lego brick.

[Nikki Love]

Hello Kate,
Selfies can be challenging for many reasons. Then adding the dimension of CDing to the photo shoot makes it sometimes impossible to get a proper photo.

With digital, the chance to play with angles, lighting, backdrop and motion is a fun excuse to dress up and play with every option. Expect to toss out most photos, and be thankful when you get one photo that captures what you feel. I don't care for camera phones, and instead grab a 'point and shoot' camera. Take a bunch of photos.

Try natural daylight, then try inside with and without a flash. Learn how to 'trick' the camera into being your best friend. Practice with the camera so that you know what each major setting does.

With time, your results will get better. Get a photo editing program, crop out the distracting stuff that somehow made its way into that ' best smile' picture. With time and practice, you will get some fun photos. If it were easy, everyone would do it. Some people are naturally photogenic at all angles, but most of us need a little help and with practice, you will improve.
Happy shooting
Nikki

[Beverley Sims]

Kate,
You have the knowledge that you can improve.
Self analysis is often cruel and looking a the defects on a photograph brings out the worst.
Practice a little more and maybe get another more uplifting opinion to help you on your way.

You will get it right eventually.
You are not alone with the image problem.
You probably look quite acceptable but you can see all the bumps you have lived with all your life.

[Christen]

Dear Kate,
Been there, done that .. for sure. http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?210138-Reality-bites-Hard!/page2
Don't worry, sometimes it all goes well and sometimes just so, so. We are guys in dresses, after all. Practice and lighting make a big difference. Even the glamour pusses around here will tell you they take heaps of photo's that end up on the cutting room floor (OK, some don't but we can't all be like that).
Chin up, get back on those heels.
Personal tip - I try not to look in the mirror too much:D

Christen x

[CrossJess]

Camera's are a pain, I have had quite a few over the years and by far the best one I've ever owned is my current one which is a little Sony compact camera it's a wifi one i can control by my phone, the images I see in the mirror is the image that comes out on my desktop it captures the lighting well and gets all the colors right, for best results you need a well lit room, we have one room in our house that is pretty much all white and that's where I take shots of my stuff

[Teresa]

Kate what a pity the forum doesn't have on online studio, I could show you all how to get good flattering pictures !
As Emi says phone cameras produce bad pictures !
Sorry Emi but my pieces of glass were stuck on the front of a Bronica SQai !
Wild is also right, lighting is so important and also the knowledge to know how to control it, using film is far more exacting than digital !

Don't despair at your pictures ! Try and work on the things you think are wrong ! A bad wig can make a big difference, the shape of your face can change depending on your choice ! Selfies on phone cameras don't help !

[JaytoJillian]

Hi, Kate. It is definitely the camera and the lighting--both of which can be fixed using the tips offered or using a post-production editing program. Try www.pixlr.com --not only is it a fun (and totally free) way to play with pix, but you can actually save a bad batch of photos with some of the tools.

The first time I tried dressing fully--dress, heels, hair, makeup--I was horrified when I looked in the mirror--I didn't even get to the picture-taking phase. I tossed it all in the rubbish bin and I didn't dress for about seven years--convinced that I sucked at it. It finally dawned on me that I could learn how to get the right look with using makeup tutorials on the internet (gawd, one can learn anything via the web) and making the time to practice.

I make no claims to be a beauty queen, but when I do go out en femme--I get hit on by men AND women, I get compliments, and drink offers--and sometimes I still get camera results that I hate. My solution is simple--redo the makeup and take more pictures--when you are happy with the results, try to remember the exact combination of makeup products you used---think of it like a recipe--that's what I do.

Cheers,


Jill

[Claire Cook]

Lots of good advice here, but I have to agree with Kate in this respect. No matter how I play with Photo Shop, my pix never look as good as I think I do when I look in the mirror. Who was it who said that the camera doesn't lie? (Well, I guess P-Shop and other photo software changed that...)

"Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Why can't you be more honest with me after all?"

[Andrea Renea]

As said above, it's all about the lighting and angles.

[Oh Stella]

I use my camera on my samsung s5. I like most of my pics but none are near perfect. I dont delete the bad ones I just try to work on what made that one pic so bad, once I have fixed that problem then I go to the next bad pic and work on whatever made it so bad. I may not be getting any better at taking photos of myself though, I might just be more accepting of my flaws. I do get 1 out of about 30 that I dont find a major problem with!
Keep taking pics, you will get better at it.

[CarlaWestin]

Oh yeah, pictures. I only have about 4 or 5, thousand that is. I'm about as bad a photographer as Teresa is a good one. So far, the best technique for me has been to just take HD video aand then capture stills from them. That's how I got the profile picture I've received so many complements about. And I feel you. Feeling pretty and looking pretty are frequently not in sync.

[Jorja]

The first time I tried dressing fully--dress, heels, hair, makeup--I was horrified when I looked in the mirror. Jill

Do not believe her! Jill would look great wearing a burlap bag. ;)

[KiwiKate]

Cheers again everyone for the replies.I feel way better today.I will definitely have to take some more pics so I can get some semi decent ones of myself to post.

[NicoleScott]

Most seem to be blaming poor photography, but maybe that's not it. Yes, in the photos (and videos even more so) you look different than in the mirror. Use the photos to identify where you need to improve, keep trying new looks, and learn from mistakes. There are many ways to improve the look: different wig style or color, beard cover, more/less/different makeup, blending, contouring, pucking/shaping eyebrows, etc. Finally: smile - it hepls. One more: practice (it's fun).

[Traceyjo]

Hi Kate. Greetings from across the ditch. Don't be discouraged . I'm a compulsive photographer when I'm dressed and the majority of pics are discarded but I also have hundreds I've retained . Often (like just yesterday) I'll look in the mirror and be delighted with what I'm seeing and excitedly grab the camera. Then I might be so disappointed with the pics. Other times the opposite will happen and the photos will be much better than I expected. I also notice my refection will vary a lot with different mirrors and lighting. I always find natural indoor light produces more flattering pics than flash or direct sunlight.
What you see in the mirror is a true image and if you look good, experiment with your photography until you get pics you like.
Good luck
Tracey

[Cindymay]

I just did the same thing and was feeling bad, took off the make up but not the dress, threw my sucker in the dirt. Then I go on line and see this post, I feel so much better. Thanks gurls :)

[September]

I agree with everyone else. Lighting makes a huge difference. Also, have the camera up high and point down.

GGs hate how they look in photos too. So it's normal. LOL. Don't feel bad.

[Zylia]

Let's not ignore the fact that a lot of us actually are guys in a wig with makeup :D You know what makes a difference? Realistic expectations.

[sometimes_miss]

"Me + CDing + Camera = Yuck"
Yeah, that's pretty much the most common experience. Forget the camera. cover the mirrors. Do yourself up, and limit the viewpoint to what your own eyes see. It's much more enjoyable that way. Don't waste money trying to find the magic CD camera that makes guys look good made up as girls. They just sold the last one.

[Jocelyn Quivers]

I almost cried after taking my pics for the very first time several years ago. Before taking pics I thought I was cute, the camera said otherwise in a most brutal fashion that I was ugly, really needed laser hair removal to get rid of beard shadow, needed throw away almost all of my wardrobe, and needed to lose lots of weight (there is some truth to the saying the camera adds 10-15 pounds:Angry3:). If it's any consolation my feelings still get pummeled on a regular basis by the camera. Oh, and I did realize the angle of the camera, and positioning makes a big difference as well (why I always sit in pics). Consider picture taking trying to emulate a woman as a skill which takes a lot of trail and error.:2c:

[kelliT]

So here's a trick I discovered last year, it will take practice as there are a lot of flattering poses you can see on Pinterest. I take a movie of myself on my iPhone. I can clip the parts I don't need, than transfer to my PC and take snapshots of frames I like. It is amazing how you weed out the unflattering, of course there are times when it's a good shot but that tummy doesn't look flattering. But that's where Photoshop comes in. :)

[LeannS]

Kate take a lot of pictures and also try photoshop to adjust your lighting and see what happens it is all trail and error mostly error
but don't fret just take more pics

Leann
PS still trying on mine same problem try try try more

[Janet77]

Kate, I feel your pain. I only get dressed up and take pictures a couple times a month at best, and when I do, I literally discard 99% of the pictures I take. I could show you pictures I have taken that make me look like I am a gargoyle....The beauty of digital cameras is that you can take hundreds of pictures at no additional cost other than time. Get a decent digital camera with a flash, and a cheap tripod, takes lots of pictures and try different angles, poses, outfits and settings. After a while you will figure out what works for you. Everyone gets better with practice , and this goes double for applying make-up!

[shawnsheila]

I agree with you and many of the ladies here... I'm super critical of my photos and like some of the other ladies said, angles and lighting. That's how I manage to get my most femme pics... otherwise, I feel like you sometimes... a dude with a wig and dress on.