Picture vs Mirror!

[Joanne108]

I had some time to dress up to the nines this morning. I took my time. I thought I looked really good. So I took some pics, and they looked horrible. I looked at the pics and myself in the mirror. In the pic my ~250 dollar wig looked like a Halloween wig, my clothes looked like the weren't washed for a year. My make up did even show up. The only thing that looked OK were my forms. However I looked at myself in the mirror and I still looked fantastic. Time to get a new camera or learn how to use the damn thing better. Other than that I am thankful that I can crossdress without anyone flipping out!

[Yoshisaur]

Yup same thing happens to me all the time

[AllieSF]

Yes, pictures don't lie and can tell a thousand things, so they say. Actually, it is probably the lighting. Take some selfies in the same mirror as a test. Did you use a flash? That many times will wash out colors from makeup and then make a wig shine like plastic or even worse, like greasy hair. Natural indirect light is usually the best but not always easy to find. One true thing about pictures is that they are a static point in time reflection and when looked at with time, i.e. not a fleeting glance, we will eventually see all the wrinkles and blemishes that we so quickly ignore, don't see, in that quick glance in the mirror.

[Cheryl_Layton]

Just wait 'till you see yourself in a video!
I agree with Allie in that the lighting makes a huge difference. Try soft, even diffuse lighting for the kindest type. Even GGs need soft lighting to give the best pictures. Note that makeup for photography needs to be slightly heavier for the best results.

At least with the pictures you can study them and identify exactly what it is that doesn't make you look as you would like.

No one said that crossdressing was easy!

[Teresa]

Joanne,
Basically your reflection is direct ( not through a lens or photographic imagery ) your camera is influenced by other factors, quality and direction of light and lens focal length. If you are using a phone camera the lens is very wide rendering an unflattering picture. If your avatar shows the wig in question you're wearing it too far forward , no matter how expensive a wig is if it's wrong for your face shape and colouring then it's never going to work 100%. Also we all love long flowing blond hair but I'm afraid it doesn't work so well as we get older.
Try experimenting by doing each stage at a time and take pictures as you go, it becomes clearer where the appearance you want is going wrong .

Please don't take this the wrong way but I photographed a theatre company for many years and wigs played an important part in the quality of the production, the favorite saying from the directors was , " You're looking too wiggy !" In others words it was either being worn wrongly or it was the wrong wig for the actor.

[JessicaL]

It's very normal. Our brain adjust the image our eyes received to make a presentable one, and that's where the discrepancy comes in. Just like to get an idea of one's own voice, a recording device is necessary, to get a real idea of how we look like, we need photos/videos. Doesn't just happen to crossdressing, it's just in guy mode we don't realize/care less :D

[Tracii G]

I agree your wig is way too low on your head push it back to a more normal hair line.

[cheryl]

Totally relate! Sometimes I think my mirror is my best friend, and my camera not so much. But everyone can have good and bad angles in a pic.

[Sky]

It's very normal. Our brain adjust the image our eyes received to make a presentable one, and that's where the discrepancy comes in. Just like to get an idea of one's own voice, a recording device is necessary, to get a real idea of how we look like, we need photos/videos. Doesn't just happen to crossdressing, it's just in guy mode we don't realize/care less :D

Right on the money. :clap:

[Jill_cd]

Same here. While looking at myself in the mirror, I see a fairly attractive woman. Looking at pictures though, I see a guy in a wig and makeup. But we keep at it, right?

[Helen_Highwater]

Counter argument; I have posted pics of me that folks say look really good, womanly, even passable. Yet I know in reality I wouldn't pass in a blind school. The camera can work both ways. Making you look better, or, not so good, lets put it that way. There are so many factors. Just persist in trying to be better and learn from your mistakes

[Lena]

You just need the camera further away so you can't see details. :) in seriousness, don't judge based on pictures in the picture forums. Sometimes, it takes 20 shots to get that one that looks good.

[Krisi]

The camera doesn't lie. The camera sees you as others see you. The mirror is a reverse image. Most photo software will allow you to reverse a photo so it looks like what you see in the mirror, but that's not what you really look like.

Sometimes the flash or other artificial lighting will change colors a bit. Some photo software allows you to correct the colors but it's easier to just use natural light if you can.

The bottom line is, photos (and videos) can be used as tools to improve your look and presentation.

[Teresa]

Krisi,
I'm sorry to disagree with you but even before photoshop and digital imagery , a camera can lie in the hands of a professional, we had to know how to bend the rules to make a living, you have to know how to flatter people with a camera and lighting.

A mirror does give a reversed view but otherwise it's a true image,

[Beverley Sims]

Joanne,
Photoshop is a wonderful thing, it lies like the mirror does.

Those all revealing photos with the camera do show you where the tweaking needs to be made. :-)

[Joanne108]

Thanks for the advice. I'll try out some new techniques for my next shoot.

[Jacqueline StGermain]

You always hear the camera doesn't lie, but you can make it fib a little with lighting etc.
I think we've all had the experience of thinking you look great ( personal bias aside ), look at the picture and wonder what happened.
I've probably deleted 80% of photos I've taken myself

[AnnaMarie]

As the third photographer on here I'm going to come in with my opinion too. A professional photographer before looking at the subject or the background will look at the light and the quality of it. Diffused, soft, hard, contrasty, they all have there own place in the world of photography. The direction of the light is so important too. Photograph someone who is broad lit (ie. camera in the same direction as the key light source) will make someones face look fatter than if they were short lit (shot from the opposite side). Shoot someone lit from below and it's horror lit, shoot someone from above and it's more natural (ie. where the sun is in the sky). Focal length of the lens can either produce very flattering looks or if shot wide, large hands, large nose etc. Phone cameras can only do so much and whilst a good camera is helpful - the photographer and how he / she uses it is the most important part of the image.

[xNicolex]

I sometimes hate cameras for this very reason. I asked my gf if what shows up in the camera is what she sees she says no I look much better in real life, and she ain't biased when it comes to telling me what she thinks if i'm fugly she'll tell me :heehee: same with the mirror I spend an hour or two getting ready makeup, wig etc, and I look at myself and say hey sexy :daydreaming: then I take a couple of quick selfies and its just :doh: so depressing . but the camera is a lair alot of the time also depends on the camera quality if you use a low pixel camera the picture will not be as good.

[Robin414]

I purged 20+ years ago at the advice of an old RCA camcorder, piece of ...! The camcorder wasn't all that great either! ��

[Sky]

Do you girls ever watch Brain Games on the NGChannel? It's fascinating. In some of the shows you will learn a few things about how our brains process visual information and "massage it" to our liking.

[Nikki Elle]

Two things to keep in mind

1) The mirror is fluid - constantly showing updates as we react to it.
2) The camera is static - it's a snapshot in time. It's great, it's bad, its in between.

How many of us take photos looking for the 1 or 2 exceptional ones out of 30, 40, 50....The point is that the camera freezes everything in time and allows for critical examination. The mirror changes as we perceive unflattering looks: we change the tilt of the head, we move in/out for better lighting, we maximize the presentation - it's very dynamic and we see what we want to see.

If you want to improve your photo skills - study the photos that work well. What was the lighting? lighting source(direction? zoomed in/out? flash? flash angle? Work at repeating those setups that work, then you can expand your skill set. If you get really serious, go take a class to learn how much you didn't know.

[CindyT]

I was always told by more than one woman that "The camera adds ten pounds"! I agree with the others about trying different types of lighting, different levels. There are lot's of web sites with tips on taking photos also. I have done this for years and years, it just takes a lot of practice. Even professional photographers will take many photo's of a certain scene and select just a few to publish. Keep trying, you will get it!!

[Krisi]

Yes. a professional photographer can make a person look better in a photo than they look in real life, but that's not what I'm talking about. A photo is a "snapshot" of reality at that moment in time. If your friend snaps a picture of you, the camera shows what that friend saw at that moment.

[tanya_cd]

If you think you look different in pics than you did in the mirror, its just angles and lighting.

[Teresa]

Cindy,
In the days of using film we didn't shoot hundreds to get one good one, I'm not sure where you get the comment from about adding ten pounds , I often had to work out how to lose weight off people .
I'm seeing more comments on the forum like this, it saddens me because photography appears to be going backwards, good professional photographers are becoming scarcer, portraits weren't snapshots , they were taken with care and intelligent use of lighting and the right equipment ! The smartphone selfie has killed most of it and with it the art of portraying people !

[docrobbysherry]

Just the opposite for me, Joanne. All my pics look fantastic. Many here think I can go out and pass anywhere, any time. :battingeyelashes:

But, my mirror doesn't lie. Up close, in real life, I look a man in a dress, period!:doh:

[lingerieLiz]

This has been discussed before. The actual answer is the brain's view. The brain does fool you. As you grow up you see your image in reverse and the brain becomes used to it. When you suddenly see your picture it is reversed from what your brain is used to. It tries to adjust but your brain doesn't like the image. This is a common occurrence for people that are not in front of a camera a great bit. There have been studies about this, you can search Google for them.

[Wen4cd]

This has been discussed before. The actual answer is the brain's view. The brain does fool you. As you grow up you see your image in reverse and the brain becomes used to it. When you suddenly see your picture it is reversed from what your brain is used to. It tries to adjust but your brain doesn't like the image. This is a common occurrence for people that are not in front of a camera a great bit. There have been studies about this, you can search Google for them.

I think this is partly it, but not the bit about the reverse image. I can take a bad photo of my self and h-flip it in any editor and it will still be a lousy photo

I think the mirror and the brain work together to create a different whole kind of magic. Your brain and eyes can focus on aspects that are nice, and perceptibly reject others. Your reflected image is interactive moving, posing, winking, etc. , and can create all sorts of deeply coded social cues on the fly that you the eye of the beholder are there to witness and react to on the fly as well.

A whole lot of stuff happens in our many hours in front of mirrors that doesn't translate well to a flash of light that is 1/100th of s second long in time, regardless of left-right flipping.

There's that old Pink Floyd song about the Crossdresser "Arnold Layne" that has the nice lyric:

"On the wall,
hung a tall,
mirror.
Distorted view,
seen through baby blues.
He dug it!"

I had to laugh the first time I heard it about how true it was.

That all said, photo protraiture is still a valid and deeply rich field as its own artform, and probably one the CD ought study because it's rewarding, but as many of us have tried and discovered, the camera is not a very efficient way to instantly lock in the feelings you get from an image in the looking glass. That mermaid is a bit of a nymph when it comes to eluding capture.

[Teresa]

Liz and Wen,
Seeing a reversed image isn't that much of a problem, lets face it people see it all the time now on selfies !

A comment was made recently about the face not being symmetrical , I always turned my subjects and altered the lighting to photograph both sides of the face, there was always one set that stood out, I think that had more to do with customers being satisfied with my work , rather than viewing a reversed image.

[AnnaMarie]

Cindy,
In the days of using film we didn't shoot hundreds to get one good one, I'm not sure where you get the comment from about adding ten pounds , I often had to work out how to lose weight off people .
I'm seeing more comments on the forum like this, it saddens me because photography appears to be going backwards, good professional photographers are becoming scarcer, portraits weren't snapshots , they were taken with care and intelligent use of lighting and the right equipment ! The smartphone selfie has killed most of it and with it the art of portraying people !

I couldn't agree more. :)

[Krisi]

A good photographer shouldn't have to shoot hundreds of photos to get a good one, but someone taking photos of him/herself might. That timer will trigger the photo no matter if we are smiling, frowning or sneezing.

[natcrys]

A good photographer shouldn't have to shoot hundreds of photos to get a good one, but someone taking photos of him/herself might. That timer will trigger the photo no matter if we are smiling, frowning or sneezing.

Have you seen actual fashion photo-shoot sessions? They take 100+ shots of one outfit at one location... and we are talking about professional photographers with expensive equipment and professional models who model the outfits.

Sure, they should be able to get good results if they (for some reason) only had 10 available shots, but still.. even they know how hard it is to get that handful of really good shots.

[AnnaMarie]

Have you seen actual fashion photo-shoot sessions? They take 100+ shots of one outfit at one location... and we are talking about professional photographers with expensive equipment and professional models who model the outfits.

Sure, they should be able to get good results if they (for some reason) only had 10 available shots, but still.. even they know how hard it is to get that handful of really good shots.

This is true but if they have an experienced model they will make small body, arm, leg, facial changes between each shutter click. The constants are generally the lighting which will be more often that not controlled artificial light and light modifiers to produce the required result.

[Robin414]

I have like two photos of me as a guy...and about a hundred of me as a chic...does that mean I have the ol' gender dysphoria going on? 😂

I think so 😢

[Samantha_Smile]

With pictures, there are a few things to consider before you even hit the shutter button.
1- Lighting. Daylight is usually preferable. If you can get outside, or to an area of your house that gets a lot of sun through the windows (eg conservatory) you should do okay.
If you can't get daylight, try replacing your house's light bulbs with pure white LED (not warm white), I find this is the closest thing to sunlight in a domestic setting.
2- Angle. Having the camera above head height is considered by many to be the most flattering (there is a reason girls take their selfies from overhead).
Try not to point the camera up towards you. Trust me, they don't come out well.
3- You. I pay special attention to beard cover for the sake of pictures, this just means learning how to use what you have to its best.
Also consider you body position, how you pose and old yourself (ie standing at around 45 degrees to the camera as opposed to square on will help to narrow your shoulders and waist while emphasising your bum and boobs)

Follow people on flickr, pay attention to how they set up their shots as a guide.

[Joanne108]

Thanks! When I get the chance I will try to take better photos!

[mersades]

Pictures after a makeover!!

[sometimes_miss]

The opposite effect; I couldn't pass on my best day. However.......I have put the camera at one end of the house and used the timer to take a picture of me at the other end, essentially putting distance into the equation; the further away I am, the better (and more 'female') I look. In one very memorable picture I could have passed for a girl in a black and gold cheerleading uniform. I kept that picture for a very long time, but unfortunately it is unmistakably my house, so anyone who knows me would instantly know who's in the picture (there's no disguising my height). So the picture currently remains in my memory alone, but it is how I prefer to see myself.

[Kate Simmons]

I dunno, I think that sometimes we are our own worst critics. I've felt I looked terrible but then going out folks told me I looked great. :)

[CarlaWestin]

Pictures after a makeover!!
That's not always a guarantee for great images. After my recent makeover, the first one, I thought it looked more theatrical than natural. I should have gotten more picture in different outfits and settings but I didn't. The best shot happened as a selfie in the car on the way home. And, my all time favorite, the profile shot, is a still from a video capture. Great morning light at the perfect angle. It all worked except, I had forgotten the cute apron that compliments the maid's dress.

254482254483

[Judy-Somthing]

The thing I've found is to get a good picture is,

Most of all you have to be happy when taking the photo, A genuine smile even subtle smile makes a big different.

Lighting is very important , sunlight is the best.

Digital cameras have amplifiers in them to make up for low lighting and the more they need to amplify the more noise is added to the photo.
The noise make the photo very grainy and you know how that looks on your face.

Have fun and don't forget to encrypt your files.

[Stephanie47]

I realized a long time ago the mind's eye sees what it wants to see. I've made that observation even in male mode. If passing is of great concern to you, I recommend taking some pictures of yourself at varying distances. My male mode pictures actually encouraged me to drop twenty pounds.

[Helena J]

I know what you mean same thing happens to me look amazing to myself in mirror but the photo looks horrible to me its probably to do with lighting and angles or maybe i should get a better camera instead of my phone

[sometimes_miss]

Lighting can make all the difference. I immediately though of this Seinfeld 'two face' episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlh_SHWemHs

[Jacqueline Vivaldi]

Having taken video and photos of myself for 40 years, I conclude that:
1. A genuine smile is extremely important.
2. Lighting is also extremely important. Direct sunlight is horrible. I find that the best lighting and angle is straight on looking into the natural lighting in my home on a darkish overcast day. Also if the video or pictures are a bit too dark, use a light set directly behind the camera at least 15 feet from the subject.
I then do a couple of test photos and quickly look at them on my computer. If too harsh or dark, I adjust the lighting or direction and experiment until everything looks glamorous.
3. It is curious to me, but quite often, when I capture a photo from a video, the resultant photos nearly always look exceptional.

I would really appreciate it if one of the professional photographers on the site would lay down some detailed rules for taking photos and videos indoors including, type of natural lighting, best type of photo lights, direction of any indirect light, height of tripod relative to subject, and other important advice.

[NicoleScott]

"The camera adds ten pounds..."

I know. It took me a couple bowls of Rocky Road to get through the owner's manual.

[Alice_2014_B]

We are definitely our own worst critics.
Lighting, angles, and all, amazing how much they work together.
:)