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Thread: Camera vs Perception

  1. #1
    Junior Member adelinapa's Avatar
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    Camera vs Perception

    So when I dress, and I look in the mirror I'm happy and I feel good and I feel complete. I like how i look, and how i present. I see all my female features.

    And then i try to take a pic, or a selfie and it looks like an old guy wearing women's clothes. It's a disaster, it's awkward, I see all my male features.

    Does anyone else experience this? And if so how do you deal with it?
    The world is falling apart and ppl are like "EHRMYGAWD is that a man with fingernail polish on?"

  2. #2
    Senior Member Princess29's Avatar
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    play around with angles and lighting.
    Focus on what you want to show off and take the emphasis off what you want to hide

    I have a very prominent chin and I hate how it looks (in male or female mode) but I can usually find a better angle to lessen the impact of it

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  4. #4
    Senior Member Maid_Marion's Avatar
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    The lighting can make a big difference. You want soft light, which looks like it is coming from everywhere, or from all angles.

    The Sun is the worst light source as it all comes from a single direction. Which is why you see photography crews carrying around big reflectors to add light from other angles. Which is expensive but worth it.

    Wedding photographers use bounce flash to reflect light off the ceiling and walls. This is the best they can do to get candid photos.

    There is also the golden hour when the sun is setting. This is a great time for photos.

    Where I live there are days in which my yard will be illuminated by sun reflecting off the clouds overhead after the sun has set.
    This is totally different from what the yard looks like in the middle of the day!

    Marion
    Last edited by Maid_Marion; 12-15-2020 at 02:05 AM.

  5. #5
    Another fine dress AngelaYVR's Avatar
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    Lydianne's link provides the answer (specifically post #4 from Teresa)
    Short answer: your camera lens is too small

  6. #6
    Silver Member Maria 60's Avatar
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    I know exactly how you feel, just yesterday I was taking my annual Maria pic with the Xmas tree. Because my wife was working from home she decided to join in. After I was going through the pics I don't know why, I told my wife that I believe I'm looking in the mirror and seeing something else. My wife did encourage me by telling me things look different in pictures. I thought I looked like a ugly version of my sister and myself all in one. Pretty much a man in a dress
    I try again this week, maybe you could try again to.

  7. #7
    tiptoeing thru the tulips ellbee's Avatar
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    Something else critical that hasn't been mentioned yet...


    You are taking a real-world 3D object -- and "mashing" it down into a flat 2D image.


    Yeah, doing something like that is probably gonna have some weird effects.

  8. #8
    Reality Check
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    The camera is showing how you actually look at that moment. Lighting and such is just an excuse. You can adjust the lighting to get nicer photos, but in real life, others see you the way the photos show you. Best to use photos as teaching tools.

    Videos are good teaching tools as well, especially for how to walk and carry yourself.
    Krisi

  9. #9
    Senior Member DianeT's Avatar
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    Try a DSLR if you have one (or even a pocket camera), it gives much better results than a phone perspective-wise.
    Like Angela said, Teresa provides very good advice in the post linked by Lydianne.
    Still, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and what your eyes see is a reconstruction done by your brain, not an actual picture, so even a photo well taken with a good camera may disappoint you (I also think we dont look at ourselves like we look at others, for example I suppose you don't consider that pictures of other people are as disappointing as yours). A photo is a less lenient judge than your brain, you might think this is a flaw, but I consider it an advantage in the sense that it allows you to be realistic about your look, and help adjust things.
    Last edited by DianeT; 12-15-2020 at 07:45 AM.

  10. #10
    Connie Connie D50's Avatar
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    I experience the same thing you do, and it adds about 50 lbs to me lol.

  11. #11
    Senior Member GretchenM's Avatar
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    All suggestions about lighting are good and lighting does help as Teresa has pointed out before. But one of the major points is included in Krisi's post. Perception is what it is about that which involves the brain and how it interprets what the eyes see. It comes down to psychology.

    At the mirror you have been working on your looks and your brain likes to subconsciously impose a gratification for your effort - a positive perception of yourself. Keep in mind that what we see is only partly what is there and there is not a lot of objectivity in the image produced. "Processing" a seen view involves about 17 different areas of the brain that specialize in adding its bit of interpretation to the final image. It all happens in about 1/60 of a second and there is expectation built into what is perceived - that is bias in the perception. The image that the eyes produce and is sent to the brain is a pretty poor like the images from the very first digital cameras. But the brain's processing produces highly detailed interpretation using information taken from expectations of what SHOULD be there and not necessarily what is there.

    But in a photograph which is a 2-dimensional representation of the world on a piece of paper the brain will interpret that differently. There is still a bit of bias built into the processing of the image in the brain, but the brain recognizes it as a photograph and not an instant reflection of something interpreted by a brain that has expectations and desires that are very active. The photograph is not actually telling the truth in the perception either, but it is closer to reality. Thus the connection between yourself and the photograph is different than the connection between a reflection of yourself by yourself. We see ourselves differently in each medium.

    Tests with apes show this clearly. They may not be startled by looking at a photograph of themselves because it is interpreted differently. In fact, they may consider it to be just a piece of paper with colors smeared over it - boring. But if they look in a mirror and see their reflection they produce an immediate and very strong reaction. They may be startled or curious. They may look behind the mirror. Their perception is completely different and ours is as well even though we understand more about what is happening. The photograph shows much more honestly what you look like in that precise situation (lighting, background, body position, etc.) The mirror is more of a biased illusion.

  12. #12
    Platinum Blonde member Ressie's Avatar
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    Does anyone else experience this? And if so how do you deal with it?
    Yes, I hate some of the photos the camera reveals! Taking self photos with a timer is a crap shoot. So what I do is come to the realization that I am a man in a dress. But some photos turn out good enough to share.

    But iss your goal to get better photos or to reduce masculine features so you'll be more passable when going out?

    The photos are showing you what you need to work on. There are ways of covering some male features. Start with long sleeves
    "You're the only one to see the changes you take yourself through", Stevie Wonder

  13. #13
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    Angela,
    You beat me to it !

    So much is to do with camera angle and focal length , that is the problem with smart phone cameras they have to use wide angle lenses to achieve the selfies but it's not flattering .

    Adelinapa,
    We all have days like that , it still makes me smile when I rushed to my builder's merchant in light makeup my old wig , jeans and an old Tshirt and got called " Madam" twice by two different sales guys . I'm sure they just saw blond hair and boobs and registered female !

    Sometimes the wig can be the problem , long hair isn't always sexy , it does take the right facial shape to take it , when I tried some long wigs on I looked more like Macbeth's witches . The same goes for the choice of glasses , some women's styles are unisex or masculine looking , the right frame can change the shape and look of the face .

  14. #14
    Exploring NEPA now Cheryl T's Avatar
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    My wife asked me once why I took so many pictures and I gave her this exact reason.
    When I look in the mirror I see what I want (or hope) to see. I see a woman staring back, I see the form I want to be in and it's easy to do. When I take a picture I can step back and be more objective. I can criticize my appearance from the vantage point that others have. It's easier to see flaws and acknowledge them.
    Everyone does this. It's not just us. My wife does it when she sees a picture from some event. Girlfriends I had in college who were (in my opinion) gorgeous all looked at photos and and picked apart every detail.
    It's natural to do this. Don't get hung up on it. Use it to improve not denigrate yourself.
    I don't wear women's clothes, I wear MY clothes !

  15. #15
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    I definitely see it. The eye see what the mind wants to see. I first notice this in my male self as I do not take pictures of my female self. The women in my family top out at 5 foot six at the most. I am six foot in bare feet. My son is six foot four. Even pictures of me among other males I stick out. Six foot two can be a curse when it comes to blending. Although six foot two in the old days at 175 pounds attracted women, it is six foot and 200 pounds now. I deal with it by not getting too close to mirrors. I dress alone so there is no chance of me being placed next to smaller men and shorter women. I stay within my personal comfort zone. When I have the opportunity I do go for an evening drive and stroll in a very quiet and safe residential neighborhood.

  16. #16
    Silver Member NancySue's Avatar
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    I know what you mean and agree with others about lighting, angles, etc. I take most of my pictures with my iPad and always take a dozen or more. I find by using the extensive editing features, I?m able to modify each picture. It?s fun.

  17. #17
    Aspiring Member Star01's Avatar
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    Different lighting produces different looks as does soft vs sharp focus, colors, background and a host of other things unique to indoors and human subjects.

    I have three camera bodies, two lighting systems, tripod and experience working with digital images and layered graphics and could discuss f-stops, ISO and shutter speeds and the effects that changes would have. That would just cause confusion as most people use phones, point and shoot or tablets as cameras. If that is the level someone is at I would suggest finding a favorite automatic setting and work on posing and lighting. For anyone using an SLR I recommend prime lenses like my 85mm f1.8 and 50mm f1.8. The 85 is considered a portrait lens and the 50 is like a wider angle version of the 85mm. Those lenses allow a person to set the camera on manual or aperture and play with the depth of field which is a big thing in portrait photos so as to get a soft focus behind the subject. Posing in such a way so as to flatter our good angles is a priority as well. Don?t be afraid to delete bad shots. That?s what the pros do, take dozens of images, cull out and delete the bad.

  18. #18
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    It's easy to look at yourself in the mirror and say to yourself "I look great.".

    Our minds are the best filters.

    But the camera does not lie.

  19. #19
    Silver Member Pumped's Avatar
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    I see an old guy in the mirror, but it gets worse with pictures!

    Once in a while I look in the mirror and think, well not too bad for an old guy, then take a few pics, look at them and delete them all! Why is a camera so critical?

  20. #20
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    it also needs to be said that the mirror gives us an opposite perspective of ourselves...a 'mirror image' as it were, and that's all we've seen out entire lives. The camera doesn't give us that same opposite effect so I think we all tend to see ourselves a little bit different in photographs

  21. #21
    Female Illusionist! docrobbysherry's Avatar
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    Unhappy Sadly, I must disagree!

    My mirror shows the unvarnished truth.

    While, in photos I have some control over liting, angles, and background. I also edit small defects from ALL the pics I post here, FaceBook, and other online forums. And, u better believe that's A LOT!

    I'm so hung up on my looks that if I see ANYTHING masculine in my pics they get deleted!
    That's the MAIN reason I wear masks!
    U can't keep doing the same things over and over and expect to enjoy life to the max. When u try new things, even if they r out of your comfort zone, u may experience new excitement and growth that u never expected.

    Challenge yourself and pursue your passions! When your life clock runs out, you'll have few or NO REGRETS!

  22. #22
    Platinum Member
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    Hi Adel , Your Mirror & Camera can be your best friend or your worst Enemy, >Orchid**OO**
    Having my ears triple pierced is AWESOME, ~~......

    I can explain it to you, But I can't comprehend it for you !

    If at first you don't succeed, Then Skydiving isn't for you.

    Be careful what you wish for, Once you ring a bell , you just can't Un-Ring it !! !!

  23. #23
    Administrator Di's Avatar
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    I think for authenticity it would be a video .
    It shows everything, how you move, walk everything.
    I would tell Sherlyn ....if you want to see what I see take a video.

    And those of you who remember Sher loved taking photos....then she loved making videos even more .
    If you are a Genetic Female (Female at Birth) and would like to join us in the F.A.B. Forum, please follow the link.

    F.A.B. Forum Access

    Sherlyn,My beautiful sweet girl
    You forever and always will be my one and only true love . ❤️


    Administrator

  24. #24
    Silver Member Leslie Mary S's Avatar
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    What you see in the photos is what others see of you. If you have the space and time set up a triple full length mirrors in a "U" formation. you see what you look like. It is why most fitting rooms in upper class photo and store establishments have them. You get a 180 degree look at yourself.
    After taking the photos, bring them into the computer and flip them left to right (horizontal) and you will see what you would see look like in a mirror.
    Another way is to hold the photo up beside your living self and look at both through a mirror, now you can see and compare both from the same relative point of view.
    Some people have a different look when flipped.
    To give you an example of what I am talking about, I provide this photo.
    Attachment 317799
    Here you can see me.
    One is flipped, the other is not.
    Can you tell which is flipped?


    "You don't have to be a man to love a Lady."
    Last edited by Leslie Mary S; 12-15-2020 at 06:31 PM.

  25. #25
    Silver Member Pumped's Avatar
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    One thing I need to do differently is the camera angle. I tend to shoot with the camera close to the floor, because that is what is handy. I need to try from up higher, maybe chest or head high and see if that angle is more forgiving. It probably won't make a difference. Still and old guy in a dress!

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