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Thread: Photo frustration

  1. #1
    Member AmeeJo's Avatar
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    Photo frustration

    A couple weeks ago I had the best dressing session yet. I had lots of time to do my makeup, all of my clothes were clean and ironed (Very rare for me), and no one was going to be seeing me for hours. It was an absolutely wonderful experience. I tried on all of my various outfits and took lots of pictures. One picture in particular was my all time favorite. It is my current profile pic. Now, here is my frustration, I can't for the life of me recreate that look. Every time I have tried, it looks forced or the smile looks fake or my smile just doesn't touch my eyes etc, etc. I remember the exact moment I took that pic and it was one of those rare moments where everything just seemed right in the world. I felt so beautiful and it shows in the pic, I think. I know I'm over thinking it and once I just relax I'll get there again. I also know I tend to have unrealistic expectations on how I look dressed. I want to look like one of the models I see when I'm shopping and the sad fact is, I don't. I know I need to accept me as me and just enjoy what I have. Has anyone else experienced this?
    We can only achieve what we dare to reach for.

  2. #2
    Miss Conception Karren H's Avatar
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    Yep! All the time and worse as I get older! Sigh! I have thousands of never to be posted photos on my computer, all trying to get a specific look. Had whole sessions cut because I did not like any of them. Just have to keep trying. And trying. Hard to play catch-up to women who have been doing this all their lives. Lol.

  3. #3
    Senior Member Davina2833's Avatar
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    AmeeJo,

    First thank you for your service and welcome home.

    What I see is a beautiful and classy lady......

    Davina

  4. #4
    Senior Member Kris Burton's Avatar
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    That is a very nice profile photo! But you are right about the over thinking part...I do that to myself all the time, and not just with CD photos! I think they call it being a perfectionist, not necessarily a bad thing, but don't let it keep you from the joy you experience, no matter what you do. As you say, relax, you'll get there again, and maybe even better!

  5. #5
    Member Mary Loo's Avatar
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    I can certainly relate to it all. I have posted this before, but reality is never as good as the filter in my mind’s eye or FaceApp. I am still totally a neophyte at this and the last makeup session was more depressing than encouraging, but it was only my second effort, ever. I never took a single picture until recent weeks and most aren’t flattering or worth sharing.

    I do agree that the best ones are when you are naturally relaxed and happy and the camera shows it. We will just have to keep trying and see what happens.

  6. #6
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    I hate having my picture taken because I never lioke how I look in them. Then, I have had some cute ones while dressed that I know I could never recreate. I think it is all in how you feel when the picture is taken.

  7. #7
    Senior Member DianeT's Avatar
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    Hi AmeeJo, I think I see you what you mean and have a similar problem. I have a tendency to think that I smile more than in reality, and am often surprised to see that in a picture where I thought I had smiled, I actually just looked a bit sad. This makes it very hard for me to recreate the best pictures where I actually smile in a natural way. I found no easy way of getting there, but every time I did there were three ingredients in the mix. 1. I felt relaxed and at peace. 2. I was satisfied with my presentation. 3. I smiled to the the person in the mirror taking the picture (me). In other words, I connected with myself. I accepted me.

  8. #8
    Princess Candice candykowal's Avatar
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    All my girl friends give me greif for taking pictures of all the events I go to with them.
    Out of 100 photos, I'll get about 3 I really like and shows how feminine I look.
    I lost all my chemical photo of my youth during a midlife purge so today, my digital photos are inportant to me...so I take a lot.
    I suggest to you is take many photos everyday you feel pretty and feminine...eventually, you will figure out what you were thinking, how you felt when you best photos were captured. Soon, you will be able to focus your girly glow in everything you do.
    I do believe there is a certain quality inside you that comes out when you know you are happy inside, as part is a mindset...
    ...just keep clicking, you will figure it out!
    Candice Coleen Kowal ....all my friends call me Candy!

  9. #9
    Resident Polymath MarinaTwelve200's Avatar
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    The hardest thing in the world to do is take a decent photo of one's self. Most good photos are accidents. I have been MORE successful by taking high quality VIDEO of myself while going through various position and expression changes.. Then I play back the videos and PAUSE when I see something I like.---Then I can use the SNIPPING tool to extract a great photo---or two---or more! I save the snips as jpegs which make great "stills" I never would have dreamed up on my own.-----To all those who have picture taking troubles, I recommend taking VIDEOS instead, and snipping out the stills.

  10. #10
    Female Illusionist! docrobbysherry's Avatar
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    Absolutely, AmeeJo! I grew so frustrated with my ugly old man face on a very presentable female body, that after my 1st year of dressing I almost quit!

    Then, one Halloween I tried on a cheap, see thru, female mask. Dressing became a joyful competition with myself, and Sherry was born! Now, 25 years later, I still look stunning, and the same age!

    Marina, I took frames from my videos for years. And, got some amazing poses!

    But, they were all blurry compared to my sharp, hi pixels, camera pix. So I gave that up!
    Last edited by docrobbysherry; 05-05-2022 at 07:07 PM.
    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!

  11. #11
    Platinum Member alwayshave's Avatar
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    AmeeJo, I feel your pain. I have an aversion to photography as my father was always taking pictures when I was a kid. As such, I can't take a decent picture to save my soul.
    Please call me Jamie, I always_have crossdressed, I always will, "alwayshave".

  12. #12
    Senior Member Heather76's Avatar
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    AmeeJo, your profile picture is great. Now, forget all about trying to recreate that picture. Just dress when you can, take a gazillion pictures (or at least a few), see the feminine AmeeJo in your mind's eye, and think how wonderful it feels to be dressed and enjoying your feminine self. The pictures you want will follow.
    It's never too late to enjoy a happy childhood.
    Live each day as though it's your last 'cause one day you'll be right.
    I'm finding the more feminine side of me...and I ❤️ this adventure.

  13. #13
    Member TAG's Avatar
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    Amee Jo you look so beautiful in that pic.
    I can take 200 pics and not keep any of them because they don't look the way I want them to.
    We are our own worst critics.

  14. #14
    Platinum Member Crissy 107's Avatar
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    AmeeJo. Relax like others have said. Yes we are our own worst critics but you have a beautiful profile picture, more will come.
    Crissy

  15. #15
    Member AmeeJo's Avatar
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    Thank you all for the advice and kind words! I guess I already knew the solution before I even posted here. Oh well, what's a girl to do? I'm just going to be me and not stress out on the details. Thanks again!
    We can only achieve what we dare to reach for.

  16. #16
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    AmeeJo,

    Really nice profile pic! Good pics come and then they don?t. Mood, light, cloths, etc. can affect the pic. Delete the ones that do not meet your expectations, and keep on taking.

    Also, the comment on doing a video and then pausing, screenshot, cropping the pic works well. Like mentioned, you get poses that you couldn?t take still. Thanks,

    Jess

  17. #17
    Silver Member Pumped's Avatar
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    I have mentioned it here before, but capturing the "right look" is hard even for professional photographers. If you are ever at a photo shoot they might take hundreds of photos in just a few minutes, then sort through them and toss about 3/4ths right off the bat.

    I have a friend that has been a professional photographer for years. He got hired by a well known magazine to take pictures for an article. He told me he took 4,000 pics in a couple weeks. He sorted through them and sent around 400 pics to the magazine. The rest were out of focus, framed wrong, blurry, all the same problems we have. (The object of his pictures was not cooperative so that made it difficult!) The magazine used four of his pictures.

    If you use the same ratio, you need to take 1,000 pictures to get one good one!

  18. #18
    Member 1Ladyjade's Avatar
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    Hello from a fellow Navy vet. Your profile picture is quite nice. I have the same issue as you when it comes to pictures. I have some good ones and I want to create more but just can't seem to get it right. Plus to my own chagrin I use Faceapp and want to make myself look like her. But even Faceapp things have to be perfect to make it repeat. Depending on something as simple as the sun behind a cloud or not. So remember got to take lots of pictures to get a few good ones.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by 1Ladyjade; 05-06-2022 at 12:38 PM.

  19. #19
    Silver Member Maria 60's Avatar
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    It's unbelievable at times when I have time on my hands and go all out and I think I look amazing and decided this is a great photo time. I see I pictures and still see a man wearing a dress and I don't look how I think I look in the mirror. Sometimes the best pics are the ones the camara goes off by accident. I guess practice makes perfect, so let's keep practising

  20. #20
    Senior Member Debbie Denier's Avatar
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    Your profile picture looks great.They say the camera never lies. I have given up on trying to make a silk purse from a sows ear.

  21. #21
    Claire M Claire M's Avatar
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    Maria, I think we see in the mirror what WE want to see. Unfortunately a photo sometimes shows what everybody else sees.

    My camera has a "burst" feature that takes a series of photos at a set interval. I usually use 10 shots at 2 seconds apart. I use it with the timer and just start talking at my camera. So in a photo session where I take 10 photos i actually get 100 ...... and maybe keep 2!!! Photography, like makeup takes practice.

  22. #22
    Resident Polymath MarinaTwelve200's Avatar
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    Maria60: YES! that's why VIDEO works so well---The best photos often ARE by "Accident" and videos are FULL of "Accidents", you can freeze and snip for stills. That's MY experience. Just make sure you get a good quality (HD or better videocam) --so the pics don't look grainy, and move sort of "slowly" to avoid motion blurring.
    Last edited by MarinaTwelve200; 05-07-2022 at 06:36 AM.

  23. #23
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    I take photos everyday as part of my ritual .
    I use them partly to check my appearance and dress sense .
    Out of 20 there will be ....maybe 3 that I approve and maybe 1 winner .
    I have realised from doing this and using a mirror that...
    Combing my wig , smiling , posing and wearing things that suit me help immensely.
    I agree that the best photos are accidents of the moment .

  24. #24
    Senior Member DianeT's Avatar
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    MarinaTwelve is right. Like I explained in other posts, videos will often be more faithful (I see myself in them more like how I see myself in a mirror, much less with photos). And using the right video player you can take pretty decent snaps (Mac users, IINA is the right tool, pause then option+arrow key to go frame by frame, cmd+S to take a snap, I think in the preferences you can chose PNG or JPEG format, JPEG will take less space with no visible quality impact. Windows users, use VLC and shift+S, problem is you can only go forward frame by frame not backward - e key).
    Do not take screenshots, since screenshots will be snapped at your screen's resolution, not the video's.
    Last edited by DianeT; 05-07-2022 at 05:54 PM. Reason: Typo

  25. #25
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    I like the advice of making videos I’ll have to start doing videos instead of photos and see the difference.

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