Position:Home>Visual Arts> How come I look different in the mirror than I do when I take a picture?

When you see yourself in the mirror, you are seeing yourself in reverse, because your reflection is "backwards"!. A photograph shows you as people really see you!. Try standing beside someone else---someone you know well---while you both look in a mirror!. You will see that the other person's reflection doesn't look the way the person looks in person!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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This question has been asked in this forum about a thousand times during the last few weeks!.

I assume you are talking about self-portraits or pics taken with a camera held very close to you!. If that's the case then you might look fat in those pics!. Read on!.

Self portraits always produce unflattering images, because you are forcing the camera to use the wide-angle end of the lens as you stand so close to the camera!. Wide-angle lenses cause distortion and the result is what you've seen!. The closer you are to the lens the more the distortion will be!.
Stop taking self portraits and you will be fine!.
Else you could use the telephoto end of the lens to take your pic; however you will then have to use the self-timer as zooming in to the subject requires a longer subject distance!. Else you could ask a friend to take your portrait, using the TELEPHOTO END of the lens!.
You MUST use a focal length closer to the telephoto end (i!.e!.: use maximum zoom as is practicable) for portraits!.

Cameras don't lie (when photos are taken with a telephoto lens; see above)!. Mirrors do, however!. If you want to see the way others see you, then ask a friend to take your portrait using the maximum zoom possible!. What you then see in the pic is how others see you!.
Whether or not you like it, or if you are prepared to accept it as a true depiction of how others see you, is another matter!.

So if you happen to wonder why you look fat in a photograph taken by a professional protographer (who will surely know how to take portraits), then sorry, that's how you look for real!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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As another poster said, when you look at the mirror you only see yourself reflected "backwards," but also you learn to see yourself at a limited range of angle (it's hard to see your profile or the back of your head unless you use several mirrors)!.

Another factor is the camera lens (or focal length) used: wide-angle lenses tend to create more distortions than a telephoto lens (or "zoomed in")!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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When you look in the mirror you see a 3 dimensional image (You have two eyes!)!.

Your camera has only 'one' eye!. It does not record a 3 dimensional image; it only simulates this on a flat piece of paper!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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