What about the old, "The camera adds ten pounds"? Is that, in fact, true? I've always thought I look thicker in pics than I do in the mirror. Mind you, I never have a professional photographer taking pictures of me!

JR, here is an example of camera too high, compliments of my BF lol. At least he's a good sport in playing photog for me sometimes.
And here is a shot at roughly my rib or elbow height. Same shoes, same sweater. Different proportions.

JR, the lens of the camera is curved outward while the mirror in the back is flat. The more curved the lens (when it's zoomed out, which is a wide angle), the more distortion you'll get. You know those photos of animals up close with a wide angle lens? That's an extreme example as those are SUPER wide lenses, but you can get a very good idea about the type of distortion I mean; as you zoom in, the amount of edge distortion decreases and the image flattens out a bit. When you put that "bubble", say, at your shoulders, your feet are going to angle away QUICK and appear very short and stubby. If it's at your middle-point, then your head and feet angle away the same amount so the distortion is reduced (but of course the part in the center is going to look wider).

As far as what people see, our eyes ARE curved but our brains do some work to correct the distortion. So people who are looking at us, even if it's well above our heads, won't get the type of distortion you get with a camera at the same height because their brains do work to correct the edge distortion. There will still be some proportional distortion but it's much more minimal than what we get with a camera.

I have some photos and info about this in an old WIW post of mine, which you might find useful. Check the note at the end of the initial post, as well as follow the link down into the comments. Happy to provide more info if needed, too! No reason we can't all love how we look in the camera

Elisabeth, that is the nub of what I am trying to find out: is the camera adding ten pounds or is it just clearing away delusions?

Mo, but you look great in both of them... :o)

Aida, maybe taking a hi-res shot and cropping away the edges would help? Again, for dressing purposes, I am not looking for the most flattering shot, but the most accurate one. I do get your point if the camera is too high though. Makes sense now that I've had it explained to me.

That type of cropping does help (that's what I do with my photos), but the image is still going to be distorted due to the curve of the lens AND the center bit is going to be widest looking. You'll see this type of distortion more if you fill the image, like if you're taking a photo of your face where it fills the entire frame. The higher I have the camera, the more zoomed in I go to balance out the distortion.

I definitely find that zooming in a bit and setting the camera height near the middle of me (so on me that's anywhere from low hip to ribs) as well as NOT angling the camera at all is what gives me neutral proportions, which I find most useful for assessing an outfit; the most _flattering_ would be if it's down at knee level and angled, but I'm also just going for accuracy with my photos

Many, many thanks, Aida. I'm really in the business of finding out what proportions work well on me, and I am going to need as much accuracy as I can get to do it well.

Well, it depends.
There is a lot of distortion in mirrors, especially at clothing stores. I don't even consider keeping an item based on how it looks at the store.
I think I have an OK mirror at home, just because I have been so extreme as to take a marker and trace my reflection in the mirror and compare with my normal measurements to see.
As far as pictures, I am not photogenic at all, so I no longer cringe.
I know I get really distorted in all pictures where I 'm standing next to a person of less stature as me. I tend to look massive so I don't worry about that either.
I really don't worry about much, when I think of it

THANK YOU AIDA!!!

I have basically no time to post right now, but this topic frustrates me no end! I've taken college-level courses in art history, life drawing, photography, etc. - the camera is very useful but it always distorts. Aida is providing wonderful theory and practical tips as well on the hows and whys and how-to's too!.

The key is to learn about what cameras can and can't do. And like Aida says, we can all figure out ways to present our best selves to the camera - just as we present our best selves in real life by choosing the fabrics, colors, and shapes of clothing that we love and love us back. steph

Thank you Aida and Mo for the examples of different camera angles and how it affects proportions. The comparison pictures are so helpful! I probably need to take pics from the floor in order to look taller. Lol.

Mirrors distort, but typically, cameras have the ability to distort more than the average, good-quality mirror. Angles are extremely tricky! I can literally have a subject move an inch, and it can make a huge difference in how they look in a photograph. Trust me when I say that for every model photo you see printed in a magazine, or even in one of the professionally shot style blogs, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of other shots that aren't as flattering as the final selection. And that's not even taking into account Photoshop.

I refuse to pull out my DSLR and tripod for my quick WIWs because that is a sure path to me getting sucked into a perfectionist project of making myself and my outfit look absolutely the best it possibly could, and I'll never be happy. I've gotten used to looking as some pictures and thinking, "Hey, I look pretty good" and others and thinking, "Good lord, who is that lumpy middle-aged woman?" I usually think I look better in the mirror, but that also may be the case because I normally don't put on my glasses until I'm about to leave the house!

I do think the camera often adds a little visual emphasis, depending on angles, color, light and shadow, etc. Seeing people and garments in motion can make a big difference.

hi JR! "Again, for dressing purposes, I am not looking for the most flattering shot, but the most accurate one." Aida and Janet both did an excellent job of addressing the technical aspects of this concern. I wanted to say don't forget about the human element. Everyone has different preferences, there is no 'neutral viewpoint' as to what looks best on someone. According to who? Dressing is a craft and sometimes an art, so subjectivity will always be present.

That said, if you photograph different outfits and garments with the same camera setup and in the same pose, you should be able to compare the ways that the different outfits and garments affect your proportions. Do you think this might help you decide which you think flatter you most?

Physically i'm low-contrast and pretty curvy, so i tend to look pretty awful in candid photos. So when i stated a style blog i set about learning how to photograph myself in an appealing way. The only thing i would emphasize here that hasn't been already is that learning how to pose makes a big difference! Makeup and hair can help, too. Practice, study pictures of yourself and others that you like, and don't be afraid to change things up and see what happens.

And just like the camera loves certain people, it also loves certain types of clothing. Floaty, drapey, loose garments that look feminine, flattering and charming in real life can be hell to photograph in a way that translates their appeal. For those types of outfits i say trust your mirror and a good friend (unless you have mad photo skillz!)

Frankly, i like the way i look on videotape best. Believe it or not! Growing up i always looked crummy in photos. In my twenties surveillance cameras came into use and wow! i looked great in the 7-11! Nowadays even many cellphones come with video - if you're very curvy (not big, you just don't have a lot of straight lines - you have curly hair, googly eyes, and so on) i suggest you try taking some video of yourself in different outfits and see what you think. For some of us it's a real eye opener! steph

Thanks so much ladies. MrsE, you're right about video looking different. I managed to get into a video with my grandsons yesterday, and it was somewhat less depressing than stills, LOL!

I do know that the standard face the camera square on, arms by the sides pose makes everybody look crappy. Turning the hips a bit and putting one foot forward is the quick and dirty solution for us non-models.

But I just want to be able to compare tucked/untucked, this sweater/that jacket, that kind of thing. At least for the purposes of this forum. I am coming to the conclusion that the truth is somewhere between the mirror and the camera. I'll get there bit by bit.

I will have to try putting some of these tips into practice and see if they help me feel less cringe-y when I take photos of my outfits. Generally speaking I avoid it as much as possible because i always feel so horrible about how I look.