Do photos show the real picture? - YouLookFab Forum

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Do photos show the real picture?

Peri

Veteran

I've read several times board members saying they purged things after seeing that the pictures didn't look good, or that they took pictures specifically to judge whether an outfit looked good.

I always thought it was the other way around...that people look better IRL than in pictures. That an outfit might look much better seen moving and from all angles than in one flat pose. And that the camera adds ten pounds, etc.

But I did purge a top after a particularly unflattering photo, even though I thought it didn't really look that bad. So now I don't know what to think!

General

22 replies

Latest reply was from Rambling Ann

Suz

(website)

Veteran

It depends.

It's true that we can't judge motion from a still picture. Sometimes our perception of colours can be off. If the photo angle is messed up, the proportions can look different than IRL, too, although usually it is possible to recognize when that is going on.

But (in my experience) photos have an amazing way of showing me what looks tired or even dated, what doesn't really flatter my shape (much as I might like it to, or imagine that it does) and what no longer works for my style persona, even if I used to like it. I look at the photo and just know.

Sometimes pictures make an outfit look better than it looks IRL. Especially when we are talking about the kind of clothes you always find yourself tugging at during the day. Usually the problem is a subtle fit issue that might not be noticeable in a still photo. Or it might be that the fabrication is wrong.

Ultimately, I think people look better IRL. Outfits often look a lot like the pictures.

sarah

Veteran

Well, I can't really add to what Suz said, because she articulated it so perfectly. I completely agree with everything she said based on my own experience. Sometimes I take pictures just for myself when I'm trying to decide whether to keep something or not.

Carla

Veteran

When I was doing a lot of piecework for quilts, it was suggested that I look at the planned top through the lens of a camera to see how the design worked. It was remarkable how this trick would reveal a design or coloration problem that could be rectified before the work was put together.

I find the same thing with an outfit. Sometimes an item really doesn't work at all, but sometimes it just requires a styling fix. In the case of an item that doesn't work, it might mean a purge as I work on curating my wardrobe. In another case, it might be a keep/return that will save me from a bad purchase, or support an investment in a good one.

In the case of styling fix, it could be as simple as adding a belt, or necklace to repeat the colour of a shoe, but was something I wasn't picking up when looking in the mirror.

I find the picture taking and subsequent examination provides insight.

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

Suz and Runcarla make good points. Sarah, I feel that photos can help me with decisions, too. Peri, I would say photos don't show "the real" picture, but a different one than what we see in the mirror or what others see on us.

Caro in Oz

Veteran

I agree with Suz.

Anonymous

Oh, this reminds me I should take pictures of things before I purge them. I think I'm tougher on "the man in the mirror". A picture helps me looks at it more objectively. If it's a fit or fabrication issue though, out it goes, just like Suz said.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I think they are a good tool. In particular I see proportions in pics that don't become immediately clear to me in the mirror.

Parsley

Veteran

I think photos can be deceptive.
Dark colors, and some details, don't show up well at all, fabrics with a little bit of sheen can look downright glossy, and perfectly modest tops can look transparent. As others have said, it's hard to appreciate the drape of a fabric or to see what it looks like in motion. Photos favor bright colors, because they show up as more visually exciting on the page, even though neutrals may look beautiful in a subtle way in real life. And, of course, it's not always easy to get a good quality picture so that you can tell much of anything at all about an outfit.

Yet I do find photos useful, and I did donate a dress after seeing how hideous it looked in a photo!

AJ

Veteran

I like to take pictures to make sure I got the proportions right.

Adelfa

Veteran

Confession: I have noticed that my favorite dress pants (have them in black and navy) look bad in photos. They ripple oddly. But I'm not ready to give up on them so I pretend I didn't notice. Some day I'll ask the forum about them!

catgirl

Veteran

For me, what shows up in photos is proportion, muffin top, and other things I don't often see in the mirror or in motion. At first I've seen them in photos others had taken of me - the horror!

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

I find the camera to be less forgiving than my eye or the mirror. I will catch things from a picture that I miss just looking in the mirror. Especially: how colors work together, proportion, and visual clutter.

Runcarla that is so interesting about the quilting process!

goldenpig

(website)

Veteran

My pics look worse than real life, because of my location--the overhead lighting casts shadows and emphasizes my apple belly more. I think I have a harder time getting good K/R's because of this. I really should pick a new spot and/or set up a tripod, but it's so much faster to take pics where I do. On the other hand, photos in front of a mirror often look better than IRL because I can use my flattering pose (hand on hip, one foot in front, suck in the gut--LOL!) And I do find that pics can expose certain problems that I hadn't noticed before...for example there was a DVF dress that I tried and didn't realize before I looked at the pics that it looked like there was a faux nipple because of the print placement with a red patch in just the wrong spot. So the camera saved me that time.

Irene

Veteran

Like Mo, I prefer photographs because it allows you to analyze the proportions better. You can see 'the whole picture', whereas if you look in the mirror, you normally focus your attention on specific parts of the outfit instead of the overall effect.

Am I the only one who likes herself better in photos than in the mirror? lol

lyn67

Veteran

Exactly what Claire said. Picties makes me look at my outfits more objective.
BTW all is true what others said, too(for ex Suz, Runcarla, Parsley, GP-all are good and thoughtful points-..).but you have to decide by yourself, if a pictie is helpful or not!

Astrid

Veteran

I definitely think pics help! I've found that at the end of the day I don't much like wearing outfits that were hard to photograph to begin with. And most of the times there's a very good reason for that! Often the fit isn't quite right and it's too fussy and I end up tugging or adjusting it all day long. Of course sometimes you just have to go with your gut feeling and ignore the bad pictures, if you feel great in your outfit.

ETA
Of course you need to have good lighting, a good angle and a good focal length to get pictures you can look at objectively.

kkards

Veteran

interesting question, and responses. i have not yet purged anything because of a picture, but i do find that they help me see things that for some reason, i don't see in the mirror. i think its because the mirror is a reflection of me, at that exact moment, and a picture is more detached and so less, me. hope that made sense.

Glory

Veteran

Since joining YLF I started taking photos of outfits both new and up for purge. I find it desperately hard to post photos of outfits and do only when I must get an opinion because I am torn. When I look at the photos I am overwhelmed with negative self image. The lumps and ripples are more pronounced in the photo and I almost always return the item even if it gets a good review. Perhaps this is part of the style journey - trying to find items that work well.

Beth Ann

Veteran

I like to say that the mirror lies AND pictures lie. Perhaps it's better to say that each has their own version of reality! In the mirror, I see myself at eye level, which is similar to how I'll be viewed by adults when we're, well, standing. There is much, however, that can't be seen clearly or at all, such as the back view! Pictures can distort proportions, though. My house is quite small, and my camera has to be placed at, pardon me, crotch level. I think this makes me look a little wider than perhaps I am. I hate this. Desperately. But I've not figured a better way yet. Still, the harsher eye of the camera helps me make tweaks to outfits that result in a much better look overall.

TraceyLiz65

(website)

Veteran

I definitely see the proportions better in pictures than I do in the mirror and swear my mirror is a liar. I saw a friend recently who hadn't seen me during this year of weight loss and was told that although she sees me daily on my blog, that I definitely look thinner in real life...

This really confused me as I look at photos and say I want to lose another ten pounds and friends and loved ones in real life react like that is nuts. My husband who sees me point out exactly why I want those last ten pounds off is the only one not telling me I'm ridiculous.... So how does one know what is real if both the mirror and pictures are revealing the truth???

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I also think pics help tremendously. I think it makes me look at the image in a more unbiased way if that makes sense. Particularly if I crop off enough of my head/face so I'm not focusing on that part! I can focus on proportions, fit, shoes, etc. I find it to be really helpful.

Rambling Ann

(website)

Veteran

One thing I teach my photography students when trying to analyze a photo is to turn it upside down. Somehow it quiets the part of the brain that wants to name and sort everything, so you can just see the lines. This trick might work especially well for assessing color and pattern incongruencies, probably not so well for fit issues. Hard to do on an IPhone, dang thing keeps flipping it back.