Difference between the mirror and photograph

Caranal

Am I the only one that notices this? Been thinking about it for the last 2 hours (procrastinating as usual), wanted to hear some other views

To me what i see in a photo/recording looks like a completely different person to what i see in the mirror? for example, i reckon one of my eyes looks bigger in a photo but i barely notice a difference in the mirror unless i make a point of noticing it.

Which is more accurate, id imagine it's the photo's yea? any theories on the reasons for these differences?

I've heard it's to do with your brain adjusting to a true image of yourself as opposed to a false reflected image, for example if your nose was inclined 2 degrees to the right in the mirror, it would be inclined 2 degrees to the left in a photo, which equals a 4 degree difference, which would probably be a noticeable change to you

but would this not mean that, given enough time seeing your true self, you would eventually become less aware of your percieved flaws and see something closer to the mirror image you had become accustomed to in the first place? so in a sense, you're 'false' mirror image, would not be so false?
(does that make sense, disregard it if not :P)

liah

My god, I'm the EXACT same way.

In my opinion, I don't look a damn thing like half the photos there are of me floating around that other people have taken. I see a totally different person in the mirror. The closest I get to a photo I feel represents "me" is one I take myself.

I've wondered many times if I have some kind of body dysmorphia because of it.

Also, I hope to god I look more like how I do in the mirror than I do in photos, because if I look like I do in photos.. well, I don't want to think about that.

blubloblu

Eye contact, movement, wider field of view, motion, lifesize etc...

DancingQueen:)

I think everyone has a good image of themselves in the mirror because they know the right angle that suits them and everytime they look they would look at that angel. Then when you see yourself in a picture its at a different angel and its not nice because you're not used to it

liah

DancingQueen:) wrote: »

I think everyone has a good image of themselves in the mirror because they know the right angle that suits them and everytime they look they would look at that angel. Then when you see yourself in a picture its at a different angel and its not nice because you're not used to it

I don't know. I've taken pictures of myself from the exact angle I see myself in the mirror at and it still looks like a totally different person.

What's weirder is that from picture to picture I look like completely different people.

TheZohanS

Some people spend too much time in front of the mirror....

Long Onion

Curious alright, when I look in the mirror and talk, my mouth seems to move, yet if i do the same whilst looking at a photograph it doesn't happen - hmmmmmmmm ......

Earthhorse

It's probably to do with lighting or mirrors not having Photoshop installed.

pikachucheeks

"All photographs lie, no photographs tell the truth."

My photography lecturer said that to me once and I definitely believe it.

Photographs are always constructed and taken from an idealogical viewpoint.

The mirror less so, because it's just a reflection ... there's no flash, there's no filters etc.

Ann22

Sometimes I look at myself in mirrors and I think I look quite nice then when I see myself in photos I look horrific:(. I wonder which image others see?

Gordon

Rarely are people perfectly symmetrical. If you look at anybody in a mirror they will look different to what you are used to normally. Looking in the other dimension is shifting the slight difference way over to the other side of the face, the completely opposite side.

Lets say your right eye is slightly higher than your left, when changing dimensions - not only will your right eye now appear lower than it was, but your left eye will appear higher than it was, creating double the difference. Combine that with our finely tuned sense in recognising our own (and aquaintances') features, we notice this really easily.

As a test and a funny experiment - take a photo of your friend/family/self face dead straight on and edit the image. Cut it in half down the middle vertically and duplicate the right or left side and flip over to the other side creating a mirror image of the face. You'll find that most people you do this with will look different to their actual face, due to unsymmetricity. It's great fun to do when you're drunk and have friends with crooked faces!

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

Other people look different in photographs than they do in real life as well though. The most gorgeous people can take horrific photographs. So it's not just your perception of how you look/allowing for angles/being used to seeing yourself a certain way etc, people can and do definitely look different in photos.

grizzly

It's because a mirror is a "live" image – with the added effect of 3D, something you don't get when you're viewing a flat image.

This thread is like walking into an acid trip..

WeeBushy

A photo is a still image capturing one split second of your appearance. Anything - angle, lighting, facial expression etc etc etc that is out of the norm for that split second will be captured. When looking at yourself in the mirorr, that one split second will be just that, a split second, so you wont notice it.

Caranal

pikachucheeks wrote: »

"All photographs lie, no photographs tell the truth."

My photography lecturer said that to me once and I definitely believe it.

Photographs are always constructed and taken from an idealogical viewpoint.

The mirror less so, because it's just a reflection ... there's no flash, there's no filters etc.

Surely a photo is a more accurate image though, given that a mirror is a reflection rather than a true image of who is standing in front of it, ie if i raise my right hand, the image in the mirror raises it's left hand. Where as if i were to take a photo of me raising my right hand, the image that's taken will have done the same

Of course I'd prefer to be wrong, given how accustomed I've grown to what I see in the mirror as opposed to a photo/video.

And I take what you have said about about filters and lighting on board, I'd say you're correct there in a sense, but they wouldn't explain what I perceive to be symetrical differences between photos and mirror images

sam34

a few times i've taken pics of my reflection in teh mirroe using my phone, and every single time i've done it i seem to have a huge forehead, which i dont ever notice in proper pics, or when i look in the mirror. and none of my siblings have ever said it to me, and believe me, theyre not teh type to hold back!

*and before anyone asks, im not posting pics here

WeeBushy

sam34 wrote: »

a few times i've taken pics of my reflection in teh mirroe using my phone, and every single time i've done it i seem to have a huge forehead, which i dont ever notice in proper pics, or when i look in the mirror. and none of my siblings have ever said it to me, and believe me, theyre not teh type to hold back!

*and before anyone asks, im not posting pics here

Ahhhhhh gowan, just one...

Earthhorse

Issac Great Sunspot wrote: »

Other people look different in photographs than they do in real life as well though. The most gorgeous people can take horrific photographs. So it's not just your perception of how you look/allowing for angles/being used to seeing yourself a certain way etc, people can and do definitely look different in photos.

This is very true. Earlier this year I was looking at some photos on Facebook and wondering who one person was. Then I read the tag at the bottom to discover it was someone I'd known for years. Didn't even recognise her in the photo. It's odd.

dny123456

In the mirror you have to look directly at the front, eye to eye as it were. With camera image you don't. Try looking at yourself using 2 mirrors... ie at an angle. I guarantee you'll be disappointed with the results!

pikachucheeks

Caranal wrote: »

Surely a photo is a more accurate image though, given that a mirror is a reflection rather than a true image of who is standing in front of it, ie if i raise my right hand, the image in the mirror raises it's left hand. Where as if i were to take a photo of me raising my right hand, the image that's taken will have done the same

A mirror is a reflection, a photograph is a construction.

When you take a photograph of yourself, the camera might not capture all your details and features.
There's room for things like freckles, blemishes to hide due to various things ; the level of exposure, how in focus the camera is, the aperture etc etc.
In that sense, the camera can lie, because certain features of a person can ... hide or evade being seen.

Sea Sharp

I god-damn hate 90% of the photos of me out there.
I have Chandler-smile syndrome. :mad:

sam34

WeeBushy wrote: »

Ahhhhhh gowan, just one...

nope. might give yiz all fapping material nightmares

ejmaztec

Deleted User wrote: »

This thread is like walking into an acid trip..

That would be looking out the window, thinking it was the mirror.:eek:

CliffHuxtabel

Its disturbs me how pale I look in photos.

When I look in the mirror it seems normal but in photos I look like an uncooked chicken.

Caranal

Gordon wrote: »

Rarely are people perfectly symmetrical. If you look at anybody in a mirror they will look different to what you are used to normally. Looking in the other dimension is shifting the slight difference way over to the other side of the face, the completely opposite side.

Lets say your right eye is slightly higher than your left, when changing dimensions - not only will your right eye now appear lower than it was, but your left eye will appear higher than it was, creating double the difference. Combine that with our finely tuned sense in recognising our own (and aquaintances') features, we notice this really easily.

As a test and a funny experiment - take a photo of your friend/family/self face dead straight on and edit the image. Cut it in half down the middle vertically and duplicate the right or left side and flip over to the other side creating a mirror image of the face. You'll find that most people you do this with will look different to their actual face, due to unsymmetricity. It's great fun to do when you're drunk and have friends with crooked faces!

This is the point I was getting at in my first point, although not so articulatley.

But aren't we essentially looking at the same image regardless of it being a photo or mirror image, the only reason we see a difference is because our brain has become so accustomed to our mirror image, we cant quite process the change we see in photo's, we have the sames flaws in both images, just on different sides. A wonky eye is a wonky eye is a wonky eye, yes? Is the only reason we tend not to notice it somuch in a mirror image is that we are so accustomed to what we see, our flaws are less obvious/noticeable. Would this then mean, that if you were exposed to photo's etc of yourself a lot more often, would you not again, become accustomed to it, your flaws would seem less obvious/defining, and your photo image would become what your mirror image was,

Of course this would mean that if you were to revert back to mirror images, you would again be in for a shock
Again maybe someone of a more articulate nature could explain this better


I'm certainly over-analsying this but damn it I need closure

The_Kew_Tour

When im in photo most my friends tell me I look so different in them.

Have say photos dont seem to suit me at all.

I like what I see in the mirro or maybe its just the photographs telling the truth. I hope not:o.

pikachucheeks

CliffHuxtabel wrote: »

Its disturbs me how pale I look in photos.

When I look in the mirror it seems normal but in photos I look like an uncooked chicken.

Camera's over-exposed.

Makes you look a lot whiter and paler than you actually are.

Creamy Goodness

pikachucheeks wrote: »

Camera's over-exposed.

Makes you look a lot whiter and paler than you actually are.

also not to mention the flash in most compact camera - whic i'm assuming he/she is using - and complete ****e as the flash is directed right onto the face as opposed to a proper flash where you can bounce the light off another object on to the face or use a difuser to give a more natural skin tone.

Gordon

Caranal wrote: »

But aren't we essentially looking at the same image regardless of it being a photo or mirror image

Same image, no imo, that would be like saying 3 is the same as E.

mahamageehad

on another related note.......

Who is that weird squeaky person who always records her voice over mine in recordings, videos etc.........????

Caranal

Gordon wrote: »

Same image, no imo, that would be like saying 3 is the same as E.

The difference I see between photo's and mirrors would be akin to that E becoming a mishapen flawed backwards E as opposed to a perfect symetrical reversed version of itself.

I would have thought that the flaws are the same either way, just on different sides, but yet appear to be less obvious in the mirror as opposed to photos (which is where my little theory on the brain being accustomed to 1 image over the other comes into it, which would make us more aware of flaws in the less accustomed image we have of ourself).

Thoie

Deleted User wrote: »

This thread is like walking into an acid trip..

Here's something to consider then...

Most cameras are using a mirror to reflect the image onto the sensor...

jokettle

What if you looked at a mirror image of a photograph of yourself? Would that be more similar to your usual mirror image, or would you still see flaws albeit in a different orientation?

Someone get me more funding, quick! My own research project seems so boring now in comparison to the possibilities raised in this thread

AnonoBoy

Due to a childhood accident in the chemical factory my Dad worked in I actually can't be captured on film so I've never noticed what you're talking about.

grizzly

jokettle wrote: »

What if you looked at a mirror image of a photograph of yourself? Would that be more similar to your usual mirror image, or would you still see flaws albeit in a different orientation?

This would work best if you reversed the image on the photograph and saw the image through a mirror reflected through another mirror. In space.

Dudess

Peeps, the you in the photograph is how others see ya unfortunately. Your image in the mirror is you in "reverse".

jokettle

grizzly wrote: »

In space.

I want to go to there!

liah

Dudess wrote: »

Peeps, the you in the photograph is how others see ya unfortunately. Your image in the mirror is you in "reverse".

Crap.

All that self-confidence I've been building up over the last year in regards to how I look, bam. Gone.

Just like that.

...I'm going to go curl up and die now.

Dudess

The general consensus seems to be: happy with what we see in the mirror... then :eek: when we see a photograph of ourselves (sometimes). The good news is, others have a different perspective again - and consider us to look a lot better in the photo than we do.

Gordon

Caranal wrote: »

I would have thought that the flaws are the same either way, just on different sides, but yet appear to be less obvious in the mirror as opposed to photos (which is where my little theory on the brain being accustomed to 1 image over the other comes into it, which would make us more aware of flaws in the less accustomed image we have of ourself).

Aye I think so, we're personalising imagery because we are emotionally attached to the image we see of ourselves. So when we see an emotional attachment change quite radically, it's a big thing.

Earthhorse

Dudess wrote: »

The good news is, others have a different perspective again - and consider us to look a lot better in the photo than we do.

That's just because they know we're ugly already.

ibarelycare

Ann22 wrote: »

Sometimes I look at myself in mirrors and I think I look quite nice then when I see myself in photos I look horrific:(. I wonder which image others see?

I'm exactly the same, I'll do myself up for a night out and think I look great, but then if someone takes a pic of me I can look awful!

Something that I've become really paranoid about because of photos is my chin. I always thought I had a regular chin but over the past few years I've noticed my chin looking absolutely massive in a lot of pictures.

Mirror = Normal chin
Photo = Bo Selecta chin

Ghost Train

Its a bit like hearing your voice on tape, it always sounds like some alien person talking

liah

Dudess wrote: »

Peeps, the you in the photograph is how others see ya unfortunately. Your image in the mirror is you in "reverse".

Right, been thinking of this a little more.

That can't be right, because in almost every set of photos I have of myself, in each of them I look like a different person. I look like the same person as the rest of the pictures of the set, but if you compare them to another set, it's just like a different person. Similar to the rest, but you'd be more likely to pin me as a relative than actually myself.

Gordon

liah wrote: »

Right, been thinking of this a little more.

That can't be right, because in almost every set of photos I have of myself, in each of them I look like a different person. I look like the same person as the rest of the pictures of the set, but if you compare them to another set, it's just like a different person. Similar to the rest, but you'd be more likely to pin me as a relative than actually myself.

That's to do with capturing moments in time. Your face is most likely not completely still while all these photos are being taken, in one you may have half a smile, or slightly open eyes in another. That's why you can have good and bad photographers, the good ones being the ones that take a fantastic snapshot in time of a fluid instance, and a good snapshot that is a fair representation of a person.

However, I think we'll need pics for proof.

Earthhorse

I'm not sure I buy into the whole reversion of the image being that important.

The reason you look familiar to yourself in mirrors is because you tend the use the same ones over and over again and from around the same distance. You use the mirror in your bathroom, the one at work or college and maybe occasionally ones in your friend's house.

Photos are taken in all sorts of lighting conditions at all sorts of angles and distances with all sorts of cameras. They're invariably going to show you in greater variety than you're accustomed to.

Dudess

Ghost Train wrote: »

Its a bit like hearing your voice on tape, it always sounds like some alien person talking

Oh god yeah. I don't mind how my voice sounds as I speak - quite like it actually. But when I hear a recording of it, I recoil!

liah

Gordon wrote: »

However, I think we'll need pics for proof.

:pac:

Ghost Train

Earthhorse wrote: »

I'm not sure I buy into the whole reversion of the image being that important.

The reason you look familiar to yourself in mirrors is because you tend the use the same ones over and over again and from around the same distance. You use the mirror in your bathroom, the one at work or college and maybe occasionally ones in your friend's house.

Photos are taken in all sorts of lighting conditions at all sorts of angles and distances with all sorts of cameras. They're invariably going to show you in greater variety than you're accustomed to.

Yep basically there a limited number of angles you can look at your self in the mirror