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6 photos of the same girl show how selfies distort what we really look like

It's not you, really! It's that danged camera.

Evey Winters/Facebook, Vox/YouTube
What you look like in a selfie camera isn't really what you look like in real life.

We've all done it: You snap a selfie, look at it, say, "OMG is my nose swollen?" then try again from a different angle. "Wait, now my forehead looks weird. And what's up with my chin?" You keep trying various angles and distances, trying to get a picture that looks like how you remember yourself looking. Whether you finally land on one or not, you walk away from the experience wondering which photo actually looks like the "real" you.

I do this, even as a 40-something-year-old who is quite comfortable with the face I see in the mirror. So, it makes me cringe imagining a tween or teen, who likely take a lot more selfies than I do, questioning their facial features based on those snapshots. When I'm wondering why my facial features look weird in selfies it's because I know my face well enough to know that's not what it looks like.

However, when a young person whose face is changing rapidly sees their facial features distorted in a photo, they may come to all kinds of wrong conclusions about what they actually look like.


selfie, faces, photography, photos, self-image, self-confidence, body imageSome people say holding the phone or camera farther away helpscanva photos

Not that it should matter, of course. But we're talking about people living in a society obsessed with personal appearance. It's going to matter to a lot of people, and if they get the wrong impression of their face, some people will go to all sorts of lengths to change it. That's why understanding a bit about how focal lengths on cameras can impact what we see in photographs is vital.

Writer Evey Winters shared some of that education in a post on Facebook. She writes about this topic through a trans and dysmorphia lens, but it applies to everyone.

Winters points out that if someone is thinking of doing surgery to change their bodies, they should seek sources outside of themselves and a cellphone camera.

"I have dysmorphia and recognize that in myself," she wrote, "but even if I didn’t, there’s not a selfie I’ve ever taken that would accurately help me make choices about my face. Mirrors are slightly better only for their minimal distortions."

"If you want the best chance at getting good feedback pre-op about what you might want to change," she added, "I’d recommend a skilled photographer take a series of photos of you at different focal lengths and even then none of these will be entirely accurate as none of these employ humans binocular vision and filtering."

Winters shared a collage of photos of the same girl's face at different focal lengths to show the significant difference it makes.

"Notice how in different photos this child’s eyes may appear to be slightly hooded," she wrote. "The nose appears enlarged disproportionately. Hairline seems to shift with every snap. So does jaw shape, face shape, and even the width and size of the ears."



The difference between each of these photos is significant, but the difference between the first and the last is stunning.

Cellphone selfie cameras usually have an even smaller focal length than the 40 mm shown here (Winters points out that the iPhone 13 Pro Max selfie camera has the equivalent of a 23 mm focal length), so they distort facial features even more. It also depends on how far away from the camera you are—the closer you are, the more distortion you'll see. Lighting matters, too, but even the best lighting can't cancel out what the focal length is doing.

It's also worth mentioning that cell phone cameras, —regardless of distance, focal length, and lighting — will usually look way different than the you you see in the mirror. Most of us look in the mirror many times in a given day and are extremely used to what we see there. We sometimes forget that the image reflected back at us is actually flipped or reversed! So when we see ourselves on camera, with all our right side features on the left and vice versa, our asymmetries stand out to us like a sore thumb.

But back to focal length again, Vox shared a video specifically about the "big nose" phenomenon with selfies, showing how drastic the distortion can be.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Commenters on Winter's viral post as well as the Vox video were absolutely stunned to learn the truth:

"Here I've been thinking that the pictures I'm less fond of are the truer representation!"

"This was reassuring, I always think I look better from a distance in photos, now I know why!"

"This made me feel beautiful again"

"This explains why in the mirror I look good but selfies are iffy"

Many people were reassured and found that the knowledge boosted their self-confidence! It's hard to overstate how looking at photos that make us look "bad" every day can really damage our self-esteem over time. It's so important for people to understand this vital photography lesson and stop beating themselves up for not liking what they see in selfies.


david rose, schitts creek, selfies, photography, body image, body positivityDavid Rose totally gets it now.Giphy

As a parent of two teens and a young adult, I find these photos to be fantastic tools for teaching my kids not to put too much stock in what they see in a selfie. Far too many people are increasingly seeking out plastic surgery to change a nose or a forehead or a jawline that doesn't even really exist. Imagine looking in a funhouse mirror and thinking you need to do something to change how you look. Selfie cameras are basically mini funhouse mirrors. Smartphones and apps are getting better at making filters that adjust for those distortions, but none of us should be relying on selfies of any kind to see what we really look like, much less taking major measures to alter our appearance based on what we see in them.

Even if you have some physical feature you simply can't accept and want to change, make sure you get a skilled photographer to give you the most accurate picture of what it actually looks like. As Winters concluded at the end of her post: "Make sure you’re not reshaping your body for a you that only exists in selfie cams."

Thank you for the reminder, Ms. Winters.

This article originally appeared three years ago.

From Your Site Articles
culture
Golden Years

13 side-by-side portraits of people over 100 with their younger selves

These powerful before-and-after photos reveal just how beautiful aging can be.

via Jan Langer/Aktualne

Jan Langer's incredible photos are timeless.

Czech photographer Jan Langer's portrait series "Faces of Century" shows them in a different light: as human beings aged by years of experience, but at their deepest level, unchanged by the passing of time. In the series, Langer juxtaposes his portraits with another portrait of the subject from decades earlier. He recreates the original pose and lighting as closely as he can — he wants us to see them not just as they are now, but how they have and haven't changed over time. That is the key to the series.

These are the rare faces of people who have lived through two world wars, a cavalcade of regimes, and the rush of advancements in modern life. These photos, and the stories of the lives lived by the people in them, show not only the beauty of aging, but how even as we age, we still remain essentially ourselves.


1. Prokop Vejdělek, at age 22 and 101

All photos by Jan Langer.

Vejdělek is a former metallurgical engineer who will never forget the taste of warm fresh goat's milk.

2. Bedřiška Köhlerová, at age 26 and 103

Originally born in Merano, Italy, Köhlerová wishes to visit Italy one more time.

3. Ludvík Chybík, at age 20 and 102

Chybík is a former postal carrier and says he will never forget the route he worked every day.

4. Vincenc Jetelina, at age 30 and 105

Jetelina spent eight years in prison after World War II. Now, he just wants to live the rest of his life in peace.

5. Marie Fejfarová, at age 101

Fejfarová burned all her material memories, including old photographs, when she decided to move to a long-term care facility. She lived a dramatic life, hiding from the Nazis and then the Russians, but eventually she was able to travel the world with her husband. Her experiences show there's no such thing as too late in life to start a new chapter.

6. Antonín Kovář, at age 25 and 102

Kovář is a former musician whose daughter comes to visit him every day. He wishes to play the clarinet once more.

7. Anna Vašinová, at age 22 and 102

Vašinová will always remember the day her husband was taken away by the Nazis. She wishes to be reunited with him after death.

8. Stanislav Spáčil, at age 17 and 102

Spáčil was an electrical engineer throughout his life and thinks that it's too early in his life to think about the past.

9. Anna Pochobradská, at age 30 and 100

Pochobradská was a farmer. She now lives a quiet life and is thankful that her daughter visits her every weekend.

10. Antonín Baldrman, at age 17 and 101

Baldrman was a clerk early in life and keeps up with current events by reading the newspaper.

11. Marie Burešová, at age 23 and 101

Burešová loves talking to her family and wishes to have them all together again.

12. Vlasta Čížková, at age 23 and 101

Čížková cooked in the dining room at the airport in the small village of Vodochody. She'll never forget reciting her own poetry at wedding ceremonies.

13. Ludmila Vysloužilová, at age 23 and 101

Vysloužilová stays active every day by chopping wood, shoveling snow, and doing work around her house.

The photographer Langer was initially inspired to document the lives of elderly people because of what he saw as the media's lack of coverage of them. He decided to focus on people over the age of 100 — a very rare demographic indeed. The 2010 U.S. Census reported only 53,364 centenarians, which is only 0.19% of the population of people 70 years or older.

“One should live every single moment according to their best knowledge and conscience because one day we will see clearly what has a real value," Langer says of what he learned from his subjects while photographing them.

The series was originally part of a story that Langer did for the Czech news outlet aktuálně.cz. You can see more photos from the portrait sessions by following the link.


This article originally appeared seven years ago.



From Your Site Articles
photography
Joy

Couple on a bullet train joyfully ducking for a stranger's photo brings joy to millions

The man who took the photo is hoping to find the couple.

Photo credits: @eliapocalypse (screenshot), Abdullah Ghazanfar (photo)

Simple acts of kindness are sometimes the most impactful.

When Abdullah Ghazanfar snapped a picture of Mt. Fuji through the window of a Japanese bullet train, he had no idea his photo would bring joy to millions of people. Considering the fact that it's one of the most photographed mountains in the world, a snapshot of Mt. Fuji taken quickly through the tiny window of a moving train doesn’t seem particularly noteworthy, but it’s not the famous peak that makes the photo so special. It’s the adorable couple ducking down below the window so Ghazanfar could take it in the first place.

“I was on the shinkansen coming back to Awaji island, where I live, after spending New Years in Tokyo,” Ghazanfar tells Upworthy. “[The couple] saw me taking a picture and then ducked down so I could get a better shot. I would've properly come forward and zoomed in, but didn't want them to be down there for too long, so just quickly snapped the picture and said thank you. Showed it to them and they had a laugh and really liked it too.”

Ghazanfar sent the photo to his best friend, who shared a screenshot of his text on X with the caption, “I think this is one of the best things I have ever seen.”

Clearly she wasn’t the only one to think that. The screenshot went viral on X and has since gone viral on multiple social media platforms, with people raving over the wholesome moment.

"This is the sweetest thing I've seen this week!!!"

"It’s their smiles for me. They were so happy to do it."

"I like them more than Mt Fuji."

"Their wholesomeness is more beautiful than the mountain."

"They are the view."

""Seriously even I want to thank these guys. 😍🙌"

People also shared how they'd experienced similar kindnesses when traveling in Japan.

"After 2+ years in Japan, I can say that pretty much sums up my experience. ❤️"

"Just came back from Japan. Japanese are the kindest people I have ever met. 🥺"

"As someone who visited Japan, I can vouch for how darling the people were. 😍"

"Your experience reflects so many interactions we had with the Japanese when we visited their beautiful country. Strangers always so helpful, generous and kind!"

"This is why I love Japan so much 😍"

Going viral on social media wasn’t Ghazanfar’s nor his friend’s intent. They were just sharing a lovely moment of genuine human kindness, but that authenticity is part of what makes it so wholesome. Anyone can make a manufactured image for clicks, but this was a spontaneously captured act of kindness and then shared just for the joy of it. Things like this happen every day all over the world, so on the one hand it isn’t something extraordinary. But these kinds of simple interactions are powerful reminders of humanity’s positive side—reminders we all need, especially on social media.


Ghazanfar says he’s still looking for the couple and that he puts out a call on every share that tags him, in the hopes that he can check in with them about the photo going viral. (If you recognize this couple, let us know!)

“I’m glad the picture is out there making [people] smile,” says Ghazanfar. “And I just really hope I can get some real confirmation from the old couple involved that they're happy with it, since I really didn't think the picture would get this out of hand. But I guess it belongs to the internet now.”

Just imaging this sweet couple in Japan who either have no idea of the delight they’ve brought the world or who have chosen to remain anonymously kind strangers is enough to make you smile, isn’t it?

From Your Site Articles
Culture

This essential photography lesson shows how selfies distort what we really look like

Don't be fooled!

Evey Winters/Facebook, Vox/YouTube

What you look like in a selfie camera isn't really what you look like in real life.

We've all done it: You snap a selfie, look at it, say, "OMG is my nose swollen?" then try again from a different angle. "Wait, now my forehead looks weird. And what's up with my chin?" You keep trying various angles and distances, trying to get a picture that looks like how you remember yourself looking. Whether you finally land on one or not, you walk away from the experience wondering which photo actually looks like the "real" you.

I do this, even as a 40-something-year-old who is quite comfortable with the face I see in the mirror. So, it makes me cringe imagining a tween or teen, who likely take a lot more selfies than I do, questioning their facial features based on those snapshots. When I'm wondering why my facial features look weird in selfies it's because I know my face well enough to know that's not what it looks like. However, when a young person whose face is changing rapidly sees their facial features distorted in a photo, they may come to all kinds of wrong conclusions about what they actually look like.

Not that it should matter, of course. But we're talking about people living in a society obsessed with personal appearance. It's going to matter to a lot of people, and if they get the wrong impression of their face, some people will go to all sorts of lengths to change it. That's why understanding a bit about how focal lengths on cameras can impact what we see in photographs is vital.

Writer Evey Winters shared some of that education in a post on Facebook. She writes about this topic through a trans and dysmorphia lens, but it applies to everyone.

Winters points out that if someone is thinking of doing surgery to change their bodies, they should seek sources outside of themselves and a cellphone camera.

"I have dysmorphia and recognize that in myself," she wrote, "but even if I didn’t, there’s not a selfie I’ve ever taken that would accurately help me make choices about my face. Mirrors are slightly better only for their minimal distortions."

"If you want the best chance at getting good feedback pre-op about what you might want to change," she added, "I’d recommend a skilled photographer take a series of photos of you at different focal lengths and even then none of these will be entirely accurate as none of these employ humans binocular vision and filtering."

Winters shared a collage of photos of the same girl's face at different focal lengths to show the significant difference it makes. "Notice how in different photos this child’s eyes may appear to be slightly hooded," she wrote. "The nose appears enlarged disproportionately. Hairline seems to shift with every snap. So does jaw shape, face shape, and even the width and size of the ears."

The difference between each of these photos is significant, but the difference between the first and the last is stunning. Cellphone selfie cameras usually have an even smaller focal length than the 40 mm shown here (Winters points out that the iPhone 13 Pro Max selfie camera has the equivalent of a 23 mm focal length), so they distort facial features even more. It also depends on how far away from the camera you are—the closer you are, the more distortion you'll see. Lighting matters, too, but even the best lighting can't cancel out what the focal length is doing.

Vox shared a video specifically about the "big nose" phenomenon with selfies, showing how drastic the distortion can be.

As a parent of two teens and a young adult, I find these photos to be fantastic tools for teaching my kids not to put too much stock in what they see in a selfie. Far too many people are increasingly seeking out plastic surgery to change a nose or a forehead or a jawline that doesn't even really exist. Imagine looking in a funhouse mirror and thinking you need to do something to change how you look. Selfie cameras are basically mini funhouse mirrors. Smartphones and apps are getting better at making filters that adjust for those distortions, but none of us should be relying on selfies of any kind to see what we really look like, much less taking major measures to alter our appearance based on what we see in them.

Even if you have some physical feature you simply can't accept and want to change, make sure you get a skilled photographer to give you the most accurate picture of what it actually looks like. As Winters concluded at the end of her post: "Make sure you’re not reshaping your body for a you that only exists in selfie cams."

Thank you for the reminder, Ms. Winters.


This article originally appeared three years ago.

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