quinn222

A camera lens is all seeing and reveals what it sees ruthlessly.

One example of that is that this morning I took some food shots of the process of making bread. Only after I looked at the photos did I see what looked like a line of gunk in the trim band on my mixer. I ran out to the kitchen and sure enough when I got my nose practically against the mixer (just about where the lens would have been) I saw it! Ewwwww. Cleaned it with a toothpick.

Another example is not so obvious. As a photographer I know that it is true that the camera loves certain people. There is some trick of the bone structure that just looks beautiful in a photograph. Sometimes a person you would not look at twice in person looks like a supermodel in a photograph. Not surprisingly many of these people actually are supermodels. In interviews you'll often hear incredibly beautiful people talk about how they were awkward in school or people made fun of them and it's hard to imagine it. Of course some of these folks are just as beautiful in person too. Then there are people who are amazing looking in person but it just doesn't translate to a photograph. These are the ones (in the case of actors) where people walk away from meeting them saying, "Wow, he's even better looking in person!" or you look at your photos and don't know why your cousin Jane never seems to come out well in her photos.

Then there are the people who just aren't very attractive in person and the camera makes them look even worse. I only know one person who falls into that category and it's me. Is this why I am a photographer? So I never have to be in front of the camera?

Something to ponder.

Editing to add: In the hands of a truly skilled portrait photographer, especially one who knows a thing or two about lighting, even a plain person looks amazing, because that photographer brings out something special. I'm not one of those photographers. I have very little experience shooting people.