Also depends on the focal length of the lens being used, it is quite shocking seeing how zooming in and out can change features on your face/body. Far better for person with camera to move closer/ further away
Glad to know it's not just me that feels like this. I definitely look better in the mirror. Also, for some bizarre reason I appear to have a waist in the mirror which seems to disappear in photos!
If left and right are swapped in a mirror, how come top and bottom are the same ?
They're not swapped. Stand in front of a mirror and your left hand is on the left of the image in the mirror. Your right hand is on the right. You could draw a million imaginary lines from your physical self to the same part of your image in the mirror, and every one of those lines would be a parallel straight line to the corresponding point. There is no reversal, in any plane.
They're not swapped. Stand in front of a mirror and your left hand is on the left of the image in the mirror. Your right hand is on the right. You could draw a million imaginary lines from your physical self to the same part of your image in the mirror, and every one of those lines would be a parallel straight line to the corresponding point. There is no reversal, in any plane.
Swapped or not, if you hold up a poster, book or any handwriting to the mirror, the reflection will show it reversed as right to left instead of left to right. It's difficult to explain that with the reversal of depth (Z) coordinate, as paper doesn't have depth.
(Although, it you imagine the writing is on a piece of glass or clear plastic, and hold it in front of you facing the mirror, what the mirror shows is the same back-to-front version that you can see through the glass.)
The photograph is much more representative of how you look than a mirror. When your picture is taken, you usually are not aware of what the camera sees. When you look in a mirror, you will be 'posing' , looking at yourself from the best angle, in the best light. The best photo will probably be taken looking at your own reflection.
A mirror is the best 'camera' you will ever own.
I'm not sure I can agree with that. Because I generally don't tend to pose in front of the mirror, and camera lenses can have the tendency to distort your features due to the nature of a camera lens.
If a photograph is taken a far distance away, and then zoomed in, as some portraits are, it will flatten everything out a bit.
I would've thought a mirror view is more representative and accurate, because cameras vary in quality.
I agree. If the mirror is completely flat there should be no distortion.
A camera can make you look different depending on other factors such as the type of lens and/or distance from the subject, and even with some cameras internal image processing algorithms.
The camera does lie.
As most consumer kit lens are probably around 18-50mm and perhaps aren't the best for retaining facial dimensions you can see how you can look different in photos compared to how you look in the mirror.
It also ties in with the idea of certain people being photogenic. Being photogenic doesn't exactly mean that you are more beautiful than somebody else. It just means that your facial proportions when reproduced with the most commonly used lens will be distorted to look better.
Swapped or not, if you hold up a poster, book or any handwriting to the mirror, the reflection will show it reversed as right to left instead of left to right. It's difficult to explain that with the reversal of depth (Z) coordinate, as paper doesn't have depth.
(Although, it you imagine the writing is on a piece of glass or clear plastic, and hold it in front of you facing the mirror, what the mirror shows is the same back-to-front version that you can see through the glass.)
It's reflection not rotation. Your brain overrides that to interpret the image as reversed, but it's only reflected.
If you held up transparent paper with writing on it and looked through it into the reflected image, you'd see the same things in the foreground and in the mirror.
Has anyone here ever taken a 'selfie'? The very idea of a self portrait starts me worrying and when I appear on the phone screen...well I feel all shaken.
Comments
sheesh, I must be sufferin from very low self-esteem:D
Even the most basic phone camera is in high definition. Nobody wants their flaws magnified that much!
Yes...It`s the high definition photos that are the problem...............;-)
Has another hasty look at me face in the mirror to reassure meself I is really a stunner
Swapped or not, if you hold up a poster, book or any handwriting to the mirror, the reflection will show it reversed as right to left instead of left to right. It's difficult to explain that with the reversal of depth (Z) coordinate, as paper doesn't have depth.
(Although, it you imagine the writing is on a piece of glass or clear plastic, and hold it in front of you facing the mirror, what the mirror shows is the same back-to-front version that you can see through the glass.)
I'm not sure I can agree with that. Because I generally don't tend to pose in front of the mirror, and camera lenses can have the tendency to distort your features due to the nature of a camera lens.
If a photograph is taken a far distance away, and then zoomed in, as some portraits are, it will flatten everything out a bit.
I agree. If the mirror is completely flat there should be no distortion.
A camera can make you look different depending on other factors such as the type of lens and/or distance from the subject, and even with some cameras internal image processing algorithms.
http://gizmodo.com/5857279/this-is-how-lenses-beautify-or-uglify-your-pretty-face
Here's another example with pictures which speaks about distance from the camera using the same lens....
https://bakerdh.wordpress.com/2012/05/05/face-distortion-is-not-due-to-lens-distortion/
The camera does lie.
As most consumer kit lens are probably around 18-50mm and perhaps aren't the best for retaining facial dimensions you can see how you can look different in photos compared to how you look in the mirror.
It also ties in with the idea of certain people being photogenic. Being photogenic doesn't exactly mean that you are more beautiful than somebody else. It just means that your facial proportions when reproduced with the most commonly used lens will be distorted to look better.
I see a younger version of Dad.
If you held up transparent paper with writing on it and looked through it into the reflected image, you'd see the same things in the foreground and in the mirror.
Now I think " My god,I wish I looked like that now!"