What does photogenic really mean? does it mean you are not as good looking as the picture is saying?

Question

What does it really mean to you? or when do you find you use it?

Answer 1

means you adopt well to taking photos. look good in photos versus not looking good

Answer 2

Photogenic Meaning

Answer 3

I think photogenic means that the camera captures the true essence of a person and it sees it quiet well. On the other hand there are people that are just as good looking as the photogenic persons but for some reason the camera is unable to capture their essence..

I do know that there are those occasions when a camera can be deceiving but for the most part it is by pure chance that an unattractive person will take a good picture all the time. I find that when a person is told that they are photogenic it is because they are attractive..

Answer 4

A photogenic subject (generally a person), is a subject that usually appears physically attractive or striking in photographs, regardless of their physical appearance in real life.

A person described as being photogenic may not necessarily be particularly attractive in real life.

There are a few different possible causes for this. First, it's important to understand the difference between looking at someone with two eyes as opposed to through a single camera lens. With two eyes, the human brain is able to see the three dimensional aspects of someone's face, even when viewed directly from the front, and it gives much more information than a camera can. With a camera, the subject is viewed through a single lens, and thus much of the three dimensional qualities of the face are lost, and the face may seem narrower, less full, or with different proportions, especially when viewed at a close proximity. An interesting effect can be seen if one compares a close up picture of someone's face to a picture taken from twenty feet away from the same angle (particularly while directly facing the camera). The face will appear different in each picture, and the farther shot will give a better representation of the person's true three dimensional appearance.

Another explanation for the fact that attractive people are not always photogenic is that part of their attractiveness may be due to the charisma they bear in real life due to the way they move, express, and behave themselves. While this will positively influence the subjective appearance of that person in real life, a still photograph usually fails to reproduce these attributes, possibly rendering a picture of the person less attractive than the real-life perception and contributing to classify that person as less photogenic.

Answer 5

I really wish I knew the answer to this question.

There are some people, for whatever reason, that just don't take good pictures. There are some other people, for whatever reason, that don't seem to be able to take a bad picture. I'd say each group is about 5% of the population. The rest of the world looks normal in photos.

I'm one of the non-photogenic people. Friends honestly laugh at how bad I look at pictures. I know a woman who is beautiful, but when I take her photo, she looks awful, or tired, or confused. It takes effort to get a decent photo of her.

Why that is, I don't know. But no, it doesn't mean that you're not as good looking as the photo.

Answer 6

Being photogenic means your pictures come out nice looking than what you look in real life. It means that the camera loves you, that your features are round and non-angular and they don't cause awkward reflections from the light. Being photogenic does not mean that you are good looking or bad looking. It also means that you like to take picture and feel comfortable being taking picture that is why your expression looks natural in picture when they come out.

Answer 7

Photogenic just means that you are a good subject for photos. It doesn't really refer to how good looking somebody is. I just means you make a nice picture. I am not terribly photogenic but if someone said that to you, it's a compliment!

Answer 8

Everyone has an "open" and a "closed" side to their face. If you look at a photo of a person straight on and cover half, then switch, you will see one side is fatter, one thinner. Usually if a person is right handed, that will be the open side of their face. In dealing with people in normal every day situations, this is usually not very noticeable, but when photographed, it becomes obvious. As humans, we find a more balanced face more pleasing. In an article years back Denzel Washington was used as an example of a very balanced face, while Lyle Lovitt was the example of an asymmetrical face. Generally, a portrait photographer will use lighting and posing to try to compensate for any lack of balance.

This facial feature, as well as ability to pose and relax in front of a camera is what makes a person photogenic.

Answer 9

I think it means that you are a beautiful person and when the camera shows up, you're always ready with the best smile. It's like saying you cannot take a bad photo. You know how sometimes the photo comes out bad for some people, some people never have a bad camera day! It's like a girl I knew, I used to take her pic every chance I get and never once would I get a pic that I would want to delete. So I think it means the person is so pretty, every angle is a good angle, every frown or smile looks like the perfect shot.

Answer 10

According to wikipedia, photogenic means (a subject that usually appears physically attractive or striking in photographs. Photogenic drawing, coined by William Fox Talbot, also describes the earliest method for recording camera images)

Answer 11

maybe that's what people are really thinking.
but no, photogenic means you can take pictures really well, and look good in them without having to work hard.

i modeled like ONCE in my life. and was told by a lot of people that i was very photogenic. so... i don't know.