Is Your Selfie Really Your Best Self?
I think we’ve all been there. Hair and make up done, outfit on point, feeling like your best self and for some reason you just CAN’T get a good picture!
Fret not my beauties, you’re not ugly and you’re not alone.
First, I’d like to address the fact that the lens on a phone camera is too short for facial photography. Adding to that our arm span is a measly 1-3 feet; leaving hardly enough space between you and the camera to capture all the glamorous goodness. Taking pictures of your face with a short lens camera results in the whole face appearing wider and longer than how it looks in reality. Yes, it actually makes you look distorted – it’s not in your head!
Have you seen this viral post showing just how different a selfie can look with different lenses? Most smartphone camera lenses sit at around 23-26 mm or have an ultra-wide lens of 13 mm. While phone camera quality has certainly improved over the past few years, the lenses themselves still aren’t “right” for selfies. 50-70 mm is what’s generally considered closest to reality – what a difference!
(Credit: BokehSharp)
The Facts
DID YOU KNOW: In a recent study, researchers calculated the distortion of facial features at different camera distances and angles. They found that the perceived nasal width increased as the camera moved closer to the face. At 12 inches away, for instance, selfies increased nasal size by 30% in males and 29% in females. However, at five feet the proportion of features is accurate to real-life scale.
“At that standard portrait distance of five feet, everything evens off,” Paskhover said. “That’s a classic portrait distance, which is fascinating. Photographers have known this for decades.”
Hold up. Say whaaat?! Photographers…knew about this? We’ve been adapting to take bomb photos of you for decades? Wooooow. Like we went to school or something. Like it’s our job or something – Fuck yeah we have, Paskhover. Thanks for putting it in print.
Dr. Cemal Cingi of the Eskisehir Osmangazi University in Turkey, who studies selfies and rhinoplasty trends (but wasn’t involved with this new research), told Reuters Health, “I talk to patients about asymmetries before surgery and literally have them hold a mirror in their hands before we schedule a procedure.”
“If camera phones continue to improve, maybe it’ll become (possible) for people to take photos a little farther off from the face,” he told Reuters Health.
“That may help people who are displeased with how their nose looks in the selfies they take.”
What this means for selfie culture:
As a result of our rinky-dink arm span and our cell phone’s less than ideal camera quality, the selfie we’re seeing is not the face we’re putting out into the world.
Whatever you do, don’t let your selfie cam hurt your feelings!
The distortion can feel so real, it can be hard to differentiate between a selfie error and a flaw in ourselves.
I’m going to take this one step further by mentioning that we as professionals have a plethora of lenses, and they are all meant for different things.
The longer ones are great for sports and wildlife. The ones that shoot wide are amazing for landscapes, cars and (funnily enough) pinup imagery. Portrait lenses are in between these two extremes, normally a fixed focal length and that’s what I use to capture the accurate, flattering photos that I take.
What can be done?
I HIGHLY recommend getting your fabulous visage in front of my professional camera so you can see what we see, a masterpiece.
Getting in front of the professional camera can be scary, but the results can be LIFE CHANGING.
In conclusion, selfies are fun, but don’t take what you see in your selfie cam too seriously. Please don’t think for a second that poor camera quality can do you any justice; you deserve to see yourself in all your true glory!
Your real self.
Your best self.
If your best self is something you’re ready to invest in, simply click the link below to schedule your phone consultation today!
https://www.gra-photography.com/contact
