Why do the actors look different in real life than in the camera?

There is a saying in English "The camera adds 10 pounds" (the lens will make you weigh ten pounds). Many people think that this is just the photographer's poor technique or the subject's angle and posture are wrong. , but from a photography professional point of view, it is indeed an objective problem that the lens makes people look fatter, and angles, postures, techniques, etc. are only used on this basis to make the subjects look thinner through human assistance.

Actor Sun Li once lamented on Weibo: "The physical examination said 'you are too thin', and the camera said 'you are too fat'." Many actors have the same trouble, and their image is not exactly the same as themselves when they are on camera. consistent.

So what causes this phenomenon?

First of all, people have two eyes, and a camera has only one eye.

For example, if you place a cup in front of the computer screen, step back two or three steps, cover your left eye and take a look, then cover your right eye and take a look, you will find that the field of view is different, and the background behind is blocked. Not the same either.

When two eyes look at the same time, the brain will combine the fields of view of the two eyes through calculation, so that people can see more background. What can be seen by the right eye when the left eye is blocked, and what can be seen by the left eye when the right eye is blocked can be seen when both eyes look at it at the same time.

Because both eyes can see more of the background, the foreground objects appear slightly smaller; conversely, when viewing with one eye, the field of view is smaller, so the foreground objects appear wider (fatter).

This kind of two-point field of view of humans can never be achieved by a camera with only one field of view. In other words, the obesity caused by this factor is irreparable.

Secondly, real objects are three-dimensional, and photos are two-dimensional.

Photography is equivalent to flattening a three-dimensional object into a two-dimensional image. Even if the width is the same, the object will inevitably appear wider due to the loss of depth. Whether it’s a photo or a TV, the depth of space will feel more compressed than it actually is.

Take the human face as an example. The widest part of the lower part of the human face is the angle of the mandible. It is located very far back and is almost in line with the cervical spine when viewed from a plane. After the space depth is compressed, the widest position feels pushed forward, so people will appear fatter.

However, this factor can be compensated for by makeup and lighting.

When actors put on makeup, they usually cast shadows on the mandible, using light and dark light and shadow effects to create a three-dimensional effect.

The lighting engineer’s lighting in different directions can emphasize the ups and downs of the human face through reflection and lighting. Therefore, step light is a link that many actors are very concerned about. Experienced actors know how to "chase the light" to make themselves look better in the camera, with better skin and sharper edges and corners.

Another reason is due to the distortion effect of the lens.

Generally speaking, a lens with a focal length of 50 mm is closest to human vision, and other focal lengths are somewhat different from the human perspective.

For example, wide-angle lenses can cause barrel distortion. Due to the large inclination of the light, when taking a photo, the person in the middle of the lens tends to appear taller and fatter, while the person on the edge does not appear taller but still appears fatter.

And longer focal lengths will also have pincushion distortion, that is, the picture "shrinks" toward the middle. Therefore, if the person is not placed in the center of the picture, other positions will be deformed.

Telephoto lenses also compress space and weaken the three-dimensional effect. Because under the same shooting subject distance, due to the different viewing angles, the short focus lens has a wide viewing angle and a wide range of scenes, which can accommodate the foreground and background. It forms a strong perspective relationship with the subject and shows a strong spatial depth. Compared with Under the telephoto lens, the three-dimensional effect appears poor.

When using a telephoto lens, people must stand farther away. A longer object distance can make the subjects of the image the same size, enhance the perspective effect of lines, and thereby enhance the three-dimensional effect. And the person must be placed in the center of the picture to avoid distortion, thus making up for the distortion caused by the lens.

Of course, not all photos will make people look fatter than they are. You can still make people look thinner if you master some skills. Portrait photography professionals use a lot of techniques to try to avoid the problem that the real person looks different from the lens.

Some actors are good-looking but not photogenic, and some actors are very beautiful in real life on camera.

In the final analysis, photography and videography are all art of light and shadow, and art can never completely match reality, but isn’t this exactly its charm?