Why do some people feel that they look good in the mirror but look ugly when taking pictures?

Lens distortion.

The so-called lens distortion refers to the distortion caused by perspective. Although there are now high-quality lenses that can minimize perspective distortion, it is impossible to completely eliminate distortion.

When we take selfies with our mobile phones, the distance is generally 24~35mm. Due to the perspective of near and far, the middle of our face will be enlarged and the edges will be narrowed.

This is also the reason why the difference between taking a selfie and taking a selfie is that if the distance between the selfie and the camera is increased, the person's face will also deform as the angle changes. The self in the mirror is natural and closer to what others see.

02 Magnification of flaws

When we look in the mirror, we see the face as a whole, and small flaws on the skin can basically be ignored. But when taking photos, because mobile phones take more and more high-definition photos, they can also be zoomed in, allowing people to directly see some flaws on the skin at a glance.

For example, whether the eyes are big or small or have a single eyelid and a double eyelid, they are almost ignored when facing the mirror. But if you take a photo, you can clearly see the difference, and naturally it doesn't look good enough.

03 Stiffness and unnaturalness in taking pictures

This varies from person to person. Some people can appear natural and smile brightly when facing the camera. And some people will be reserved when facing the camera, can't let go, have basically no expression, even if they smile, it will be a stiff fake smile.

I have friends who are like this. Once they face the camera, their bodies naturally become stiff, and their facial features and movements appear a little deliberate. Taking a selfie itself will deform the face, and coupled with the unnaturalness, the final result will naturally not be as good-looking as what is shown in the original mirror. This is why, in many cases, the effect of capturing a picture while taking a picture is more unexpected than telling him that he is taking a picture.