November 02, 2014
Why You May Appear Unflattering in Your Photographs
We see those pictures floating around the web, Pinterest, and Tumblr. Women and men with their ripped physiques that make our jaws drop to the floor and wonder "How on Earth can I look like that?"
Well, in one word, photoshop. But, there is something else that plays into the picture that makes the overall difference and that, my friends, is lighting.
Lighting can make a person appear thinner... or fatter... on camera (and off) than they really are.
Think dressing rooms with their dim overhead lights. Yuck. I am never really sure why the lighting is so terrible in dressing rooms. After all, they are trying to sell a product in which we feel and look our best in, right?
Remember Tyra Banks and her big "fat" controversy? The tabloids captured photos of her on the beach, looking super unflattering than the usually done up supermodel look. They then dubbed her "Thigh-ra Banks." She blamed in on bad angles and lighting.
Sure, maybe the lighting and angles were bad.
Maybe, she did gain a little weight.
Maybe it was photoshopped to make her look heavier than she really was (hey, you can totally do that).
I decided to see how lighting affects the physique for myself!
I conducted my own little test by using a spotlight and regular room lighting. I took 3 photos:


- One with a spotlight lamp aimed right toward my abs.
- One with the spotlight lamp off.
- And then one of me turned away from the overall light source.
