Pictures pictures pictures....really a great tool
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free skin care · Fri Oct 14, 2011 5:19 pm

I have recently realized just how important taking pictures has been to use in a self improvement plan. In 2007 when I came to this forum I took pictures that I used as "before shots" for facial exercises. After taking these shots I was really discouraged but it gave me a starting point to evaluate any change. Since 2007 I have done facial exercises, used many devices, and tried different skincares products. Many things I have tried have worked very well but a tool that I have used that verified my changes was a camera. I now consider it a tool in my skincare bag. I can see on photos the changes and know if what I am doing it making a difference. Also, it has been instrumental in finding a hair style that is most flattering along with a color that is complimentary. I always thought that I could just look in the mirror and tell what looked good.....after taking pictures and studying my face at a deeper level I am shocked at how much I missed. So here's to a camera being a critical tool for your own make over.

free skin care · Sat Oct 15, 2011 6:11 pm

I recently cut about 4" off my hair due to some pictures I came across of myself. I realized I look better at a shoulder length, more classically styled look vs too long. Part of what it is - is knowing "your" style, your look and not getting locked into something that really isn't great. The camera tells all.

free skin care · Sat Oct 15, 2011 11:19 pm

Absolutely! A picture is a reality check. There is a discrepancy between the mirror and reality. I live by my camera phone. When its time for my upgrade, i choose a phone based on the camera.

free skin care · Sun Oct 16, 2011 6:19 am

You are sooo right I just caught a sight of me on Skype!(on the phone to DH) Oh boy horrid Embarassed

I thought I wasnt looking too bad till I saw that picture, baad hair , so Mon morn I am making that call to get it all chopped off, different colour and chopped.( I scrape it back into a pony most of the time anyway , who am I kidding? Chop it off at least it will have a proper style.)
Thank you Toby you have motivated me to action

Rolling Eyes

Thank you

free skin care · Sun Oct 16, 2011 7:53 am

I agree with you 100% on that it really is the best tool for tracking your progress and weeding out the products that work opposed to the ones that dont.

Mon Oct 17, 2011 7:22 pm

This is motivating me to get started on a "Skin journal" so I can keep track of my (lack of) progress. Thank you!

I agree that cameras are far more objective than that reflection in the mirror. And with zoom to actual size feature ... whoa Cool

free skin care · Mon Oct 17, 2011 8:20 pm

10Sylvia5 wrote:

You are sooo right I just caught a sight of me on Skype!(on the phone to DH) Oh boy horrid Embarassed

I thought I wasnt looking too bad till I saw that picture, baad hair , so Mon morn I am making that call to get it all chopped off, different colour and chopped.( I scrape it back into a pony most of the time anyway , who am I kidding? Chop it off at least it will have a proper style.)
Thank you Toby you have motivated me to action

Rolling Eyes

Thank you

Awesome! I hear you: Re - scraping it back into a ponytail... Love the "who am I kidding" comment.
A proper style really says so much. I'm glad to finally own that knowledge.

Toby!!!!

free skin care · Mon Oct 17, 2011 8:21 pm

ava10 wrote:

This is motivating me to get started on a "Skin journal" so I can keep track of my (lack of) progress. Thank you!

I agree that cameras are far more objective than that reflection in the mirror. And with zoom to actual size feature ... whoa Cool

The less zoom, the better Laughing

free skin care · Tue Oct 18, 2011 1:13 am

I think photos can be good for overall assessments of progress with skincare and facial exercises. I guess that is the point that Toby is trying to make. But, I don't think a photo always accurately portrays what a person looks like in reality.

I received an email from Lou Lou of Ageless a while back. It explained why most people don't look good in photos. It said "If you face the camera with your chin up, the camera won't see a glorious smile, it will see a massive chin sticking out in front of your other, weirdly small features. If you put your head down and look up seductively, it will see very big hair, big forehead, big circles under the eyes, medium nose, non-existent mouth and chin (and body). Whichever part of you is nearest the lens will be magnified out of all perspective, while the rest of you recedes eerily into the distance. A camera can and will give you an unbelievably big nose, huge breasts (yay!) or a very prominent stomach (boo). Anything close to the camera is drawn into the foreground as though the entire face has melted and the features at the front have been pulled forward dramatically. I think this is one reason why so many models, actors, famous beauties have rather flat faces, and equally flat bodies... There's just so much less that can go wrong on film if you don't have a very steep topography."

"Even the most celebrated beauties in the world don't like the effect of a camera close to their faces. The closer the lens, the more distorted and convex the subject will look, even Angelina Jolie, or Kate Moss look warped and peculiar when taken close up with a digital camera or phone. This is why they run for the hills and put their hands up between themselves and the lens when a camera is pointed in their faces. These are gorgeous people... Don't expect the laws of physics to do you any more favours than it does them!"

"The way to look yourself in a photo is to have the photographer at least six feet away, then zoom in."

"That's how every close-up you see in a magazine is done. The further away the lens is, the more flattering the picture."

I think this also explains why in some cases plain looking people take great photos and some very attractive people take horrible photos. It also explains why zooming in distorts everything. Most of the photos we take to track progress are close ups. This information makes sense. It sure makes me feel better when I take a bad photo.

free skin care · Tue Oct 18, 2011 2:39 pm

I must admit that i learned a lot from her newsletters. they've been silent for a while now which is a shame as they were quite informative.

free skin care · Tue Oct 18, 2011 8:35 pm

I have to agree, photos are not so much as a vanity tool but a reality check!

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