CG members photo album

[gstercken]

Maybe because some feel uneasy when being photographed, hence they don't look as good as in person? (Just a theory).

Rejected. The observation usually also applies (and often especially) when the subjects in question are not aware that they are being photographed.

Probably, facial bone structure, lighting, etc also comes into play?

Plausible, but probably not sufficient. My theory goes more like this: Even a person who is objectively "ugly" (read: unphotogenic) can be charming, have charisma and a way to behave, move and express her-/himself in a way that always renders the person pretty and attractive in a "live" scenario, while these attributes are evidently missing in any photograph - hence the discrepancy. Just a theory expressed in three words, however... But you get the idea.

Anyways, its nice to find out that you also find this "phenomenon" interesting.

Seriously, I have always been stunned by the fact that some individuals who always look good in reality often make a bad appearance in photographs. Others just always look good. That's what the term "photogenic" is all about - but I never found a definitive answer to what "photogenicity" really means. Fortunately, we have the chit chat forum here on CodeGuru for that...

// Edit: And, not to be forgotten, Wikipedia. But I have the strong feeling that what they tell us there is not much more than the amateur philosopy we are doing here...