[richmondthefish]

Obviously we have all seen countless self mirror shots via instagram...etc. What does a mirror do to the way you appear and how could you replicate that look in a camera without a mirror? It's tough to describe but there is something about the way you look in many mirrors that is flattering....almost as if it flattens out certain unflattering features. I've done experiments shooting in the same room with the same lighting by shooting in a mirror and then without and there is something about your reflection that is very flattering when photographed. (Obviously being a good looking model helps like in the example below)

[adpo]

Most cell phones have really wide lenses on them. What shooting against a mirror does is increase the working distance from camera to subject, which means you don't quite fill the frame as much. This means that there is less of you in the frame for the wide lens to distort, resulting in a flatter look. You can achieve the same effect on a wide lens by composing your subject in a way that fills up less of the frame. Similarly, you can achieve the same effect by switching to a lens with a longer focal length, as this negates the wide angle perspective distortion you get from using a wider lens. The longer the lens, the more your subject will appear flattened due to the nature of telephoto lenses, as longer lenses tend to compress perspective.

[Tanzer]

Especially compared to the worst way of taking a self-portrait. That is to say, by holding the camera at arm's length, casually bent, and pointing the lens back at yourself. So many folks have been doing such cellphone self-portraits for so long, that they don't even notice how distorted their nose and cheeks are anymore. The mirror trick helps, as you were astute to notice, but then you have a cell phone in the portrait too.

I'm sure that cell phone manufacturers are entirely aware that people like to take these self-portraits so they design their lenses to be at least wide enough to allow a few people to cram into a shot, at a 2-1/2 feet shooting distance. So they are complicit in this. Could this be one of the saddest directions that cell phone photography has taken us? Distorted self-portraits on vacation. In the old days, it was common to ask a stranger to snap a picture, or for a passing stranger to recognize what was happening and to offer to take a picture for others. From at least 8 feet away.

[calsan]

We have a lifetime of seeing ourselves in the mirror when cleaning our teeth each day, so when viewed the correct way around (i.e., from another's viewpoint) in a photograph or video, we think we look a bit different to normal. Which is true, we're not mirrored. That's all it is.

[richmondthefish]

Most cell phones have really wide lenses on them. What shooting against a mirror does is increase the working distance from camera to subject, which means you don't quite fill the frame as much. This means that there is less of you in the frame for the wide lens to distort, resulting in a flatter look. You can achieve the same effect on a wide lens by composing your subject in a way that fills up less of the frame. Similarly, you can achieve the same effect by switching to a lens with a longer focal length, as this negates the wide angle perspective distortion you get from using a wider lens. The longer the lens, the more your subject will appear flattened due to the nature of telephoto lenses, as longer lenses tend to compress perspective.

Interesting about the working distance from camera to subject does make sense. I tried the follow experiment. Set my K5 to 20mm and shot at the mirror from 5ft away. Then I positioned the K5 where the mirror is and shot myself at 5ft then 8ft then 10ft(max distance of the bathroom). The 10ft shot match the 5ft mirror reflection the closest but still was off. The mirror was still doing something extra and i'm not sure how to articulate it. It was still flatter look but very flattering.



I'll have to try a longer focal length as well.

[richmondthefish]

We have a lifetime of seeing ourselves in the mirror when cleaning our teeth each day, so when viewed the correct way around (i.e., from another's viewpoint) in a photograph or video, we think we look a bit different to normal. Which is true, we're not mirrored. That's all it is.

Thats not where im getting at. If I inverted the photo in photoshop its still going to have a certain look im talking about.

[adpo]

Don't forget to take into consideration lighting (fill light from light bouncing off the mirror), camera height (around eye level) and angle (dead on or slightly downward sloping). Also, you should try to shoot wider, 20mm on APS-C is roughly equal to 30mm on full-frame, whereas a great number of camera phones hit the 24-28mm range. Don't forget that there may or may not be a variety of instances of barrel distortion in addition to perspective distortion in both camera phones and the lenses you have for your dslr.

[richmondthefish]

• Don't forget to take into consideration lighting (fill light from light bouncing off the mirror)

Thats a good point for bathroom shots but even with consistent lighting the reflection is still different and i'd be interested to know how to reproduce that look

• camera height (around eye level) and angle (dead on or slightly downward sloping).

Ill have to make sure I was shooting around eye level(im pretty sure the tripod was) Even so I can't believe changing the angle would mimic the reflection attributes. I'm only saying that because all shots in the mirror regardless of height have a certain look to them.

• Also, you should try to shoot wider, 20mm on APS-C is roughly equal to 30mm on full-frame, whereas a great number of camera phones hit the 24-28mm range.

Well im not even talking strictly about cell phone pics in mirrors. Even a DSLR has a certain look to it when shooting your reflection much like a cell phone. You are correct about shooting wide for cell phone....but also I'm pretty sure the iPhone 5 for example has a 31mm full frame equivalent. I just looked up the iPhone 4 specs - full frame equivalent > 30 mm f/22

• Don't forget that there may or may not be a variety of instances of barrel distortion in addition to perspective distortion in both camera phones and the lenses you have for your dslr.

Heh thats what im trying to figure out

[ToyTank]

Also some of the effect could be HEAVY in phone processing to some degree. Tiny little sensor stuffed for of pixels takes some heavy math. Those JPEG engines are probably optimized for these craigslist...er I mean instagram selfies.

We all love ourselves and probably reflect some of that subconsciously when we see our own image.

She's made a positive feedback loop looking at herself, looking at herself To me I see something in the expression I can't pinpoint. Maybe do the shoot with here using the phone in "mirror mode" so she is still looking at herself with no mirror.