Dermatologist shares important advice if you think you're 'unphotogenic'

18 June 2024 , 11:17

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There's a lot of pressure on people to be 'picture-perfect' these days (stock image)

These days there’s more pressure than ever to look a certain way and be Instagram-ready in an instant.

Social media bombards us with images of beautiful people looking picture-perfect, which can be a lot for anyone. And because most of us struggle with body confidence to some degree, the demand to be 'photogenic' can be daunting.

Now, cosmetic dermatologist and all-around nice person Dr. Samantha Ellis has shared her professional advice for anyone who feels like they don’t look good enough in photos. Posting on Instagram, she told her followers an analogy that her mentor had told her.

She said: "If you hate the way you look in pictures I’m going to share something my mentor once shared with me and it really changed the way I view photography of myself because I generally don’t like the way I look in pictures.

"It also changed the way I talk to my patients as a cosmetic dermatologist because I have lots of patients who are beautiful and they come in to have cosmetic work done just because they don’t like the way they look in a photo.

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"And what this mentor said is, 'Think of all the beautiful sunsets you have ever seen in your life and then you go to take a picture of it and when you look at the photo you go, ugh, this photo really doesn’t do this sunset justice.'"

She finished: "You are the sunset. You are beautiful and just because the photo doesn’t do you justice does not detract from any of that."

People watching the clip were moved by Dr. Samantha’s advice and rushed to share their thoughts. One person replied: "Love this thought. Speaking as a photographer, what most people don’t realise is a phone camera is a super wide-angle lens. This means it really distorts the image to fit more in the frame – which can really distort /widen features and make for very unflattering photos.

"Lighting is everything. Bad lighting can make someone look unwell when they actually look good that day. Most people don’t get to see themselves at their most beautiful, which is when they’re thinking/talking about/doing what they love, and their eyes are lit up."

While another user added: "That is a good line. There is also a song lyric that has stayed with me over the years by Ani DiFranco. 'I don't take good pictures 'cause I have the kind of beauty that moves.' That has always been a good one for me too."

Others took the opportunity to crack a joke, with one person quipping: "The camera adds 15 pounds to the sunset."

Eve Wagstaff